SEO
SEO is making sure people find you when they search for what you do. What it covers, what it costs and how long it takes.
Read more →What is a sitemap?
A sitemap is the list of every page you want indexed. Why it exists and why it is so often wrong.
What it is
A sitemap is a file — usually sitemap.xml — listing every address on your site you want search engines to index. You submit it to Google Search Console, and Google uses it as a starting point for working out what exists.
It is not a guarantee that a page gets indexed. It is a suggestion, and Google decides.
Why it might matter to you
- On a new site it saves weeks: without one, Google has to discover everything itself through links.
- A sitemap containing deleted or redirected pages costs trust. If half of it is wrong, the rest is taken less seriously too.
- It should be generated automatically. A hand-maintained sitemap is guaranteed to be wrong within three months.
- Pages you do not want indexed do not belong in it — a common mistake with test pages and thank-you pages.
How we handle it
This site’s sitemap is regenerated on every build from the same list the pages themselves come from. It therefore cannot fall out of step by definition: a page that does not exist cannot appear in it, and a page that does exist cannot be left out.
Related terms
Hreflang
Hreflang tells Google which language version belongs to which visitor. Without it your own pages compete with each other.
Read more →Static website
A static site is built in advance instead of assembled per visitor. That makes it faster, safer and cheaper to host.
Read more →Not sure which way to go?
Send a short brief with what you have now and what needs to be better. You get an honest answer, including if that answer is that you do not need us for it.