seo: synchronize sitemap lastmod with verified Nov 7 growth page updates

scripts/check_growth_live.py

@@ -13,6 +13,14 @@
 CATALOG_MIN_ITEMS = 92
 FEATURED_SLUGS = ("debate-me", "tappitsu-battle", "future-me", "twotaku")
 GROWTH_RELEASE_ID = "growth-20261106-wave2"
+GROWTH_LASTMOD_BASELINE = "2026-11-07"
+GROWTH_UPDATED_PATHS = (
+    "/", "/apps",
+    "/support/taletime/", "/support/debate-me/",
+    "/support/dog-breeds-encyclopedia/", "/support/face-reaction-battle/",
+    "/guides/quick-games/", "/guides/daily-habits/",
+    "/guides/decision-helpers/", "/guides/ai-tools/",
+)
 PATHS = ("/", "/apps", "/robots.txt", "/sitemap.xml") + tuple(
     f"/support/{slug}/" for slug in SLUGS
 )
@@ -154,6 +162,18 @@ def check(path, key, valid):
         loc = "https://appdevelopsk.com" + path
         check("/sitemap.xml", f"listed_{path}", f"<loc>{loc}</loc>" in sitemap)
 
+    # Recent content changes must be discoverable through a current sitemap.
+    # Dates later than the baseline are valid when the page changes again.
+    for path in GROWTH_UPDATED_PATHS:
+        canonical = "https://appdevelopsk.com" + path
+        match = re.search(
+            r"<loc>" + re.escape(canonical) +
+            r"</loc>\s*<lastmod>(\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2})</lastmod>",
+            sitemap,
+        )
+        check("/sitemap.xml", f"fresh_lastmod_{path}",
+              bool(match and match.group(1) >= GROWTH_LASTMOD_BASELINE))
+
     return {"passed": all(item["passed"] for item in findings),
             "passedChecks": sum(item["passed"] for item in findings),
             "totalChecks": len(findings), "checks": findings,

scripts/test_growth_live.py

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import json
 import unittest
 
-from check_growth_live import FEATURED_SLUGS, GROWTH_RELEASE_ID, PATHS, SLUGS, inspect
+from check_growth_live import FEATURED_SLUGS, GROWTH_RELEASE_ID, GROWTH_UPDATED_PATHS, PATHS, SLUGS, inspect
 
 
 def valid_pages():
@@ -59,9 +59,17 @@ def valid_pages():
             f'<a href="{play}&amp;utm_source=test" data-position="details">' +
             " ".join(f'<a href="/support/{x}/" data-related-app="{x}">' for x in other))
     pages["/robots.txt"] = "User-agent: *\\nAllow: /icons/\\n"
-    pages["/sitemap.xml"] = "".join(
-        f"<loc>https://appdevelopsk.com{p}</loc>"
-        for p in ("/", "/apps") + tuple(f"/support/{s}/" for s in SLUGS))
+    pages["/sitemap.xml"] = (
+        "".join(
+            f"<loc>https://appdevelopsk.com{p}</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod>"
+            for p in GROWTH_UPDATED_PATHS
+        ) +
+        "".join(
+            f"<loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/{slug}/</loc>"
+            for slug in SLUGS
+            if f"/support/{slug}/" not in GROWTH_UPDATED_PATHS
+        )
+    )
     for path in ("/", "/apps") + tuple(f"/support/{slug}/" for slug in SLUGS):
         pages[path] = (f'<meta name="sk-growth-release" '
                        f'content="{GROWTH_RELEASE_ID}">' + pages[path])
@@ -74,6 +82,22 @@ def test_valid_source_fixture_passes(self):
         self.assertTrue(report["passed"])
         self.assertEqual(report["passedChecks"], report["totalChecks"])
 
+    def test_recent_sitemap_timestamp_regression_fails(self):
+        data = valid_pages()
+        data["/sitemap.xml"] = data["/sitemap.xml"].replace(
+            "<loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/apps</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod>",
+            "<loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/apps</loc><lastmod>2026-11-06</lastmod>",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(inspect(data)["passed"])
+
+    def test_missing_recent_sitemap_page_fails(self):
+        data = valid_pages()
+        data["/sitemap.xml"] = data["/sitemap.xml"].replace(
+            "<loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/ai-tools/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod>",
+            "",
+        )
+        self.assertFalse(inspect(data)["passed"])
+
     def test_missing_related_link_fails(self):
         data = valid_pages()
         data["/support/future-me/"] = data["/support/future-me/"].replace(

