Next.js Image Sitemap Feature

[xyba1337]

Goals

The feature request aims to extend Next.js sitemap functionality to include images in the generated sitemaps, enabling better SEO and search engine crawlers to index images efficiently. Specifically, the request focuses on:

Inclusion of Images in Sitemaps: Modify the sitemap generation process to incorporate image URLs along with associated metadata, such as image location, last modification date, and additional image-related attributes.

Non-Goals

Changes to Basic Sitemap Structure: The request does not propose alterations to the fundamental structure of the sitemap but focuses on enhancing it with image-related information.

Background

While Next.js provides a robust mechanism for generating sitemaps, the current implementation lacks support for including images in the generated sitemaps. This feature request is motivated by the need to enhance SEO by allowing search engines to efficiently index images associated with each URL.

Read more about image sitemaps here:
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/image-sitemaps

Proposal

The proposed features should be implemented by extending the existing sitemap generation capabilities in Next.js to include images. The modified sitemap generation should support the addition of image-related metadata such as:

Image URL (image:loc): Specify the URL of the image associated with each URL in the sitemap.

Last Modified Date (image:lastmod): Provide the last modification date of the image, facilitating search engines in understanding the freshness of the image content.

Contribution

Developers interested in contributing to the implementation of these features can follow the existing sitemap generation conventions in Next.js and extend the functionality to handle image-related metadata. Additionally, collaboration with the Next.js community and adherence to the framework's version history can ensure seamless integration and compatibility.