Which element assists search engines in discovering all pages on a site?

• A. A robots.txt file that blocks pages.
• B. A site-wide discount code.
• C. A sitemap.
• D. A random keyword list.

Answer: (C)

Sitemaps empower search engines to discover every page on your site by providing a structured list of URLs for crawling. This helps crawlers reach pages that might be buried deep in the site or added recently, increasing the chances that those pages get indexed. An XML sitemap can also include metadata like lastmod, changefreq, and priority to help search engines prioritize what to crawl and when. You typically host the sitemap at a known location (often /sitemap.xml) and submit it through search tools like Google Search Console. By contrast, robots.txt is used to tell crawlers what not to crawl, which can limit discovery rather than improve it. A site-wide discount code and a random keyword list don’t guide crawlers or affect indexing at all.