scripts/test_sitemap_growth_freshness.py

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+"""Validate catalog and recently revised support/guide sitemap dates.
+
+Run with: python3 -m unittest discover -s scripts -p 'test_sitemap_growth_freshness.py' -v
+"""
+from datetime import date
+from pathlib import Path
+import unittest
+import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+NS = "{http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9}"
+BASE = "https://appdevelopsk.com"
+CHANGED_2026_11_07 = (
+    "/", "/apps",
+    "/support/taletime/", "/support/debate-me/",
+    "/support/dog-breeds-encyclopedia/", "/support/face-reaction-battle/",
+    "/guides/quick-games/", "/guides/daily-habits/",
+    "/guides/decision-helpers/", "/guides/ai-tools/",
+)
+
+
+def entries():
+    root = ET.parse(ROOT / "sitemap.xml").getroot()
+    if root.tag != NS + "urlset":
+        raise ValueError("unexpected sitemap XML root")
+    records = []
+    for item in root.findall(NS + "url"):
+        url = item.findtext(NS + "loc")
+        lastmod = item.findtext(NS + "lastmod")
+        records.append((url, lastmod))
+    return records
+
+
+class GrowthSitemapFreshnessTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_sitemap_canonical_urls_are_unique(self):
+        records = entries()
+        urls = [url for url, _ in records]
+        self.assertEqual(len(urls), len(set(urls)))
+        self.assertGreaterEqual(len(urls), 319)
+        self.assertTrue(all(url.startswith(BASE + "/") for url in urls))
+        self.assertNotIn(BASE + "/apps.html", urls)
+
+    def test_changed_pages_have_accurate_nov_7_date(self):
+        pages = dict(entries())
+        for path in CHANGED_2026_11_07:
+            with self.subTest(path=path):
+                self.assertEqual(pages.get(BASE + path), "2026-11-07")
+
+    def test_sitemap_dates_are_valid_and_not_future(self):
+        for url, stamp in entries():
+            with self.subTest(url=url):
+                parsed = date.fromisoformat(stamp)
+                self.assertLessEqual(parsed, date.today())
+
+    def test_filtered_catalog_urls_are_not_indexed_separately(self):
+        urls = [url for url, _ in entries()]
+        self.assertFalse(any("?goal=" in url for url in urls))
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()

sitemap.xml

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-05</lastmod><changefreq>weekly</changefreq><priority>1.0</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>weekly</changefreq><priority>1.0</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/about</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>yearly</changefreq><priority>0.4</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/contact</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>yearly</changefreq><priority>0.4</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/privacy</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>yearly</changefreq><priority>0.4</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/terms</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>yearly</changefreq><priority>0.4</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/apps</loc><lastmod>2026-11-06</lastmod><changefreq>weekly</changefreq><priority>0.9</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/apps</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>weekly</changefreq><priority>0.9</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>weekly</changefreq><priority>0.6</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/privacy-policy/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>weekly</changefreq><priority>0.3</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/30sec-challenge/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
@@ -27,16 +27,16 @@
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/daily-duel/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/date-pilot/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/date-roulette/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/debate-me/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-05</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/debate-me/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/debrief/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/dinner-home-roulette/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/dinosaur-encyclopedia/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/dog-breeds-encyclopedia/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/dog-breeds-encyclopedia/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/dream-log/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/drift/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/earsense/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/eye-break/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/face-reaction-battle/</loc><lastmod>2026-10-27</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/face-reaction-battle/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/face-symmetry/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/face-vibe/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-04</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/fileforce/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/study-roulette/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/sub-tracker/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/take-sides/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/taletime/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/taletime/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/tappitsu-battle/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-05</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/tier-rank-me/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/support/tracepedia/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.8</priority></url>
@@ -315,8 +315,8 @@
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/terms/smile-score/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>yearly</changefreq><priority>0.3</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/terms/idea-market/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-04</lastmod><changefreq>yearly</changefreq><priority>0.3</priority></url>
   <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/csae-standards/</loc><lastmod>2026-08-18</lastmod><changefreq>yearly</changefreq><priority>0.3</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/quick-games/</loc><lastmod>2026-10-30</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/daily-habits/</loc><lastmod>2026-10-27</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/decision-helpers/</loc><lastmod>2026-10-27</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
-  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/ai-tools/</loc><lastmod>2026-10-27</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/quick-games/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/daily-habits/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/decision-helpers/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
+  <url><loc>https://appdevelopsk.com/guides/ai-tools/</loc><lastmod>2026-11-07</lastmod><changefreq>monthly</changefreq><priority>0.7</priority></url>
 </urlset>