Unlike a conventional sitemap, an XML Sitemap is to be read not by people but by search engines. It acts as a blueprint for search engines to understand your web pages and how they’re linked together, so a search engine will know where to locate the information it needs and deliver your web pages to those searching for it. As a result, a well-designed XML sitemap will make it easier for Google to find, read and index your web pages – thus improving your rankings.