What is the best way to keep the sitemap.xml updated?

@vinnie 

The best way to keep the sitemap.xml updated is to automate the process as much as possible. Here are a few steps you can take to ensure your sitemap.xml stays current:

1. Use a sitemap generator tool: There are many free or paid tools available online that can automatically generate and update your sitemap.xml file. Some popular options include Screaming Frog, XML Sitemap Generator, and Yoast SEO plugin.
2. Set up a cron job: You can create a cron job to automatically update your sitemap.xml file at regular intervals. For example, you could set it to update every week or every month, depending on how often your site changes.
3. Use a CMS plugin: If you're using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or Drupal, there are many plugins available that can automatically generate and update your sitemap.xml file. These plugins usually offer additional features such as including/excluding specific pages, customizing frequency/priority, and more.
4. Submit the sitemap to search engines: Once you have generated or updated your sitemap.xml file, it's important to submit it to search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This will ensure that your site is crawled and indexed efficiently.

By implementing these steps, you can ensure that your sitemap.xml file is up-to-date and that search engines can easily crawl and index your website's pages.