HTML/XML Sitemaps

Foreword: If you find that your website does not adhere to the basic guidelines below, your website is unlikely to be performing well within the search engines. If this is the case please contact us to find out what we can do for you.

Our website systems automatically generate the best elements to optimise any page across the search engines.

Sitemaps

A sitemap is a simple page on your site that displays the structure of your website, and usually consists of a hierarchical listing of the pages on your site. There are two main types of sitemaps, both of which should be used on your website as they help search engines and users navigate the site. Also, if applied correctly in the right format, they provide a significant boost to your search engine ranking.

HTML Sitemap

The HTML sitemap should typically be located at www.sitename.co.uk/sitemap and be linked to from the footer of your website. 

A good html sitemap contains only text links, it is not necessary to show all the pages of your website, but it should be an easy to use map of your website, making use of keyword relevant pages. Avoid having more than 100 links on your HTML sitemap, if your site requires more than this, then break the sitemap up into sections.

XML Sitemap

An XML Sitemap is quintessentially a list of your website’s URL’s purely for the search engines and they are designed to be submitted to search engines.

You can view your XML Sitemap by typing "/sitemap.xml" after your website address (i.e. www.mywebsite.co.uk/sitemap.xml). If this is missing, your website will probably be suffering in terms of rank on any Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and we would seriously advise a rebuild of your website.