XML
Website and technology
Website and technology
XML is a file format that stores data with fixed labels so another system can read it automatically.
In marketing you meet XML in two places. First the XML sitemap: a list of the URLs you want indexed, meant for search engines. Second the XML feed, also called a product feed: a file holding each product's title, price, stock, image and URL.
That feed powers Google Shopping, Meta catalogues, comparison sites and marketplaces. Whatever it contains ends up in the ad, so a vague title or a wrong price directly costs you clicks or gets products disapproved.
You also see XML in RSS feeds for blogs and podcasts, and in links between a webshop, ERP and accounting. Same idea every time: one system delivers data in a fixed shape, another reads it.
Tip
Keep your feed current by refreshing prices and stock regularly. That way your ads always show accurate information.
Related terms
- SitemapAn XML sitemap is a list of the URLs you want indexed, meant for search engines.
- IndexingIndexing is a crawled page being stored in the search engine's database. Only indexed pages can appear in results.
- Structured dataStructured data is schema.org code that states explicitly what a page contains: a product, an article, an organisation or a question and answer.