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Create a Sitemap
You may have come across websites where you will find a button that will take you to sitemap. You have probably wondered what a sitemap is and why is it important to have it on the website. Basically, a sitemap is a type of map of the entire web site and it shows all the web pages that are there and how these web pages have been linked. The main function of the sitemap is to enable a visitor to easily navigate through your website.
It is not necessary for the sitemap to include all the pages on your website but it should definitely include the entire website structure and it needs to fit into a single page according to Google guidelines. Another reason why you should have a sitemap is that it is used by search engine spiders for indexing your website. So if your website lacks a sitemap then there is a high probability that your website will not be indexed properly and you will miss out on relevant website traffic. It is also important to identify whether the sitemap should be static or dynamic. A static sitemap will ensure that all your web pages are indexed properly and hence considered better than a dynamic sitemap.
Creating a Site Map
There are two ways of creating a sitemap, one is manually doing it and other is by using sitemap generators. Let us take a look at both the options:
Manually
If you are planning to create a site map manually then you will need to use a nested list similar to the one shown below:
<ul>
<li>Main Theme
<ul>
<li>Subtheme
<ul>
<li><a href=”page1.htm”>Page 1 title</a>
<li><a href=”page2.htm”>Page 2 title</a>
<li><a href=”page2.htm”>Page 2 title</a>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
The above code will look like:
* Main Theme
o Subtheme
+ Page 1 title
+ Page 2 title
+ Page 2 title
The only drawback of creating sitemaps manually is that it will be tough to maintain them as you will have to update them on a regular basis especially when the content is changed.
Creating sitemap using generators
There are two basic types of sitemap generators available and they are:
Offline generators and online generators
Most of the sitemap generators are available over the internet and some are for free. The salient point of a sitemap generator is that you will be able to create them easily as well as update them when requirement without any problems.
The most commonly used sitemap generators are the online generators, which are much easier to use vis-à-vis offline generators. All you will need to do is provide the URL of your webpage and the sitemap generator will scan your site to create a map. One of the prominent online generators is the Google Sitemap tool, which can create Google sitemaps as well as the standard HTML sitemaps.
If you are planning to use an offline generator then the best option is Xenu’s Link Sleuth, which is a free tool. The salient point of a offline sitemap generator is that it will help you to change the look and feel of the sitemap, which is not possible with an online generator.
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By Jeremy Hermanns | November 16, 2008 | Filed Under Google, SEO Advice
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