What is a Sitemap?
A sitemap is a special file that shows a list of all the pages on a website. This file acts like a map that search engines like Google can follow to easily find every single page.
The sitemap basically provides a clear roadmap that lays out the site's structure and all its pages in one place. This way search engines can easily access and include all the pages in their search results.
Without a sitemap, it can be tricky to locate all the pages, especially newer pages or ones that don't have many links from other areas of the website.
Why are Sitemaps Important?
Sitemaps are important for several reasons:
A sitemap lists out every single page on a website in one place. This makes it much easier for search engines to find and crawl all those pages, rather than potentially missing some.
In a sitemap, you can mark which pages on your site are the most important ones. Bots will then prioritize looking at those top pages first before the others.
Sitemaps show the structure and organization of how all the website's pages are connected and linked together. This clear mapping helps search engines and visitors navigate the site and locate specific content sections more easily.
Looking at the sitemap allows you to identify any pages that may be accidentally blocked off or have broken links that need fixing.
Overall, providing a good sitemap allows search engines to rapidly and thoroughly add all your new and updated pages to their listings in a much more efficient way. This can potentially help those pages rank better in search results.
Types of Sitemaps
There are several types of sitemaps, including:
XML Sitemaps
An XML sitemap is a special file that lists all the different pages on a website. This type of sitemap is the one most commonly used and is made specifically for search engines like Google.
The XML sitemap file contains a list of all the website's pages. But it also provides some extra details about each page, such as:
The last time that page was updated or changed
How important or high-priority that particular page is compared to others on the site
How frequently does that page get new content or updates
Search engines can read and understand all this additional information in the XML sitemap file. This helps them decide which pages are the most recent and important ones that should be crawled and indexed first.
HTML Sitemaps
An HTML sitemap is a special page on a website that shows a visual map or layout of all the different pages and sections across the whole site.
However, this type of sitemap is designed for human visitors to use, not for search engines. The pages and content are organized in a hierarchical structure on the HTML sitemap page.
This means the main sections of the site are listed at the top level, then those branch off into subsections, categories, and finally all the individual pages nested under each one.
Video Sitemaps
With a regular sitemap, it just lists all the regular web pages on the site. But a video sitemap allows you to also include extra details and information about each video.
For the videos, the sitemap can provide metadata like:
The title of the video
A short description explaining what the video is about
A small thumbnail image representing the video
Providing all these additional details in the video sitemap helps search engines better understand the topic and content of each video on the website.
Image Sitemaps
An image sitemap is a lot like a video sitemap, but instead of being for videos, it is specifically for providing information about images on a website.
With an image sitemap, you can also include extra descriptive details and metadata about each image, such as:
The full website URL where the image is located
A title explaining what the image depicts
A short description of the image contents
Mobile Sitemaps
If your site has a mobile version or is designed to be responsive, you may have heard about creating mobile sitemaps.
The reason mobile sitemaps exist is that they can potentially help Google better understand the layout and organization of the mobile version of a website.
In theory, this could lead to the website's pages showing up better in search results when people are browsing on their smartphones or tablets.
However, according to Google itself, creating a dedicated mobile sitemap is actually not required for making a website compatible and working well on mobile devices these days.
These are only for featured mobile phones whose browsers are incompatible with desktop browsers.
See John Mueller talking about mobile sitemaps.
News Sitemaps
Your website may have news articles.
News sitemaps allow you to provide extra details about your articles, like the date they were published, important keywords, and location. This can help Google News and other news websites find and index your articles.
Using the right type of sitemap for your website helps search engines better understand and display your content. This improves how easily people can find your articles when searching online.
XML Sitemaps vs HTML Sitemaps
Aside from coding, these two sitemaps also vary in functioning.
XML sitemaps use extensible markup language or XML. These maps are solely made for crawlers and are not human-friendly. XML sitemaps give directions to search engines on which pages to crawl and which have the highest priority.
They also tell about the addition of new pages and their updated date.
HTML sitemaps use hypertext markup language or HTML. HTML sitemaps usually appear at the bottom of a page.
These are both human and bot-friendly. While an HTML sitemap is mainly intended for humans, some SEO professionals claim it can also help you rank higher in SERPs.
This is because an HTML sitemap has internal links, which make it simpler for Google to identify all of the site's pages.
XML Sitemap | HTML Sitemap |
|---|---|
XML - Extensible Markup Language | HTML - Hypertext Markup Language |
Created for robots or crawlers | Created for humans to easily navigate |
Never displayed in web browsers while browsing | Displayed in web browsers |
Faster page indexation | Clear website navigation |
Updates automatically | Does not update automatically |
HTML sitemaps assist human visitors in finding information, especially those who struggle to navigate websites. They also allow search engines to better comprehend the site's structure for improved ranking.
