Getting found
Sitemap
A file on your website (usually sitemap.xml) that lists every page you want search engines to know about, with the date each one last changed.
Why it matters for your business
Search engines find pages by following links, and they miss some. A sitemap hands them the full list so new service pages and blog posts get found and indexed sooner. It also helps you spot pages you forgot you had.
In practice
When a law firm publishes a new practice area page, it lands in the sitemap automatically and Google Search Console is told, so Google learns about it right away instead of whenever a crawler happens to find it.
Related terms
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