Mistake: sitemap URL ≠ canonical URL

Mistake: sitemap URL ≠ canonical URL

Listing ?utm=..., /page/ with a slash, or a tracking variant while the page's rel=canonical points elsewhere sends a mixed signal. Google picks the canonical and your sitemap URL is wasted.

Fix checklist:
— ✅ The exact string in <loc> equals the page's self-referencing canonical, character for character
— ✅ No tracking params, session IDs, or sort/filter query strings in sitemap URLs
— Pick one trailing-slash convention site-wide and make sitemap + canonical agree
— Only canonical URLs go in the sitemap; never list a known duplicate or alternate

Definition of done: for 10 sample URLs, fetch the page and diff <loc> against the <link rel=canonical> value. They must be byte-identical. Any difference means your URL builder and canonical builder disagree.