The sitemap segmentation SOP
One giant sitemap hides indexing problems. Segment by template and cohort so coverage reports tell you exactly where bloat lives.
The structure:
☐ One child sitemap per template type (sitemap-products.xml, sitemap-locations.xml)
☐ Within a template, split by release cohort or by 10k-URL chunks
☐ Sitemap index references all children
☐ lastmod is accurate and reflects real content change, not a build timestamp
☐ Only canonical, indexable, 200-status URLs included — no noindex, no redirects, no parameters
☐ Gate: every URL in a sitemap returns 200 and is self-canonical
Why segment: in coverage reports you read "submitted vs indexed" per child. If sitemap-locations is 90 percent indexed but sitemap-products is 30 percent, you've isolated the thin template in one glance instead of one blur.
Guardrail: a noindex URL in a sitemap is a contradictory signal. The sitemap says "index me," the tag says "don't." Keep them out.
Ship gate: don't submit a sitemap until every URL returns 200 and is self-canonical.
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The sitemap segmentation SOP
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