Sitemap

[finn]

How important is it to submit a Sitemap to google in page ranking terms.
and how important is it not to have too many errors in your hmtl code for page ranking

 

[verywat]

there are two types of sitemap.
1. Sitemap.xml
2. Sitemap.html
first one is important for crawl purpose and second one is important for user point of view.

 

[WestwayWebsites]

definitely worth doing, takes minutes and helpful to both search engines and users

 

[Andrew Baker]

Although Google Webmaster Tools latest advice for small sites is you really don't need to submit sitemap.xml files anymore.

I'll look out the reference for you.

 

[alexrabe]

Submitting sitemap.xml will increase the crawling rate of the website and fast index the web pages.

 

[fisicx]

Apart from Andrew everyone else is talking complete bollox. If you read the google advice on sitemaps then you only need one if you have frequently updated content or hard to find content. For everyone else it's pointless and often counter-productive.

 

[Steve Sellers]

Apart from Andrew everyone else is talking complete bollox.

LOl. Don't hold back there Fisicx. Say what you see, say what you see.

 

[BrianMartin&Co]

You should treat Google like idiots and your SEO campaign will go perfectly. If you read their patents in full, you'll understand how search engines work. Google may say that small businesses need not submit a .xml sitemap...

However doesn't mean you shouldn't. If your a small business with 10,000 pages and posts then you should submit an .xml sitemap. How does Google define a small business? Perhaps a website that only has six web-pages and they all link together therefore of course Google perhaps doesn't need a sitemap to crawl your business.

However having a .xml sitemap is still very important in terms of ensuring that you determine when Google crawls you and Google too determines when Google crawls your site.

Brian Martin
Managing Director at BM&Co Web

 

[123Simples]

I disagree - sitemaps are still relatively important and looking at this Google page here http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156184 I would think that they are still useful.

I'm interested in why fisicx says:

For everyone else it's pointless and often counter-productive

unless you have site content that is frequently updated. Because if a site is frequently updated anyway, surely that is what makes a site (apart from other things) Google worthy :|

 

[Andrew Baker]

Although Google Webmaster Tools latest advice for small sites is you really don't need to submit sitemap.xml files anymore.

I'll look out the reference for you.

Please note I quoted small site, not small business...

As I mentioned, for small sites you don't really need to submit a sitemap.xml file, as promised here is the source:-

Quote from John Mueller, Google Webmaster Trends Analyst in answer to a help forum question about the sitemap for a 21 page website:-

With a site of that size, you don't really need a Sitemap file, we'll generally be able to crawl and index everything regardless. Also, with such a small Sitemap file, you can just check the individual URLs to see if they're indexed like that.

Full Post Here

 

[OldWelshGuy]

What a contrast in post content

My thruppence is simple, if you have 1000 pages and you have 1000 pages for site:yourdomain.com (or the www. etc) then you don't need a sitemap. In short, if you believe all your pages have been indexed then why submit a map?

If all your pages are NOT indexed, then you should identify and corect the reasons for non-indexing, because by submitting a sitemap you could actually rock the boat rather than steady it.

Google say 'if your pages can't easily be found' but surely the correct thing would be to ensure your pages CAN be found.

 

[fisicx]

Blimey James, you were up early this morning.

Goggle uses your intenral linking as an indicator of which pages are important. So for example if your channel all your visitors to the widget page then
Google will assume that widgets are important. Your 'about me' page isn't important so there will be no linking flows to that page and Google won't spend a lot of time investigating the page.

If you submit a sitemap then you destroy all the information flows, priority pages and highlighting that internal linking provides. So, as those who understand Google and sitemaps suggest, sort out the site navigation to make sure Google can find all your pages.

 

[cmcp]

Apart from Andrew everyone else is talking complete bollox. If you read the google advice on sitemaps then you only need one if you have frequently updated content or hard to find content. For everyone else it's pointless and often counter-productive.

I'm going to add some counter advice that a sitemap is actually useful for assistive technologies, it's one of the consistent calling points in an accessible journey.

I don't care how you build it in terms of indexing and following, but don't forget some people when you say "for everyone else it's pointless" because that's a generalisation

 

[deltaseo]

Ok, let's try again.

A sitemap is essential for building modern websites. It is the start of the On-Site SEO process and should always be completed by the designer - anything else is, imo, poor practice.

Assumptions:

• You construct it correctly, allocating appropriate priorities
• You submit it to Google as you build the site - each update appears as new content, starting the indexing process
• You check back on it periodically to ensure it's working for you.

I personally have yet to find that retrospectively constructing a sitemap for an aged domain with 1k's of pages has any detrimental effect on rankings, quite the opposite. IF you have a site ranking #1 for your main keyword, then I suggest you don't change anything as there's no need.

 

[fisicx]

A sitemap is essential for building modern websites. It is the start of the On-Site SEO process and should always be completed by the designer - anything else is, imo, poor practice.

No No No No No!

A sitemap is rarely required. An XML sitemap is only for use by the SE and if the site is properly constructed unnecessary. An HTML sitemap 'might' provide some accessibility benefits but for 99% of all site an incumberance.

I've recently built a 5 page site for a targeted PPC/advertising campaign. Any sort of sitemap is pointless. Any wordpress site already pings the SE so again a sitemap is pointless.

For you to suggest that it is essential is incorrect in mine and many others opinion. It is certainly NOT the start of the on-site SEO process, market research is you should begin.

 

[dscmasscomm]

Sitemap is very Important for fast index the web pages..... There are 2 Type of Sitemap Xml Sitemap and Html Sitemap.

 

[cmcp]

An HTML sitemap 'might' provide some accessibility benefits but for 99% of all site an incumberance.

Two points on that, 1) I completely trust whatever you're saying about SEO. I see good in a sitemap because of the "contents" style layout, and purely as a navigational tool not relating to SEO

2) the wording of your acknowledgement of the accessibility part is a bit off, that it may provide some accessibility benefits but not for 99% of other sites... That part's a bit of a contradiction, just to clarify that accessibility isn't a bolt on it's a way of building but I understand your main point is about SEO.

You know what I'm like with these things

 

[deltaseo]

For you to suggest that it is essential is incorrect in mine and many others opinion. It is certainly NOT the start of the on-site SEO process, market research is you should begin.

Market/Keyword Research is indeed the start of the SEO PROCESS, but it is NOT On-Site SEO.

We will agree to differ regarding the importance of Sitemaps. You can try to force your opinion all you want, but I too have vast experience in such matters and disagree.

 

[terryuk]

Quite a stupid debate imho because any on-site SEO process would differ to mine, his and hers... and most new domains get picked up by Google right now, wordpress, sitemap or a blank page so no I don't think sitemap is a priority although look at hiring an SEO if you are missing half your site.

I smile daily that I don't have to look at sitemaps, and smirk if it's a charmer..... very rarely

 

[sunder0786]

A sitemap (with which you may well be familiar) is an HTML page containing an ordered list of all the pages on your site (or, for a large site, at least the most important pages). Sitemap can be XML, TXT or HTML usually XML and TXT is served for robots