changefreq
41 established claims - 3 refused by the grounding gate
Verdict
The sitemaps.org protocol as of 2016-11-21 defines <changefreq> as an optional hint, lists valid values as always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and never, and states that crawlers may deviate from it, including periodically crawling pages marked "never". Google's documentation as of 2020-11-11 and 2026-07-08 says Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq>, and Bing's blog as of 2025-07-31 says Bing ignores changefreq and priority while lastmod remains a key recrawl signal; Google's July 2026 documentation says it uses the lastmod value if it is consistently and verifiably accurate. Yandex's documentation as of 2026-08-12 describes changefreq as frequency of page changes, but these claims do not establish whether Yandex uses it, and some third-party guides from 2025 and 2026 still advise tuning changefreq and warn that high values may trigger aggressive crawling, which conflicts with the Google and Bing statements that the tag is ignored.
Written from the 41 established claims below, then checked against them. How that works.
Documented position22
What the operator of the system says in its own documentation.
- Yandex's webmaster documentation lists changefreq among the sitemap tags.
- Yandex's webmaster documentation describes changefreq as the frequency of page changes.
Google's developer documentation on building a sitemap states that Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq> values.
2 quotes from 1 source
Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq> values.
Last updated 2026-07-08 UTC.
Google's developer documentation on building a sitemap states that Google uses the <lastmod> value if it is consistently and verifiably accurate.
1 quote from 1 source
Google uses the <lastmod> value if it's consistently and verifiably (for example by comparing to the last modification of the page) accurate.
The Bing Webmaster Blog states that…
- optional sitemap tags like changefreq and priority are ignored by Bing.
- the changefreq and priority sitemap tags do not influence how content is crawled or ranked.
1 quote from 1 source
Optional sitemap tags like changefreq and priority are ignored by Bing and do not influence how your content is crawled or ranked.
The Bing Webmaster Blog states that the lastmod field in a sitemap remains a key signal helping Bing prioritize URLs for recrawling and reindexing.
1 quote from 1 source
The lastmod field in your sitemap remains a key signal, helping Bing prioritize URLs for recrawling and reindexing, or skip them entirely if the content hasn’t changed since the last crawl.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol defines the <changefreq> element as how frequently the page is likely to change.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol states that the <changefreq> value…
- provides general information to search engines.
- may not correlate exactly to how often search engines crawl the page.
1 quote from 1 source
This value provides general information to search engines and may not correlate exactly to how often they crawl the page.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol lists the <changefreq> element as optional.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol lists the valid values of <changefreq> as always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and never.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol says the changefreq value 'always' should be used to describe documents that change each time they are accessed.
1 quote from 1 source
The value "always" should be used to describe documents that change each time they are accessed.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol says the changefreq value 'never' should be used to describe archived URLs.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol states that the value of the <changefreq> tag is considered a hint and not a command.
1 quote from 1 source
Please note that the value of this tag is considered a hint and not a command.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol states that search engine crawlers may crawl pages with changefreq…
- 'hourly' less frequently than hourly.
- value "yearly" more frequently than yearly.
1 quote from 1 source
Even though search engine crawlers may consider this information when making decisions, they may crawl pages marked "hourly" less frequently than that, and they may crawl pages marked "yearly" more frequently than that.
The sitemaps.org sitemap protocol states that…
- crawlers may periodically crawl pages whose changefreq value is 'never'.
- the purpose of periodically crawling pages whose changefreq value is 'never' is to handle unexpected changes to those pages.
1 quote from 1 source
Crawlers may periodically crawl pages marked "never" so that they can handle unexpected changes to those pages.
Search Engine Roundtable reported that…
- a question was asked in a video hangout to Google's John Mueller about whether changefreq (priority and change frequency in XML sitemaps) matters in XML sitemaps.
- Google's John Mueller said that changefreq (priority and change frequency in XML sitemaps) doesn't really play that much of a role with Sitemaps anymore.
2 quotes from 1 source
Google's John Mueller was asked in a video hangout on Google+ this morning if priority and change frequency matter much in XML Sitemaps and John from Google said nope.
Priority and change frequency doesn’t really play that much of a role with Sitemaps anymore.
An archived version of Google's Webmaster Tools help page on sitemaps listed <changefreq> as optional.
1 quote from 1 source
<changefreq> Optional Provides a hint about how frequently the page is likely to change.
Practical effect3
What is observed to happen in practice, as distinct from what is documented.
Changefreq set to daily for an About page that actually changes about once per year causes search engines to stop checking once they realize the content has not changed in the last dozen checks.
