Difference between revisions of "Learn/An-HTML-Sitemap-Helps-Search-Engines-Discover-You"
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| − | <big>The purpose of a | + | <big>The purpose of a sitemap (aka site map) is to help search engine 'spiders' find and index all the pages on a website, and faster than they may otherwise.</big> |
Indexing is important because if a page on a website hasn't been indexed by a search engine, it cannot show up for any search query in that search engine. | Indexing is important because if a page on a website hasn't been indexed by a search engine, it cannot show up for any search query in that search engine. | ||
| − | A | + | A sitemap is particularly helpful to websites that have: |
* several pages that aren't linked to from other prominent pages | * several pages that aren't linked to from other prominent pages | ||
* lots of pages (more than x) | * lots of pages (more than x) | ||
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==Types of Sitemaps== | ==Types of Sitemaps== | ||
| − | The primary type is an XML | + | The primary type is an XML sitemap. |
The other type is a simple HTML sitemap, that is just like another web page. You have probably seen these on some sites, as a "sitemap" link in the footer. | The other type is a simple HTML sitemap, that is just like another web page. You have probably seen these on some sites, as a "sitemap" link in the footer. | ||
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You can also create a [http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php#otherformats simple text file] with one URL per line or an [http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php#otherformats RSS feed] (typically for blogs). | You can also create a [http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php#otherformats simple text file] with one URL per line or an [http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php#otherformats RSS feed] (typically for blogs). | ||
| − | Google [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=183668 recommends] creating a | + | Google [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=183668 recommends] creating a sitemap using the [http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php Sitemap Protocol] because it can be used for other [[List:search-engine|search engines]] too. |
==Creating your Sitemap== | ==Creating your Sitemap== | ||
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==Make it work: Let the search engines know about your Sitemap== | ==Make it work: Let the search engines know about your Sitemap== | ||
<div style="float:right; margin-left:1em;"><YouTube>-2EgMRLjysM</YouTube></div> | <div style="float:right; margin-left:1em;"><YouTube>-2EgMRLjysM</YouTube></div> | ||
| − | Submitting your | + | Submitting your sitemap to Google via [[Google Webmaster Tools]] is probably the most important thing to do. You can also use Google Webmaster Tools to see how many of the pages in your sitemap are indexed at any given time along with other helpful stats. |
| − | To the right is a helpful video from [[ReadyMadeWeb.com]] about submitting your | + | To the right is a helpful video from [[ReadyMadeWeb.com]] about submitting your sitemap in Google Webmaster Tools. Also, here is [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=183669 Google's instructions for submitting a sitemap using Google Webmaster Tools]. |
| − | You can also submit a | + | You can also submit a sitemap to [[Bing.com|Bing]] using their [http://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmasters/ webmasters tools] offering. |
| − | If you're familiar with robots.txt you can specify your | + | If you're familiar with robots.txt you can specify your sitemap there. This will help search engines know where it is and doing this can replace the steps of submitting it to individual search engines. |
==Points of Order== | ==Points of Order== | ||
* Sitemaps are purely supplementary. Web pages not in a Sitemap can still be found and indexed other ways, such as through links. | * Sitemaps are purely supplementary. Web pages not in a Sitemap can still be found and indexed other ways, such as through links. | ||
| − | * XML and text file | + | * XML and text file sitemaps cannot have more than 50,000 URLs per file. |
| − | * You can have multiple | + | * You can have multiple sitemaps, and including the same URL in more than one is okay. |
* Submitting your ''site'' to a search engine is completely unnecessary. | * Submitting your ''site'' to a search engine is completely unnecessary. | ||
* Creating and submitting a sitemap in no way guarantees that search engines will choose to index all the pages. It helps them find the content, but they will only index it if they like what they see. | * Creating and submitting a sitemap in no way guarantees that search engines will choose to index all the pages. It helps them find the content, but they will only index it if they like what they see. | ||
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==Additional Resources== | ==Additional Resources== | ||
* {{LinkPair|Sitemaps.org}} - [http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php Sitemap Protocol] | * {{LinkPair|Sitemaps.org}} - [http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php Sitemap Protocol] | ||
| − | * [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156184 Google Webmaster Central about Sitemaps in general], [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=183668 creating | + | * [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156184 Google Webmaster Central about Sitemaps in general], [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=183668 creating sitemaps] and [http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=183669 submitting them]. |
__NOTOC__ | __NOTOC__ | ||
Revision as of 22:19, 21 July 2010
The purpose of a sitemap (aka site map) is to help search engine 'spiders' find and index all the pages on a website, and faster than they may otherwise.
Indexing is important because if a page on a website hasn't been indexed by a search engine, it cannot show up for any search query in that search engine.
A sitemap is particularly helpful to websites that have:
- several pages that aren't linked to from other prominent pages
- lots of pages (more than x)
- content in something that virtually hides it from search engines, like Flash
Types of Sitemaps
The primary type is an XML sitemap.
The other type is a simple HTML sitemap, that is just like another web page. You have probably seen these on some sites, as a "sitemap" link in the footer.
You can also create a simple text file with one URL per line or an RSS feed (typically for blogs).
Google recommends creating a sitemap using the Sitemap Protocol because it can be used for other search engines too.
Creating your Sitemap
Make it work: Let the search engines know about your Sitemap
Submitting your sitemap to Google via Google Webmaster Tools is probably the most important thing to do. You can also use Google Webmaster Tools to see how many of the pages in your sitemap are indexed at any given time along with other helpful stats.
To the right is a helpful video from ReadyMadeWeb.com about submitting your sitemap in Google Webmaster Tools. Also, here is Google's instructions for submitting a sitemap using Google Webmaster Tools.
You can also submit a sitemap to Bing using their webmasters tools offering.
If you're familiar with robots.txt you can specify your sitemap there. This will help search engines know where it is and doing this can replace the steps of submitting it to individual search engines.
Points of Order
- Sitemaps are purely supplementary. Web pages not in a Sitemap can still be found and indexed other ways, such as through links.
- XML and text file sitemaps cannot have more than 50,000 URLs per file.
- You can have multiple sitemaps, and including the same URL in more than one is okay.
- Submitting your site to a search engine is completely unnecessary.
- Creating and submitting a sitemap in no way guarantees that search engines will choose to index all the pages. It helps them find the content, but they will only index it if they like what they see.
Additional Resources
- {{{2}}} (visit) - Sitemap Protocol
- Google Webmaster Central about Sitemaps in general, creating sitemaps and submitting them.