WordPress has lately released a version 6.5 update and it includes native support for the ‘lastmod’ element in sitemaps. The new feature is mainly focused to improve search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines will now find easy to crawl websites efficiently and this will probably increase visibility in search results.

The ‘lastmod’ element is a metadata tag and it basically tells search engines about when a webpage was last updated. This helps the search engines to decide how often to crawl as well as index the pages of a website.

Gary Illyes from Google’s Search Relations team said that the lastmod element is a signal that can help crawlers figure out how often to crawl the pages of a website.

Prior t the update the website owners had to manually configure the ‘lastmod’ element in their sitemaps. The process is now automated with version WordPress 6.5. The automation can help improve SEO efforts without extra manual work.

Gary Illyes encourages all WordPress users to upgrade to the latest version and take full advantage of the new ‘lastmod’ support. Upgrading to the new version means the website is in line with the latest SEO practices. Moreover, it will potentially boost the performance and visibility of a website. However, it is highly suggested to first check the compatibility before upgrading.

The new ‘lastmod’ support highlights the commitment of WordPress to help users optimize their websites for better search engine performance. Search engines will thereafter easily find and index the most recent updates. The feature can significantly enhance the visibility of a website. Hence, website owners are encouraged to upgrade to the new version, WordPress 6.5.