Additionally, creating an HTML sitemap can reveal areas where a website architecture needs improvement.
Sitemap Protocols
Sitemap protocols are rules and guidelines that define how sitemaps should be structured and formatted. There are currently three main types of sitemap protocols:
XML Sitemap Protocol: This is the most common protocol used by major search engines like Google and Bing. It uses XML code to list all the web pages on a site, along with extra details like when each page was last updated, how often it changes, and which pages are most important.
RSS and Atom Feeds: These are typically used for blogs and news websites. They provide a standardized list of recent posts and updates that feed readers and search engines can read.
Text Sitemaps: This protocol uses a simple text file to list all the web pages on a site, with one URL per line. It's a basic format that some search engines still support, but it's not used as often.
Following the proper sitemap protocol ensure your sitemap is formatted correctly. This allows bots to better crawl and index all the pages on your site.
Here is a comparison of all three types by Google along with their pros and cons.
How to Create and Submit a Sitemap
XML Sitemap
Here are the general steps to create and submit an XML sitemap:
There are many free and paid tools online that you can use to generate an XML sitemap. One example is the XML Sitemap Generator tool.
After generating the sitemap, save it as a file with the ".xml" extension. You can name this file whatever you want, but it must end in ".xml". Then upload this XML file to the main directory of your website.
Submit your sitemap to Google and other search engines. For Google, go to Google Search Console＞Index＞Sitemaps and submit your sitemap.
Use a sitemap validator tool to check if your sitemap has any errors or issues. You can use the Google Search Console sitemap report to check for errors.
HTML Sitemap
Here are the general steps to create and submit an HTML sitemap:
Make a list of all the important pages on your website that you want to include in the sitemap. This could be your home page, category pages, product pages, and so on.
Organize the pages into groups or sections to make the sitemap easier for visitors to navigate.
Create a new page on your website with the name sitemap.html.
On this new page, add the list of pages and categories using HTML code, including clickable links to each page.
Use CSS to make your sitemap page look nice and easy to read.
Test the sitemap by clicking the different links to make sure they all work correctly.
Add a link to your sitemap page in the footer or menu of your website, so visitors can easily find and access it.
An HTML sitemap makes it simpler for human visitors to navigate a site, improving user experience.
However, you don't need to send this sitemap to search engines - they can still access all your pages without it.
Best Practices for Optimizing Your Sitemap
While creating and submitting a sitemap is a good first step, there are additional things you can do to optimize it.
Here are some best practices:
Only include your website's most important pages in the sitemap. This helps search engines focus on your most valuable content.
Use special tags to indicate which pages are the highest priority. This lets search engines know which pages are most important for your website's structure and information. However, Google does not use this tag, but it may help with other search engines.
Update your sitemap regularly. This ensures search engines know about new pages you've added or existing pages you've changed.
If you have any pages blocked from being accessed, do not include them in your sitemap. This could confuse search engines and prevent your content from being properly listed.
Use clear, descriptive web addresses for your pages. This will help search engines understand the content.
Advanced Strategies for Large Websites
For websites with many pages, there are special ways to set up sitemaps. This helps search engines find all your stuff.
Here are some advanced sitemap strategies:
Use multiple sitemaps
Instead of one huge sitemap, make separate smaller ones. You could have a sitemap just for products, another for blog posts, and so on.
This makes it easier for search engines to crawl everything.
Implement dynamic sitemaps
Use smart software that automatically updates your sitemaps whenever you add new pages. That way those new pages get discovered fast by search engines.
Highlight popular pages
Look at your data to see which pages get the most visitors or sales. You can list those really important pages first in your sitemaps so search engines pay extra attention to them.
Use a hierarchical structure
Set up your sitemap like a tree, with the homepage as the trunk. Then subpages branch off from there. This tree structure shows search engines how your entire website is arranged.
Check for problems
Use tools like Google Search Console to regularly check that your sitemaps are working right and all pages are getting indexed properly. You want to fix any issues quickly.
Mobile-friendly sitemaps
Lots of people use phones now. So make sure your sitemaps and website load fast and work smoothly on small mobile screens.
This can include a responsive design, a fast loading and an easy-to-navigate site.
Takeaway
Sitemaps are extremely valuable.
Following basic best practices is important. But taking it to the next level with advanced strategies propels your visibility in search results and delivers a top-notch user experience on your site.