Google Search: Last-Modified Date in Sitemaps still considered a signal for activity
According to his comments on LinkedIn, Google Search Console still considers the last-modified date as a signal for website activity, even though it is not the sole determinant of crawl frequency.
Gary Illyes, Analyst at Google, yesterday clarified the importance of the "lastmod" element within website sitemaps. According to his comments on LinkedIn, Google Search Console still considers the last-modified date as a signal for website activity, even though it is not the sole determinant of crawl frequency.
A sitemap is an XML file that lists important web pages on a website. It acts as a communication tool between website owners and search engines, informing them about the website's structure and content. While not mandatory for search engine indexing, sitemaps can help search engines discover and crawl web pages more efficiently.
The "lastmod" element within a sitemap specifies the date a particular web page was last modified. Search engines like Google can use this information to prioritize crawling of recently updated content.
While Google's crawling algorithms consider various factors, including website quality and relevance to search queries, the "lastmod" date remains a valuable signal. According to Gary Illyes, a frequently updated "lastmod" can indicate to search engines that a website is actively maintained and might contain fresh content. This can potentially lead to more frequent crawling and indexing of those pages.
It's important to note that the "lastmod" date should accurately reflect the last substantial modification of a webpage's content. Inaccurate or misleading dates can negatively impact crawl efficiency and potentially lead to search engines overlooking important updates.
There are other ways to notify search engines about content updates, such as submitting individual URLs through Google Search Console or utilizing ping services. However, maintaining an accurate sitemap with up-to-date "lastmod" elements remains a best practice for website owners.
While the "lastmod" element is not the single most important factor influencing crawl frequency, it remains a valuable tool for website owners to signal activity and potentially improve search engine visibility. By combining accurate "lastmod" dates with a well-structured sitemap, website owners can enhance search engine understanding of their website's content and updates.
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