What is XML and its Importance in Web Development and SEO?

XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language and it’s used primarily in the development of websites, but there are many other applications of XML including its use in SEO and XML structure that we’ll explore in this article.

Let’s start by defining exactly what XML is as well as how it can be used within web development and search engine optimization (SEO).

What is XML?

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.

In addition to formatting documents, XML provides a way to define relationships between data elements within a document, which makes it especially useful when developing large websites with extensive functionality. Many web development languages are built around XML structures.

For example, PHP code uses an XML extension called SimpleXML to retrieve information from an XSD file at runtime. XML also has applications in search engine optimization (SEO).

Search engines index sites based on their content—but they can’t read your site’s source code directly. They use special programs called spiders or crawlers to read sites’ HTML and then translate those pages into plain text files for indexing.

This translation process can be time consuming because some websites have thousands of pages—and every page needs to be translated individually.

Also Read: The Benefits of Testing CSS and JavaScript Online

Why do we need XML and What are it's Benefits?

The reason that XML is so important in web development and SEO is because HTML is constantly evolving. As developers come up with new ways to make it more flexible, faster loading, or more secure, new tags are added.

This poses a problem for search engines: they want to crawl through websites like they’re cataloging libraries—and they want to be able to read every book published ever.

XML in Web Development

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) has a variety of functions. It can be used as a document type to describe data, store information, and present data in human-readable format.

Because it’s considered to be an open standard that anyone can use, developers often use XML code when they’re creating content management systems or web applications.

Also Read: Why JavaScript is Important for Web Developers?

XML in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You’ve probably heard a lot about it, but what does XML really mean for your website? The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is currently one of the most important languages for developing websites.

It has been used to format webpages on sites like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo. When you create XML sitemap code for your website, you make your site more accessible to search engines and improve how search engines read your site.

This allows search engines like Google to index your site more easily, which improves how well you rank on their SERPs.