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What is PageSoar?Try the PageSoar demoWhat's new in PageSoarRunning the free website checkYour first ten minutes in PageSoarWhat the Home screen showsHow the Getting started guide worksHow to choose your goalFinding and fixing
How a change goes live: draft, review, publish, checkWhat the agent changes by itself, and what waits for youWhat the SEO audit screen showsHow to find and filter your pagesWhat the page audit showsWhat site-wide issues mean and how to clear themHow to add internal links and untangle pages that competeHow page types are scored and how to change the standardsHow to change many pages at once with Bulk optimizeBroken links, redirects and page speedWhat the Market position screen showsHow to see what changed in your marketHow to choose your next movesHow to find sites that should link to youHow to check if Google's AI answers name youHow to choose what to write nextWhat the Meta Ads screen showsHow to save a filtered list as a viewProving it worked
How PageSoar measures whether a change workedHow to read the Did it work? screenWhat the Weekly briefing showsWhere your visits come from: the Channels screenHow to compare pages and build a dashboardWhich kinds of fix move clicks most: the Impact rankingHow to run a held-back experiment and log what you expectHow to track your search rankingsWhat the Needs attention screen is telling youHow to generate a report deckHow to be told when a number movesHow to log what you expect a change to doConnecting your site
Which sites PageSoar can publish toConnect Google Search Console and AnalyticsWhen a connection does not workHow to connect your website and GoogleHow to check your site's connection healthHow to request a custom connectorConnect WordPress to PageSoarConnect Ghost to PageSoarConnect a git repositoryConnect a Python appConnect Shopify to PageSoarConnect Webflow to PageSoarConnect Wix to PageSoarAsking your data
Asking your data in plain wordsHow to check a draft before it goes liveHow to check a rival's websiteSEO basics
What a title tag is and how to write a good oneWriting meta descriptions that earn clicksHeading structure: H1 to H3 explainedHow to write helpful image alt textWhat a canonical tag is and when to use itRedirects: 301 versus 302 and how to avoid chainsWhat an XML sitemap does and how to check yoursRobots.txt: what it blocks and common mistakesWhat structured data is and which types matter for a small businessHow to fix duplicate contentMobile-friendliness: what to checkHTTPS and why browsers warnWhat keyword research is and how to startSearch intent: the four kinds and how to match a page to oneLong-tail keywords for small businessesHow to write a page that answers a searchInternal linking basicsWhat backlinks are and how to earn them honestlyAnchor text explainedWhat E-E-A-T means in practiceContent refreshes: when and how to update an old pageKeyword cannibalization: how to spot and fix itLocal SEO basics and a Google Business Profile checklistHow to read a search results page (SERP features)Core Web Vitals explained: LCP, CLS and interaction speedHow to speed up a slow page: images, caching and scriptsWhat Google Search Console shows: queries, pages, clicks, impressions and positionWhat Google Analytics measures: users, sessions and eventsSetting up a conversion or key eventClick-through rate: what is normal and how to raise itBounce rate versus engagement rateUTM tags: tracking campaigns correctlyHow to run a simple before-and-after SEO test, and why correlation misleadsSeasonality: why traffic moves without any change from youWhat a Google algorithm update is and how to respondA monthly SEO reporting checklist for a small teamYour team and your data
Roles and approvalsIs my site safe with PageSoar?Billing, plans and cancellingHow to approve or send back a proposed changeAssigned and Decided: where your work and past decisions livePick the goal that counts as a winTeach PageSoar your brand voiceList what your product has todayCheck what PageSoar knows about your site and rivalsIgnore pages, or keep them out of GooglePublish your award badges so Google can show themCustom modules: parts built for your accountPeople, roles, company name and appearanceTarget site and the write testHow notifications and the weekly summary workHow to get back something you removedGlossary
SEO glossary A to ZWhat an XML sitemap does and how to check yours
A sitemap is a list of the pages you want search engines to find, and checking yours takes a few minutes.
What it is#
An XML sitemap is a file listing the addresses of the pages on your site that you want search engines to know about. It is written for software, not people. It usually lives at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml, or at sitemap_index.xml when it is split into several files.
Why it matters#
Search engines normally find pages by following links. A new page, or one buried deep in your site, may be missed or found late. A sitemap gives them a list. A page that is not indexed cannot bring anyone to you from search, so every page that should earn leads needs to be found. A sitemap does not guarantee ranking or even inclusion, but it removes one reason for being missed.
How to check#
- Type your address followed by /sitemap.xml into a browser. You should see a list of addresses, not an error.
- Scan it. Your main service pages, location pages and recent articles should all be there.
- Open a few listed addresses. Each should load normally.
- In Google Search Console, open the Sitemaps report. It shows whether the file was read and how many addresses were found.
How to fix#
- Let your platform generate it. Most builders and SEO plugins make one and keep it current. Turn the setting on.
- List only pages you want in search: live, public, and returning a normal page.
- Use the same address form as your canonical tags (https, www or not).
- Submit it in Search Console under Sitemaps, and add a line Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml to your robots.txt.
- Recheck after big changes such as a redesign or a move.
Common mistakes#
- Listing pages that redirect, return errors or are marked noindex. That sends mixed messages.
- Listing the old http addresses after moving to https.
- Leaving out pages that matter, because a plugin excludes a content type.
- Forgetting it exists and letting a stale file sit for years.
- Thinking it fixes weak pages. A sitemap only helps discovery. Thin or duplicate pages still need work.
- Exceeding the limits: a single file holds up to 50,000 addresses, so large sites split into several.
For a wider health read of your pages, try the free website check.