Case: Removed priority/changefreq, zero crawl loss

Case: Removed priority/changefreq, zero crawl loss
A team spent hours tuning <priority> and <changefreq> values, believing they steered crawl.
What we did:
— Removed both tags from generation entirely
— Kept only <loc> and accurate <lastmod>
— Monitored Crawl Stats for 28 days before/after
Measured outcome:
— Crawl rate: statistically unchanged
— Index coverage: unchanged
— Generation code shrank by ~30 lines; one fewer thing to maintain
Rule:
✅ Include <loc> always
✅ Include accurate <lastmod>
✅ Omit priority and changefreq — Google ignores them
Definition of done: sitemap carries only loc and a truthful lastmod.