XML Sitemap

How it works

• It lives at an address like yoursite.com/sitemap.xml.
• It lists each page and when it last changed.
• You submit it in Google Search Console and point to it from robots.txt.
• Most website platforms build it automatically, but it still needs checking.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A clinic opened a second location and added a page for it, but its sitemap was a hand-made file nobody updated. Google took weeks to find the page, and the new location got no search visits in its first month.

How WILDCARD handles it

Managed Hosting keeps the sitemap generating with the site. Managed Search submits it and watches for pages Google cannot find.

• A new service page gets found in days instead of weeks.
• A shop with hundreds of products makes sure each one is listed.
• A redesigned site submits its new sitemap the day it launches.

A question owners ask

Will a sitemap make me rank higher?

Not on its own. It makes sure Google knows the pages exist. Ranking comes from what is on them.