changefreq

Changefreq is an attribute used in XML sitemaps to indicate the expected frequency with which a website’s page content is likely to change. This information helps search engines understand how often they should revisit and re-index specific pages, enhancing crawling efficiency and ensuring the most current content is available in search results.

The changefreq value is a hint rather than a strict rule, and search engines are not obligated to follow it precisely. Typical values include "always," "hourly," "daily," "weekly," "monthly," "yearly," and "never." For example, a news page that updates multiple times a day might have a changefreq of "hourly," whereas an archive page of historic documents may be set to "yearly" or "never."

Implementing changefreq correctly can improve search engine optimization (SEO) by guiding bots on where to prioritize crawling efforts. However, it should be used in conjunction with other sitemap elements such as "lastmod" (last modified date) and "priority" to give a comprehensive picture of page relevance and update patterns.

Changefreq is part of the sitemap protocol established by sitemaps.org, which provides a standardized way for webmasters to communicate site structure and update behavior to search engines. Although not every search engine values changefreq equally, it remains a useful tool for site management and SEO strategies to promote timely indexing and better visibility of dynamic content.

Overall, changefreq serves as a helpful, though advisory, component in the broader infrastructure of web content optimization.