Technical SEO
Source-linked guides for SEO, publishing, website quality, performance and security.
How to Build a Clean XML Sitemap
A sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to know about. It does not guarantee anything gets indexed, but it helps crawlers find your pages, especially new ones or pages with few links pointing to them.
Robots.txt: What It Can and Cannot Do
Robots.txt is a plain text file that gives crawling instructions to automated visitors. Many site owners treat it as a way to hide pages or remove them from Google. It does neither. Once you understand the difference between crawling and indexing, most of the confusion goes away.
XML Sitemaps Explained: What to Include and What to Leave Out
The sitemap is your recommendation to search engines. If you recommend pages that redirect, error out or are blocked, they will trust the file less. A small, accurate list is better than a large messy one.
A Practical Guide to Robots.txt Without Blocking Your Own Site
Robots.txt is a small file, and that is why mistakes in it cost so much. A single broad rule can hide the CSS, images or whole sections your visitors depend on.