sitemap-ai.xml

The sitemap-ai.xml file is an AI-optimized sitemap that includes content type hints, making it easier for AI engines to prioritize and understand your pages.

What it is

An XML sitemap following the standard sitemap protocol, enhanced with content type metadata that AI crawlers can use to prioritize which pages to index and how to categorize them.

Why it matters

Standard sitemaps list URLs with last-modified dates. AI-optimized sitemaps add content classification hints, helping AI engines quickly identify your most important and relevant content — documentation pages, FAQ sections, and API references.

Example output

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-03-14</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/docs/quick-start</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-03-10</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/docs/api</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-03-12</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

How to deploy

Place sitemap-ai.xml at the root of your website and reference it in your robots.txt:

Sitemap: https://your-site.com/sitemap-ai.xml

This can coexist with your regular sitemap.xml — AI crawlers will use whichever provides better content hints.