What an XML sitemap does

An XML sitemap tells search engines about URLs you want them to discover. It is different from an HTML sitemap or navigation page that helps people browse the site. Neither replaces useful internal links.

Read a minimal entry

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/lesson.html</loc>
  </url>
</urlset>

The address is illustrative. For your site, use the preferred canonical URLs and ensure they return the intended pages. Keep redirected, missing and deliberately noindex utility pages out of the ordinary indexing sitemap.

Inspect the generated file

Open the sitemap after a build. Pick a reference lesson and compare its entry with the page’s canonical URL, status and indexing rules. Check that a newly published lesson appears and a confirmation page does not.

lastmod, when supplied, should describe a meaningful modification rather than every build. Do not refresh all dates solely to appear current.

Submission is a separate step

Google says a sitemap helps discovery but does not guarantee crawling or indexing. Search Console submission and URL inspection provide provider evidence; a valid local file provides build evidence. This site’s sitemap is generated by Jekyll. Learn how 404 responses and crawlable links fit alongside it.

Sources

Reference 1 Reference 2 provide the technical details and current compatibility information.