The sitemap.gz is a compressed version of a sitemap.xml file, which is used by websites to inform search engines about the structure of their site content. Here are some key points about sitemap.gz:
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Compression: The 'gz' extension indicates that the file is compressed using the gzip algorithm. This compression reduces file size, making it faster to transmit over the internet, which is particularly beneficial for large websites with extensive sitemaps.
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File Structure: Despite the compression, the content within sitemap.gz remains an XML file at its core. Once decompressed, it should follow the same XML schema as a sitemap.xml, listing URLs of pages, videos, images, or other resources along with additional metadata like last modification date, change frequency, and priority.
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Search Engine Submission: Search engines like Google can read and decompress sitemap.gz files automatically. This file can be submitted to search engines through the Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, or other similar services to help improve site indexing.
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History: The concept of sitemaps dates back to the early 2000s when Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft agreed on a standard format for sitemaps to help webmasters communicate with search engines. Compression of sitemaps came later as a way to manage larger and more complex websites efficiently.
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Usage: Large websites or those with dynamic content often use sitemap.gz because:
- It reduces bandwidth usage when submitting to search engines.
- It allows for quicker updates to search engine databases.
- It can contain multiple sitemaps within one compressed file, known as a sitemap index file.
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Technical Considerations:
- The file must be named either "sitemap.xml.gz" or referenced in robots.txt with the line:
Sitemap: [URL-to-sitemap.gz].
- When decompressed, the file should not exceed 50MB, and it should contain no more than 50,000 URLs per sitemap.
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