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Creating a sitemap is a great way to boost your website‘s visibility in search engines. It’s a map that shows search engines where to find your most important pages, making it easier for them to crawl and index your site.
So, what is a sitemap, and how do you create one? In this guide, we’ll go over how to create a sitemap, the tools you can use, and some tips to keep it working smoothly.
Key Takeaways
- A sitemap helps search engines understand and index your website’s structure, boosting SEO.
- Both XML and HTML sitemaps serve different purposes: XML for search engines and HTML for site navigation.
- For large or complex websites, having an updated sitemap improves visibility and usability.
- You can create sitemaps manually, with plugins, or by using tools like XML-Sitemaps.com and Screaming Frog.
- Submitting your sitemap to search engines like Google and Bing ensures your important pages are crawled effectively.
What is a Sitemap?
A sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages of a website, making it easier for search engines to crawl and understand the site’s structure. It acts as a roadmap for search engines, helping them find and prioritize content for indexing, which can improve your visibility in search results.
There are two main types of sitemaps: XML and HTML.
An XML sitemap is geared toward search engines, giving them info like when a page was last updated and how it connects to other pages.
An HTML sitemap is more user-focused. It lays out your site’s sections so visitors can find their way around easily.
Both types are great for SEO because they make your content easier to navigate and index.
Benefits of Having a Sitemap
By creating a sitemap, you’re essentially giving search engines a clearer view of your site’s structure, which can boost your search rankings. This is especially handy for larger sites or ones with tons of content, where some pages might otherwise get overlooked.
From an SEO standpoint, a sitemap makes it easier for search engines to crawl your site without missing anything important. Plus, if you have an HTML sitemap version, it can also help visitors quickly find what they’re looking for.
A sitemap really comes in handy if you regularly add or update content, or if your site’s layout is more complex. Smaller sites with just a few pages might not need one, but for bigger websites, learning how to generate a sitemap for a website can make a big difference in SEO and overall site usability.
How to Create a Sitemap
Creating a sitemap may sound technical, but there are different ways to approach it, depending on your website and resources.
Ready to create a sitemap? Let’s go.
Manually Creating an XML Sitemap
Here’s a way to create a sitemap.xml file using a basic text editor like Notepad.
Set up the XML structure: Begin by typing these lines to lay out the XML framework for your sitemap.xml file:
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>
<urlset xmlns=”http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9″>
</urlset>
This establishes the file as an XML sitemap and gets it ready for your URLs.
Add your URLs: For each page you want to include, add a <url> tag between the <urlset> tags. Inside each <url>, you’ll need:
<url>
<loc>https://www.yourwebsite.com/page-url</loc>
<lastmod>YYYY-MM-DD</lastmod>
<changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
<priority>0.8</priority>
</url><loc> – Enter the full URL of the page here.
<lastmod> – Date the page was last updated.
<changefreq> – How often you update the page (daily, weekly, etc.).
<priority> – A number from 0.0 to 1.0 that tells search engines how important the page is.
Here’s a very basic sitemap example:
Repeat for each page: Add a new <url> entry for each page to build a sitemap for your website.
Upload to your website: Finally, upload the sitemap.xml file to your website’s root directory (like https://www.yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml). This makes it accessible for search engines to find and use.
Using a CMS Plugin to Generate a Sitemap
If you’re on WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math make sitemap creation simple.
Here’s how to get it set up:
Install and activate the plugin: Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard, search for Yoast SEO or Rank Math, and then install and activate.
Enable the sitemap feature: In the plugin settings (e.g., Settings > General > Features in Yoast), make sure the XML sitemap option is turned on. This will automatically start creating a sitemap for your site.
Find your sitemap: Once it’s set up, you can view your sitemap at https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml (Yoast) or https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml (Rank Math).
Customize (if needed): Most plugins let you choose which content to include or leave out, so you can customize your sitemap if you don’t want certain pages indexed.
Using a plugin is an easy way to handle how to generate a sitemap for a website without any coding. Plus, it’ll stay updated automatically as your site grows.
Customizing Your Sitemap for Different Types of Content
When you develop a sitemap, you can decide which pages to include or leave out, like blog posts, categories, or product pages.
Go to your plugin’s sitemap settings: In plugins like Yoast or Rank Math, head to the Sitemap settings.
Pick what to include: Choose which pages, posts, categories, or tags should be in your sitemap. Leave out anything you don’t need search engines to crawl.
Exclude specific pages or categories: If there are individual pages or categories you don’t want, just mark them to exclude.
By making site map tweaks like this, you make sure search engines focus on your most important content.
Sitemap Generators
Here are some popular tools for creating sitemaps:
Each XML sitemap generator has its own perks, so pick one that fits your site’s size and needs.
How to Submit Your Sitemap to Google
Once you build a sitemap for your website, it’s important to submit it to search engines so they can crawl and index your pages more effectively.
Here’s how to add a sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing:
Log into Google Search Console: Go to Google Search Console and log in with your Google account. Select the property (website) where you want to add the sitemap.
Go to the sitemaps section: In the left-hand menu, click Sitemaps.
Enter your sitemap URL: In the “Add a new sitemap” field, type the URL for your sitemap (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml).
Submit the sitemap: Click Submit. Google will then start crawling your sitemap and indexing your pages.
Troubleshooting Common Sitemap Issues
When creating a sitemap, you may run into some common issues that can prevent search engines from fully indexing your site.
Here’s how to troubleshoot these problems:
Sitemap Best Practices
Follow these best practices to keep your sitemap effective and SEO-friendly:
- Refresh your sitemap with new or removed pages
- Remove broken links, oversized files, and non-indexable pages
- Focus on essential pages to guide search engines
- Exclude admin, login, or other non-essential pages
By following these sitemap best practices when developing a sitemap, you’ll improve your SEO and help search engines crawl your site more effectively.
The Bottom Line
A sitemap is a must for good SEO and keeping your website healthy. It helps search engines find and index your key pages, making your content more visible.
Regular updates and a clean sitemap are simple steps that go a long way in supporting your SEO strategy.
FAQs
How can I generate a sitemap?
Does Google have a sitemap generator?
How do I create a sitemap structure?
What tool can I use to create a sitemap?
References
- Create your Google Sitemap Online – XML Sitemaps Generator (Xml-sitemaps)
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler (Screamingfrog.co)
- SEO for everyone • Yoast (Yoast)
- Rank Math – Best Free WordPress SEO Tools in 2024 (Rankmath)
- Google Search Console (Search.google)
