SEO for a new website: what to do in the first 90 days
A practical SEO plan for a new website: getting indexed, Search Console and sitemaps, redirects from an old site, local signals and realistic expectations.
Read →Glossary
What is Sitemap?
Also called: XML sitemap, sitemap.xml.
An XML sitemap is a behind-the-scenes list of your website's pages, written in a format search engines read. It is not meant for humans, though you can open it in a browser and see a list of addresses.
It helps Google discover pages, especially new ones, and notice when pages have changed. You submit it once in Google Search Console, and most modern website systems keep it up to date automatically.
A sitemap does not guarantee pages get indexed or rank. It is a helpful map, not a set of instructions Google must follow.
Why it matters for your business
It is a small, free thing that helps Google find every page you have paid to have written. Its absence rarely sinks a small site, but a sitemap full of broken or out-of-date pages is a sign nobody is looking after the website.
Example. After a café adds a new ‘Private hire’ page, the updated sitemap tells Google it exists, so it gets crawled sooner instead of waiting for Google to stumble across it.
Related terms
£299to set up
£99a month
3working days to launch
You approve it before anything goes live.
Designed from scratch, every word written for you, hosting and Google setup included. Or pay £1,795 once and £49 a month with no minimum term.
Let’s get your phone ringing.
£299 setup, then £99 a month. Live in 3 working days. Tell us what your business does - we reply the same working day.