An XML sitemap is a file listing URLs you want search engines to know about, along with hints like last-modified date — it’s a discovery aid, not a ranking factor itself.
What belongs in it
- All canonical, indexable pages you want search engines to crawl
- Accurate
lastmoddates, since inaccurate ones can cause search engines to deprioritize the sitemap’s reliability over time
What shouldn’t be in it
- Pages marked
noindex— including them sends a contradictory signal - Redirected or broken (404) URLs
- Non-canonical duplicate URLs (parameter variants, etc.)
FAQ
Does submitting a sitemap guarantee those pages get indexed?
No — it helps discovery, but indexing still depends on content quality, crawl budget, and other signals; a sitemap listing doesn’t override those.