Question 1

What makes a sitemap valid?

Accepted Answer

A valid sitemap must have correct XML syntax, a root element with the proper namespace (http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9), at least one element, and each URL must contain a element with the actual URL.

Question 2

What is the urlset namespace?

Accepted Answer

The urlset namespace is xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9". This namespace is required for search engines to properly recognize and process your sitemap.

Question 3

What are optional sitemap elements?

Accepted Answer

Optional elements include (last modification date), (how frequently the page changes), and (priority relative to other URLs on your site, from 0.0 to 1.0).

Question 4

How do I fix sitemap errors?

Accepted Answer

Common fixes include ensuring proper XML syntax (closing all tags), adding the required xmlns namespace to the element, ensuring every has a element, and validating that dates are in W3C format (YYYY-MM-DD).

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