Are you feeling lost with your SEO practice? With sitemaps, X marks the spot for success! A sitemap is a structured list of the pages and content on your website. Adding a sitemap to your website is essential for helping search engines understand the structure and content of your site. It also helps improve your site’s visibility in search engine results. Improve your website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by creating and submitting a sitemap to search engines. While the task seems daunting, navigating the process reveals how a simple addition greatly impacts your business. Ready to hit the trail to success with a sitemap? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add a sitemap to your website:
1. Generate the Sitemap:
Several tools are available online to help you create a sitemap. You can use tools like:
- Google Search Console:Â If you have your website registered with Google Search Console, it can automatically generate and update your sitemap.
- Yoast:Â We use this plug-in ourselves! Yoast is an awesome tool for WordPress users (we recommend using WordPress for website development and maintenance). Yoast does a multitude of things, but their XML sitemap tool goes above and beyond.
- Online Sitemap Generators:Â Various online tools allow you to input your website’s URL, and they will generate a sitemap for you. Examples include XML-sitemaps.com and Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
2. XML vs. HTML Sitemaps:
Two types of sitemaps can be added to your website – HTML and XML.
XML maps are where the real magic happens. XML maps exist for indexing and website crawling. From an SEO perspective, this map type takes precedence.
HTML maps allow users to navigate the content of your website. Similar to the table of contents in a book, this map’s necessity is debated amongst SEO experts. At this point, HTML is more for human visitors to your site.
3. Access Your Website’s Backend:
You’ll need access to your website’s backend, which could be through a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, or directly through your web hosting provider.
4. Upload to the Root Directory:
Upload the generated XML sitemap to the root directory of your website. This is typically the directory where your website’s main files are located.
5. Submit Sitemap to Search Engines:
To ensure search engines are aware of your sitemap, you need to submit it to them. The two most prominent search engines are Google and Bing.
- Google Search Console: If you haven’t already, sign up for Google Search Console and add your website.
- In Google Search Console, find the ‘Sitemaps’ section.
- Add the URL of your sitemap (e.g., https://your-website-url/sitemap.xml) and submit it.
- Bing Webmaster Tools: Similarly, if you want to submit your sitemap to Bing, sign up for Bing Webmaster Tools and add your website.
- Look for the ‘Sitemaps’ section and submit the URL of your sitemap.
6. Monitor Sitemap Status:
After submitting your sitemap, monitor the status within the respective webmaster tools. This will give you insights into how search engines are indexing your site.
7. Update Sitemap:
Whenever you make significant changes to your website, such as adding new pages or removing old ones, update your sitemap accordingly. You can regenerate the sitemap using the same method as in step 1 and then upload the updated version to your website.
Remember, adding a sitemap might vary slightly based on your website’s platform, but these general steps should guide you through the process. As always, if you begin the process and find it may be out of your SEO wheelhouse, feel free to contact us! If it’s a quick fix, we’re happy to provide some information to get you on your way. Otherwise, it may be helpful to have someone do it for you. Either way, adding a sitemap navigates the customers you want back to your website, getting you the business you deserve.
Creating a sitemap not for you? Leave the hard work to us with our SEO services! From sitemap creation to regular GPB maintenance, we take care of your busy work while you reap the benefits. Check it out today!
