A website sitemap is essentially a document that catalogs all the significant pages present on a website, enabling search engines to recognize which pages should be incorporated in their index.
Incorporating a sitemap on a website is a critical aspect of search engine optimization (SEO). By facilitating the swift and efficient discovery of website pages, sitemaps can help Google index website pages more expeditiously.
Types of Website Sitemaps
Two distinct types of sitemaps exist, namely:
- XML sitemaps: Sitemaps written in a format that is specifically intended for search engine crawlers.
- HTML sitemaps: Sitemaps designed to resemble regular pages and assist users in navigating the website.
Now, let’s delve deeper into each of these two categories.
XML Sitemaps
Search engines, especially Google, favor XML sitemaps as the preferred sitemap format.
XML sitemaps convey three primary types of information to search engines:
- The comprehensive list of all URLs intended for indexing.
- The “lastmod” attribute that signifies the date of the last update for each URL.
- The “hreflang” attribute that specifies the linguistic and regional variation of each URL.
An XML sitemap resembles the following format:
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language, which is a format that makes it easier for search engine crawlers to interpret sitemaps.
Google recommends sitemaps for large websites, sites with substantial archives, or new sites with a limited number of links. Nonetheless, having an XML sitemap can be beneficial for every website, with no drawbacks. Moreover, creating an XML sitemap is a quick and simple process.
HTML Sitemaps
In the past, HTML sitemaps were a widely used approach to enhance a website’s navigation and consolidate links to all pages in one place.
Below is an example of an HTML sitemap:
The page consists of a hierarchical organization of links to various pages.
Although HTML sitemaps have lost their popularity, some voices in the SEO community argue that they are still crucial.
The reality is:
HTML sitemaps can boost internal linking and provide an additional layer of navigation for complex websites with multiple pages.
However, HTML sitemaps should not replace excellent site navigation elements such as menus, footer links, breadcrumbs, categories, etc.
As Google Search Advocate John Mueller emphasized, users should not require an HTML sitemap to navigate your website.
Note: In the context of SEO, when referring to sitemaps, we usually mean XML sitemaps. Therefore, this guide will concentrate on XML sitemaps going forward.
How to Find a Sitemap
Below are some useful techniques to locate a website’s sitemap:
Manual Check
The simplest approach to locate an XML sitemap is by conducting a manual search. Typically, the website sitemap is accessible via the following URL address:
https://olegdigital.com/sitemap.xml
Search Operators
Search operators are unique phrases or symbols that you can append to a search query to obtain more specific results.
Here are several search operators that can be helpful in locating a website sitemap:
“site:domain.com filetype:xml”
“site:domain.com inurl:sitemap”
“site:domain.com intitle:sitemap”
These operators can be employed in all of the major search engines, such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo.
Simply input the operator into the search bar and substitute “domain.com” with the real website’s URL.
If the website sitemap exists and the search engine has indexed it, the search results will display the sitemap’s location.
Google Search Console
If you have permission to access a website’s Google Search Console, it is possible that the sitemap has already been submitted there.
Navigate to the “Sitemaps” report in the “Indexing” section of the left menu.
You’ll notice a section labeled “Submitted sitemaps.” If an XML sitemap has been submitted earlier, its URL will be included in the list.
Robots.txt
Robots.txt is a file on a website that instructs search engine crawlers about which areas of the website to crawl and which ones to avoid.
It is recommended that you place the file in the root folder of your website: https://olegdigital.com/robots.txt.
If the robots.txt file follows the best practices, it will contain a link to the website’s sitemap. To locate the link, simply search for the term “sitemap” within the robots.txt file.
The section containing the link to the sitemap will resemble the following:
Common Sitemap-Related Issues
Here are some common issues that can arise with sitemaps:
- Pages that should not be included in the sitemap, such as pages with redirects or non-canonical pages, are included.
- The sitemap file contains format errors, such as missing XML tags.
- The sitemap files are too large, exceeding the size limit set by Google (either more than 50 MB or more than 50,000 URLs).
How to Submit and Check a Sitemap with Google
Submitting your XML sitemap to Google is considered one of the best SEO practices for two main reasons. Firstly, it can accelerate the process of Google discovering your sitemap. Secondly, it can help you identify issues with your sitemap.
Once you’re in Google Search Console, go to the “Sitemaps” report located in the “Indexing” section of the left menu.
Enter the URL of your sitemap in the “Add a new sitemap” section, and click on “Submit.”
After submitting your sitemap, you’ll receive a message indicating whether it was successful.
You can check the status of your sitemap anytime by visiting the report. If you see a green “Success” message, you’re all set. If there’s an issue with your sitemap, you’ll see a red “Couldn’t fetch” or “Has errors” status. The report will provide a detailed explanation of what went wrong and how to fix it.
For a full list of possible errors and how to fix them, refer to Google’s guide on the “Sitemaps” report.