The XML sitemap module creates a sitemap that conforms to the sitemaps.org specification. This helps search engines to more intelligently crawl a website and keep their results up to date.

When enabled and configured, the sitemap will be located at "yoursite.ucr.edu/sitemap.xml" and can also be viewed before launch using your ACSF URL. This sitemap will list all included nodes and files as requested. Sitemaps are enabled by default but will require additional setup. A site builder can perform these changes.

Access the XML Sitemap module through Configuration -> Search and metadata -> XML Sitemap

What to Configure

Make sure that the following settings are correct for your site or the XML Sitemap will not function correctly. 

1. Under the "List" tab it is recommend that the XML Sitemap label be the launched URL of your site. Configure this by clicking "Edit" and updating the label to "https://yoursite.ucr.edu/". If your site is not yet launched at the .edu, it will be using the acsitefactory URL. It should update automatically once launched. 
   

   

2. Under the "Search Engines" tab, submit the xml sitemap to search engines by clicking on the search engines. It is recommended to submit weekly, however, if your site has frequent changes, this can be set lower. If your site is fairly static, this can be higher. 
   
3. Under the "Settings" tab set the minimum sitemap lifetime to the recommended value of 1 day. 
   
4. Under the "Settings" tab make sure there is a checkmark for "Include a stylesheet in the sitemaps for humans."
   
5. Under the "Settings" tab click to open "Advanced Settings". Update the default base URL to your launched site URL. Do NOT use the acsitefactory URL. If your site is not yet launched, it will be using the acsitefactory URL. Once launched, this is when it is important that it updates correctly. This should be automatic but it is good to check. 
   

Sitemap Inclusions

The Sitemap Entities tab is where the configurations to include certain content and media and their priorities to set are located.  An entire content type or media type can be included or excluded. The Campus Web Solutions group recommends all Content Types with the exception of Google Custom Search to be included. Only "documents" and "images" should be included for Media Types.

• Content Types
  • Article
  • Event
  • Local Galleria
  • Google Custom Search
  • Basic pages
  • People Profiles
  • FAQ (only available if FAQ content type is enabled) 
• Media Types
  • Documents
  • Images
  • Videos

Default settings include "Article", "Event", and "Basic page" as a .5 priority (normal) and all other content types as .1 priority (low).

The font page is set at the highest priority by default. 

Priorities & Frequencies

For each Content Type and Media Type, a priority and frequency can be set. When a request is placed, if a priority or frequency is not specified, the default priority of .5 (normal) and weekly as the frequency. The priority can be set from 0.0 (lowest) to 1.0 (highest). The frequency can be set for daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.

If your site is not constantly changing on a daily basis, it is recommended to change the frequency to monthly. If there is content on your site that is updated very often (daily), then it may be worth setting the frequency for that content type or media type to daily with a higher priority. Keep in mind that running these scans does put load on your site so it is best to do as minimal as possible.