If your just in building a web site or maybe just rebuilt your current site.....how can you get your efforts seen by the general public and the search engines. In addition to your normal promotion activities there is one thing that will help you to gain the exposure you're trying to generate. Many of the search engines have or are in the process of putting more and more credence on using sitemaps in your web site.
You can talk to any webmaster and they will have their own spin on how sitemaps play in search engine optimization and site recognition. A sitemap is nothing more than a road map of your web site showing search engines and the users where to find specific information. This is an excellent tool for finding your information by both the search engines and the consumer who may be searching for information about your product or service.
In yesterdays article we discussed the Robots.txt files and it's function which is telling the engines what to index...or not to index. The difference here is clear that the sitempas are an excellent way to communicate with the search engines and potential clients of what is in your web site. There is nothing in the search engine guidelines that says you must have a Robots.txt file or a sitempap feature in your web site, however, it has been my experience that both of these functions has enhanced the popularity of my web site visibility with the search engines and consumers.
To get the maximum benefits out of the sitemap it's best to create two different sitemaps for your site. One for the search engine spiders and the other one for the visitors who come to your site. Having two sitemaps, each having a specific function is not regarded as duplicate content with the search engines.
Better visibility and easy navigation for the search engines are just a couple of benefits of the sitemap. By using sitemaps you are notifying the search engines of any changes to your web site. This is an immediate notification, however, the search engines may not get around to spidering your site....from a few minutes to even a day or so. That's OK, just let the robots, spiders and the search engines do their job.
By submitting your sitemap to the search engines, you will add one more promotion ingredient.....in addition to external links you already have in your site to get the search engines to your site for indexing. By using the sitemap it will help find broken internal links for you to repair before submitting your site to the search engines. If your site is relatively new.... the sitemap will definitely help the search engines find the information they need in your site to index your site correctly.
Not all search engines require a sitemap, however, you will have a leg up on the competition when all the search engines adopt the sitemap as a integral part of optimization. It really doesn't hurt to have an extra advantage when promoting on line.
There is a rather simple process you can follow when creating sitemaps. There are several sitemap generators offered on line that will help you get started in the right direction. This author does not recommend any particular sitemap generator. First you must generate a sitemap either with a generator or by hand, and upload the sitemap to your site. Once you have done these two simple steps then notify Google and other engines about your sitemap. If you don't know how to do this procedure then do some research and learn the process.
Many webmasters will merely list all of the URLs listed on a web site and place them in a text file and then upload to their site. It's totally up to you since creating a sitemap is optional.
It is my opinion, sitemaps are an effective method of keeping the search engines as well as the users informed about your web site. If you don't understand this concept....then do your research and learn as much as you can. Once you are more familiar with the sitemap structure and its function, you will probably start using sitemaps in all of your opportunities.
The eBiz Solutions Team is standing by to assist you in your online marketing endeavors. Call today for your free 30 minute consultation.
"Let's Build Your Business Together"
Larry L Miller SEM/SEO Consulting
Private Line: 321-594-4405
Skype: larrylmiller121
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