This thread is about active ways to let Google know you've updated your sitemap, not via robots.txt that your sitemap exists or whatever. So, that being said, which do you guys think is better? Notifying Google from inside your Google Webmaster Tools account, or By visiting http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/ping?sitemap=www.YOURDOMAIN.com/sitemap.xml which has your domain's sitemap address in it Do you think it even makes a difference? Does Google prioritize one method of learning that a webmaster has updated their sitemap over another? The reason I ask is because I can set up a script in Macintosh OS X Automator software to open up a certain URL with whatever regularity I chose, so the second method above could be done with no labor on my part. I can't really tell Automator to log in and go through the Webmaster Tools interface and tell Google to go check out my new sitemap however. So, if there's a big benefit in updating Google through Webmaster Tools like faster indexing or whatever I will continue to manually do that. But if it's just the same to use the second method above, then I would love to automate it and save myself the work!
I go to google webmaster tools, update my sitemap, submit and intimate the google that I have updated my sitemap. The search engine will sooner download the latest version and will keep tracking the pages. This is what I do and find useful