Does anyone have suggestions for a good XML Sitemap Generator?
-
Does anyone have any suggestions on a good XML Sitemap Generator? Also interested in best practices and tips for updating the XML Sitemap.
I typically have relied on my web developers to do this however it seems that they have not been setting this up with SEO in mind.
-
Google will look for /sitemaps.xml. This is pretty standard.
Some people may not name it that way - not advised. But if you're using the other sitemaps for images, videos, etc, then you can use the robots.txt file to tell search engines where they are explicitly.
Also, be sure to set up an account at http://www.google.com/webmasters/ and submit your sitemaps there.
-
Thanks for the info! I'm working on loading up the xml-sitemaps software now.
What is the purpose of a link to all the sitemaps in a robots.txt file?
-
If you have ftp access to the root, you can simply overwrite the current one with a new one. Google will pick it up.
Also, you should include a link to all your sitemaps in a robots.txt file - also in the root. If you look at SEOMoz's robots.txt file, you can see how to do that. http://www.seomoz.org/robots.txt
-
there is already a sitemap on my server that was generated by my web developers. What is the best practice for overriding an existing site map?
-
Thank you Cyril. Based on my research as well this seems to be a good option. Google webmaster tools also recommends it.
-
Thanks Jbrock!
That really helps to see how yours is set up. My website developer currently has a sitemap set up however I don't think its taking advantage of all the features possible.
-
You can probably set it to ignore parameters you don't want added to the sitemap. Here's a screenshot from my standalone version to give you an idea of the settings.
-
I bought the standalone version of http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/standalone-google-sitemap-generator.html in 2007 or 8 and have really liked it. They've really kept the product updated, but the $19.99 price hasn't changed since.
It gives you a high degree of control, supports really large websites, generates multiple sitemaps (xml, image, video, news, mobile, ror, etc.) and more. Plus, updates are free for life once you purchase.
Use the free generator on the homepage to see how it works.
-
Hey Nathan,
I've used this one in the past <cite>www.xml-sitemaps.com/ </cite>
It works pretty decently for me, but you have to make sure you edit it after its created. Look for pages that no longer exist or are redirected somewhere else. Also make sure you aren't listing any pages with search query's in them, (www.url.com/index.php**?xxxx**) if you use search query's that way.
Updating is just what it is, every time you create a new page on your site, you need to update the site map.
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
-
Issues with Moz producing 404 Errors from sitemap.xml files recently.
My last campaign crawl produced over 4k 404 errors resulting from Moz not being able to read some of the URLs in our sitemap.xml file. This is the first time we've seen this error and we've been running campaigns for almost 2 months now -- no changes were made to the sitemap.xml file. The file isn't UTF-8 encoded, but rather Content-Type:text/xml; charset=iso-8859-1 (which is what Moveable Type uses). Just wondering if anyone has had a similar issue?
Moz Pro | | BriceSMG0 -
404 Errors generating in WP
Our crawl reports are generating back several 404 errors for pages with urls that look like: /category/consulting/page/5/ The tag changes, the page number changes, but the result is always the same: A big glaring 404. Our sites are built on WordPress Multi-site, and I am fairly certain this issue is on the WP end, but I can't figure out why it is generating pages out to infinity, essentially, from the tags and categories. It is worse on some sites than others, but is happening across the board (my initial concern was that it might be a theme issue, but that does not seem to be the case). If anyone has run into this issue and knows a fix, you're insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Moz Pro | | SIXSEO0 -
Does anyone have an SEO strategic plan template for a beginning SEOmoz'r?
I'm fairly new to the SEO world and am going to be creating an SEO strategic plan for my boss (with his help). I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on a template to use, outline to follow, must have's/don't need, etc. Anything you're willing to share would be greatly appreciated!
Moz Pro | | kyle21ct0 -
File permissions save. any suggestions
Hi - something not related directly to SEO - but a vital factor Need to know for any tool - by which i can take backup or save existing file permissions of all my web site files.. God forbid - in event of any unfortunate circumstance if some mis hap happens or file permissions changed accidentally - how can i get them back to the original. Any tool by which i can save existing file permissions of filezilla thanks
Moz Pro | | Modi0 -
A grade but no ranking. Can anyone help?
Hi there, I'm new to SEOmoz but familiar with SEO in general. I recently setup a new campaign for my wife's eCommerce business - www.toucankids.com. We optimized 6 pages for 6 well researched key phrases. These pages have been indexed by Google however they didn't show up in the on page reports section of SEOmoz. I've just worked out how to add them manually so i've done that. The good news is that all of the pages get an A grade so we must be doing something right. The bad news is that we haven't got a top 50 result for any of them which is quite disheartening. I'd rather not invest lots of effort more page optimisation if this approach isn't working. Can anyone offer any advice on next steps / fine-tuning? Thanks in advance! P.S. We're going through a process of link building to try and improve our domain authority at the moment so i'm hoping that Friday's linkscape update will give us some better news in that department.
Moz Pro | | rmbdigital0 -
Is there a keyword suggestion tool available in the SEOMOZ suite of tools?
Is there a keyword suggestion tool available in the SEOMOZ suite of tools that is similar to semrush.com? semrush allows you to put in a URL and then will tell you what keywords you rank for. Looking for a good tool that is similar.
Moz Pro | | webestate0 -
Hosting Reviews and Suggestions
I have been going round in circles trying to find a Hostings company with a good reputation and service etc... For ever one you find you find reviews sayings its shocking... I was planning to take a straw poll using the vote up and down function to try and spot good ones. I will add the ones I know about or use/tried. If you like just vote up. Any more suggestions for companies please add them with your views. Try and reply to the right hostings companies with reviews. Not sure if this is suitable for SEOMoz I apologise if this is not and offends anyone.
Moz Pro | | JohnW-UK0 -
Are there any good "geo location" seo tools.
Does anyone know of a good seo tool ( either in seomoz, or another website ) that will allow me to search google from different geo locations. For example, if I wanted to see how my company ranks for the term "computer repair" in redding california and sacramento california.
Moz Pro | | NerdsOnCall0