1 quote from 1 source
If you tell search engines that your About page changes daily, but you only change it about once per year, they will simply stop checking when they realize the content hasn't changed the last dozen times they've checked.
- Search Engine Roundtable quotes Google's John Mueller regarding changefreq.
- Google's John Mueller recommends using the timestamp in sitemaps regarding changefreq.
2 quotes from 1 source
Google's John Mueller was asked in a video hangout on Google+ this morning if priority and change frequency matter much in XML Sitemaps and John from Google said nope.
So what I’d really recommend is using the timestamp.
Changed on2
A dated change. This is where advice quietly stops being true.
Google's sitemap documentation, in the version last updated 11 November 2020, told readers that…
- Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq> values.
- they should not bother adding <priority> and <changefreq> values.
2 quotes from 1 source
Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq> values, so don't bother adding them.
Last updated 2020-11-11 UTC.
Disputed between sources1
Sources that do not agree, presented without picking a winner.
Yandex's webmaster documentation states that the Yandex robot loads pages one by one, sorted by the presence and value of the priority coefficient from 0.0 to 1.0.
1 quote from 1 source
Importance of the page. The robot loads pages one by one, sorted by the presence and value of the coefficient from 0.0 to 1.0.
Echoed without a primary source13
Widely repeated in the field, but traceable only to other repetitions. Listed because knowing something is merely echoed is worth as much as knowing it is documented.
Content Powered quotes John Mueller of Google as saying that priority and change frequency doesn't play that much of a role with Sitemaps anymore.
2 quotes from 1 source
We also have direct word on this subject from John Mueller of Google.
Priority and change frequency doesn't play that much of a role with Sitemaps anymore.
Content Powered's article on sitemap priority and changefreq tells readers that setting changefreq too high…
- will confuse search engines.
- may result in search engines searching the site too aggressively even when there are no changes.
1 quote from 1 source
Setting it too high will confuse search engines and may result in them searching your site too aggressively, even when there aren't any changes.
Setting Changefreq values too high could result in dozens of other search engines…
- hammering the site's server.
- slowing down the site's server.
1 quote from 1 source
Google isn't the only search engine that checks your sitemap, so if you have your Changefreq values set too high, you could have dozens of other search engines hammering your server and slowing it down.
Content Powered's article tells readers that changefreq is still something you should tune
1 quote from 1 source
It's still something you should tune, but it isn't going to make or break your website.
Slickplan's guide to sitemap priority and change frequency tells readers that setting realistic change frequencies is crucial because it avoids confusing search sites that do acknowledge the changefreq tag.
1 quote from 1 source
Setting realistic change frequencies is crucial as it avoids confusing search sites that do acknowledge the changefreq tag, aiding in properly communicating page update routines.
Slickplan's guide states that change frequency tells search engines how often a page's content updates, offering a hint for crawling prioritization.
1 quote from 1 source
Change frequency tells search engines how often a page’s content updates, offering a hint for crawling prioritization.
Slickplan's guide assigns the changefreq value 'hourly' to pages of…
- major news publications.
- weather services.
- forums.
1 quote from 1 source
2. Hourly These pages update every hour and will also include major news publications as well as weather services and forums.
Slickplan's guide claims that…
- large sites tend to have the most to gain from using the priority and changefreq tags.
- the guidance from the priority and changefreq tags can nudge search sites to get pages crawled and indexed more effectively.
1 quote from 1 source
Large sites tend to have the most to gain from using these tags as the guidance can nudge and help search sites get pages crawled and indexed more effectively and in line with your intention.
Refused3
Claims the research produced that the grounding gate would not accept, with its reason. They are here because a site that only shows what passed gives you no way to judge whether the gate does anything.
Show what was refused
An archived version of Google's Webmaster Tools help page on sitemaps described <changefreq> as providing a hint about how frequently the page is likely to change.
Refused: The quote gives the hint sentence but does not link it to <changefreq>.
Unsupported: <changefreq>
An archived version of Google's Webmaster Tools help page on sitemaps stated that the sitemap <priority> value does not affect a site's ranking in Google search results.
Refused: The quote says only that something 'does not affect your site's ranking' but does not mention the sitemap <priority> value.
Unsupported: sitemap <priority> value
Content Powered's article tells readers that changefreq is not going to make or break your website
Refused: The quote only says 'It's still something you should tune, but it isn't going to make or break your website,' using the pronoun 'it' without explicitly mentioning 'changefreq'; the claim overreaches by asserting the specific term.
Unsupported: changefreq
What it rested on
It's still something you should tune, but it isn't going to make or break your website.