Differences in Sitemaps SEO wise?
-
I'm a bit confused about sitemaps. I'm just learning SEO so forgive me if this is a basic question.
-
I've submitted my site to google webmaster using http://pro-sitemaps.com and the sitemap generator it creates.
-
I've also seen sites do this: http://www.johnlewis.com/Shopping/ProductList.aspx and http://www.thesafestcandles.com/site-map.html so I did something similar for my site (www.ldnwicklesscandles.com). You figure you see everyone do it you might as well try it too and hope it works.
So I've done both 1 and 2.
Which sitemap is best for SEO purposes or should I do both? Is there any format that should or shouldn't be used for Option 2? Any site examples for good practice would be helpful.
-
-
Very helpful thank you. X
-
Hi Christine.
The sitemaps you submit to google webmaster tools are used by google to help index your site and to make sure content that gets indexed. If you've got a large site with a complex architecture it can be difficult to ensure that google finds and indexes your content.
https://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156184
Sitemap pages on your own website are there to help visitors to your site find the pages they're looking for. Sitemap pages have lots of links to deep content on your site so will also help search engine spiders find content on your site.
If you've got a small site, a simple architecture and good navigation you'll probably find that your website sitemap page doesn't get much use. For a large site it can help provide visitors with a good overview of the content on your site.
It's worth keeping an eye on visitors to your sitemap and the local site search to see what pages they're looking for. It can indicate that it would be worth giving those pages a higher profile in your site navigation.
Think about how you can present your sitemap to help visitors understand the structure of your website and in a manner consistent with your main navigation.
You may also want to have a "Can't find what you're looking for? Get in Touch..." type call to action/form on this page especially if you offer custom/bespoke products.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Curious about quick SEO results showing up...
Recently, I did a couple of major SEO mods on our e-commerce site. Here's what I did: A. No-indexed hundreds of thousands of Search Results pages. B. Changed the URL structure for the better of our product pages. I literally made these changes about 3 weeks ago and I am seeing some very interesting results in such a short period of time. Here is one example. My product pages increased impressions by about 20% or so, but the real crazy thing is the increase in click through rate on my product pages. All of a sudden I am getting about a 95% clickthrough rate!??!?! Previously I was getting around 58%. Any ideas on this? Is it a normal fluctuation that goes away? Or can I expect it to stay or even improve? Thanks! Craig
Technical SEO | | TheCraig0 -
Sitemap duplicate title
At the moment we have a html sitemap which is pulling the same h1's/ titles. How big a problem is the duplicate content issue which is medium priority in the moz pro softaware? Would you recommend changes as sitemap page 1 - page 2 etc. Thanks
Technical SEO | | VUK-SEO0 -
Different serps
Hi, I seem to be making progress in recovering from penguin/panda. (maybe) However I get vastly different results if I search google in different ways for example if I specify the geographic location as US (I am in the UK) for prom hairstyles ie http://www.google.com/search?q=prom+hairstyles&gl=us (which I believe gives the SERPs for the US or at least it used to) my site (prom-hairstyles.org) comes in at number two or sometimes on the second page. But if I just search google.com it comes in at 450 or so. My question is do you get the same and why such a big difference? Thanks, Ian
Technical SEO | | jwdl0 -
Multiple domain SEO strategy
Hi Mozzers I'm an AM at a web dev. We're building a new site for a client who sells paint to different markets: Paint for boats Paint for construction industry Paint for, well you get the idea! Would we be better off setting up separate domains - boatpaintxxx.com, housepaintxxx.com, etc - and treat each as a searate microsites for standalone SEO activity or have them as individual pages/sub doms from a single domain - paints4all.com or something? From what i've read today, including the excellent Beginners Guide - I'm guessing there's no definitive answer! Feedback appreciated! Thanks.
Technical SEO | | rikmon0 -
Mobile Site & SEO
If i create a mobile site for a client will google crawl that site for mobile results or will it effect my rankings. My guess is no, just want to make sure. Obviously code will be different.
Technical SEO | | waqid0 -
How To SEO Mobile Pages?
hello, I have finally put my first foot on the path of trying to learn and understand mobile SEO. I have a few questions regarding mobile SEO and how it works, so please help me out. I use wordpress for my site, and there is a nifty plugin called WP touch http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/ What it basically does is, it converts your desktop version into a mobile friendly version. I wanted to know that if it does that, does this mean whatever SEO i do for my regular web site gets accomplished for my moible version as well? Another simple question is, if i search for the same term on my mobile phone then on my desktop how different will the SERs be? thanks moz peeps
Technical SEO | | david3050 -
Seo template for new website
I am revamping my website (www.UltimateBasicTraining.com). It's going to be major and I am concerned about the potential traffic loss since over 60% of my overall traffic comes from organic search results in the military basic training area. Are there any good SEO website templates I can start from? I see a lot out there but would prefer the advice of professionals. Thanks
Technical SEO | | TheVolkinator0 -
Australian Web Design and SEO
Hi Guys, I really could do with some gudienace or answers to the following questions: Are the any specific web design or technical issues that are different in Australian search engines compared to the UK? Are there any web design issues that are different to the UK? Are there any useful things I should consider from an SEO point of view if I am launching a website in Australia compared to the UK? Any helpw ould be much apprciated! Thanks Gareth
Technical SEO | | GAZ090