There are two kinds of sitemaps \u2013 the first is an HTML page on your website that contains a list of links to all of the pages on your site, often organized graphically to show relationships between pages. It\u2019s a navigation tool to help The second type is an XML file that\u2019s used by search engines<\/a> to understand the structure of your website \u2013 it\u2019s not seen by human visitors. The sitemap helps web crawlers like Googlebot find and correctly index more pages on your site. It provides the crawler with information such as what pages are on your site and how often they\u2019re updated.<\/p>\n Which is better?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n XML sitemaps can be important if you have a site where content is hard to reach, such as on older site with a lot of archived pages that may not be linked together very well. If your site was built in a search engine-friendly way with good navigation, the XML sitemap matters less.<\/p>\n On the other hand, a well-built HTML sitemap does double-duty \u2013 it\u2019s great for your human visitors as it can help them find exactly what they\u2019re looking for with one click. And links that lead to every page (or nearly every page) allow web crawlers to easily find more of your site to index. <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n How do I create an HTML sitemap?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n If your site\u2019s not too large and you\u2019re familiar with HTML, you can create a new HTML page in the editor of your choice and manually create a list of categorized links.<\/p>\n You can also use online tools to quickly generate an HTML sitemap, which can be efficient for large sites. One example is http:\/\/www.xml-sitemaps.com\/<\/a>, but be warned you will have some significant HTML and CSS formatting to do if you use it.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n How do I create an XML sitemap?<\/strong><\/p>\n You can use online tools to create an XML sitemap, too. The same tool (http:\/\/www.xml-sitemaps.com\/<\/a>) will also create this type of file. Once the generator runs, you\u2019ll be able to download the XML file that you need to add to the root of your website (you\u2019ll have to upload this file using FTP or your website\u2019s control panel file manager).<\/p>\n What if my website\u2019s using a content management system (CMS)?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are plugins and add-ons for many CMS platforms that will generate both types of sitemaps for you automatically. WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and ExpressionEngine all have XML and HTML sitemap extensions that take care of the work all by themselves. Many ecommerce platforms have similar addons.<\/p>\n How often do I need to update my sitemap?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re manually generating an XML sitemap, a few times per year should be sufficient unless you\u2019re frequently adding a lot of new content. If you\u2019re using a CMS with sitemap extensions, your sitemaps will be updated automatically as needed.<\/p>\n If you have an HTML sitemap, you\u2019ll want to keep it up to date; when you add new pages, make it a habit to edit your sitemap too. And make sure to check that the links are all working!<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n While sitemaps are only a small part of the overall SEO picture, they can<\/em> help improve your site\u2019s exposure, particularly if it\u2019s hard to get to parts of your website. The best way to ensure that your site pages get found, however, is to have search engine-friendly navigation throughout your website.<\/p>\n – Debbie<\/em><\/p>\n![\"sitemap\"](\"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/sitemap.jpg\" "\\"sitemap\\"")
<\/a>human visitors find what they\u2019re looking for easily. Here\u2019s an example from Google<\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"Enhanced](\"http:\/\/img.zemanta.com\/zemified_e.png?x-id=70e5aced-6a0c-42a2-aca0-90adc5f1ac3a\")
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