How to create an XML sitemap for Ghost?

@elmo.conroy 

Creating an XML sitemap for a Ghost blog is straightforward because Ghost automatically generates a sitemap for you. This feature simplifies the process, ensuring that search engines can easily crawl and index your content. Here’s a quick guide on how to access and use the sitemap:

Accessing the XML Sitemap

1. Default Behavior: As of Ghost 0.7.0, the platform automatically generates an XML sitemap for your blog.
2. Find Your Sitemap: To access your sitemap, simply append /sitemap.xml to your blog’s URL. For example, if your blog is hosted at https://example.com, your sitemap will be located at https://example.com/sitemap.xml.
3. Content Coverage: The sitemap typically covers all the necessary aspects of your Ghost site, including posts, pages, tags, and authors.

Using the XML Sitemap

• Submit to Search Engines: To enhance the discoverability of your content, submit the sitemap to search engines like Google and Bing through their respective webmaster tools (Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools).
• Check for Errors: Ensure that your sitemap is updating correctly and does not contain any errors or broken links, which could impact your site's SEO.
• Automatic Updates: Whenever you add or update content on your Ghost blog, the sitemap updates automatically, so you don't have to worry about manually updating it.

Additional SEO Tips

• Meta Tags and Attributes: Utilize Ghost’s built-in SEO features to fine-tune meta tags and attributes for each post and page.
• Integrations: Consider integrating third-party tools like Google Analytics or using additional SEO software for enhanced insights and performance tracking.

By leveraging Ghost's built-in sitemap feature, you ensure that your content can be efficiently crawled by search engines, aiding in higher visibility and potentially improved search rankings.