Patent ID: 8126869

Claim:
One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for automated sitemap generation, the method comprising: receiving a universal resource locator (URL) of a web site for which a sitemap is to be generated; analyzing one or more files that log user visits to web pages based on respective URLs to determine if the URL of the web site has been previously crawled; upon determining the URL of the web site has not been previously crawled, crawling at least one web page having a same domain as the web site URL in accordance with control permissions associated with the at least one web page to determine one or more data items relevant to generating the sitemap for the web site; determining a relational structure of a plurality of web pages having the same domain as the web site URL, including the at least one web page, wherein the relational structure comprises interconnections between the web pages of the plurality of web pages; for each respective web page of the plurality of web pages, determining a priority value that is incorporated as an item of metadata, the priority value calculated according to the formula: Priority = URL ⁢ ⁢ link ⁢ ⁢ count Total ⁢ ⁢ number ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ URL ' ⁢ s + URL ⁢ ⁢ log ⁢ ⁢ ⁢ file ⁢ ⁢ count Total ⁢ ⁢ number ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ log ⁢ ⁢ file ⁢ ⁢ entries (1) wherein URL link count is a number of links the web page has from other web pages having the same domain as the URL, (2) wherein total number of URLs is a number of web pages having the same domain as the URL, (3) wherein URL log file count is a total number of visits the particular web page has received, and (4) wherein total number of log file entries is a total number of visits to web pages having the same domain as the URL; for each respective web page of the plurality of web pages analyzing one or more additional values besides the priority value that are incorporated as items of metadata respectively related to the plurality of web pages; generating a current sitemap utilizing the web site URL, the one or more data items, the relational structure and the items of metadata, wherein an updated sitemap is generated each time a web page of the plurality of web pages is modified; verifying that the current sitemap conforms to a standard XML format for a sitemap, wherein a list of errors is generated if the current sitemap does not conform to the standard XML format for a sitemap; and incident to receiving verification that the current sitemap conforms to the standard XML format for a sitemap, notifying one or more internet search engines of the current sitemap.