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Lesson 4
Sitemap Setup
Why this matters
A sitemap is the fastest way to tell search engines every URL you want indexed — including pages no link points to yet.
What it is
An XML file listing your indexable URLs with optional lastmod, changefreq, and priority hints.
Where it lives
Almost always at /sitemap.xml. Reference it from robots.txt with: Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
How to submit
Submit in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools after every major content release.
How to test
Open the URL in your browser — must return XML, not 404. Then validate at xml-sitemaps.com/validate-xml-sitemap.html.
How to update
Regenerate on every publish. Most frameworks (including MikeKnows Digital Marketing) generate sitemaps automatically from routes.
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