XML Sitemaps for Local Websites: Best Practices

An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to index. It helps Google discover and prioritize your pages. This guide covers best practices for local websites. See Google Search Console for Local SEO for sitemap submission.

What to include

• All canonical, indexable URLs (service pages, location pages, blog posts).
• The homepage and category pages.
• Pages that are not well-linked internally (orphan-prone pages).

What to exclude

• Noindex pages (they should not be in the sitemap).
• Redirected URLs (they point elsewhere).
• Parameterized or duplicate URLs (canonicalize first).
• Faceted navigation URLs (unless intentionally indexable).
• Paginated pages (debatable — include if they have unique content).

Maintenance

Keep the sitemap accurate. Add new URLs when published, remove deleted URLs, and update lastmod dates when content changes materially. Submit the sitemap in Search Console and monitor for processing errors. Google documents sitemaps in Search Central.