If you are trying to enhance your website’s SEO and making sure that most of the content present on your website is being indexed by the search engine, then you would certainly have come across a phase, What is an XML sitemap? So basically speaking, an XML sitemap refers to a file that simply helps any search engine find, crawl, and index critical pages. Without an XML sitemap, some of the pages may never be indexed since they are too complex.
Let’s explore why an XML sitemap is important and if you really need one for your website.
What is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is just a file that contains all the important pages of your website. This essentially means that search engines, including Google, Bing, or Yahoo, can crawl and index your website more effectively; hence, nothing of importance will be missed by a search engine. It would be most helpful for more significant websites or sites which have complicated structures, because some pages might be somewhat difficult for search engines to find.
How XML Sitemaps Help Search Engines Crawl and Index Your Website
Search engines use crawlers, also known as bots, to discover websites to be indexed. Such a crawler reads your website code and follows links leading elsewhere. But there will also be pages that the search engines have a difficult time reaching due to poor positions in the site, with no internal links referring users to such pages. Now this is where the need for an XML sitemap lies. This is achieved by furnishing the search engine crawlers with a comprehensive list of URL’s. Essentially, an XML sitemap is a way of making the search engines find your website’s content and rank it.
Do you know? Google believes an XML sitemap is really important in order to let them crawl and index your website better, especially if your content is constantly updated or has a deep structure. In such cases, the chances of being missed by a search engine increase.
The Importance of Having an XML Sitemap for Your Website
An XML sitemap is not just a nice-to-have feature but rather a key element for improving the visibility of your site and its SEO performance. Here’s why:
- Faster Indexing: If a sitemap is submitted to any search engine, the chance of a new page discovering and getting indexed becomes greater. It is vital because you can launch new contents or even a whole site.
- Better Crawl Efficiency: Search engines can seamlessly crawl all your important pages even if they are deep inside your site structure.
- Helps Large Websites: Sites with a high number of pages or complex navigation greatly benefit from an XML sitemap so that search engines don’t miss any page.
- Improved SEO: A neat sitemap ensures that every page is indexed, thereby improving the search rank over time.
Do You Really Need an XML Sitemap for SEO?
The engines are, however able to crawl all pages, index them without a sitemap; the problem is that while it grows, it increases your importance to have this sitemap in XML to ensure your content will be found.
If your website adds new material very often or has a complex structure (it’s like having a big blog with thousands of postings), then the XML version of a sitemap becomes almost essential. For big websites, it is an important instrument for using SEO and increasing visibility in results.
When Should You Create an XML Sitemap for Your Site?
There are situations when the creation of an XML sitemap is especially valuable:
- For Large Websites: There should be an XML sitemap if your website has hundreds or thousands of pages, in order not to miss any important pages for the search engine.
- For Regular Content Updates: When you post content on a regular basis. An XML sitemap allows search engines to identify and index your new pages more quickly.
- When Launching a New Website: If your site is new, submitting an XML sitemap helps search engines discover all of your pages quickly.
- If You Have a Complex Site Structure: The XML sitemap will be useful to eCommerce sites, since it guarantees that all your pages, including product pages, will be discovered and indexed.
How to Create an XML Sitemap: A Simple Guide
Creating an XML sitemap seems to be a very complicated procedure, but in reality, it is not. Here is how you can do it:
- Use an Automated Sitemap Generator: There are a lot of free and paid tools that can generate your XML sitemap automatically. Some of the most popular ones include Google XML Sitemaps for WordPress users and Screaming Frog.
- Ensure Proper Organization: A sitemap should list all your important pages. In other words, don’t miss out on something worthwhile. Also, remember to add recently updated and newly created pages.
- Save and Upload the Sitemap: Save your generated sitemap as “sitemap.xml” and upload it to the root directory of your website, which is the top folder where your site resides.
Submitting Your XML Sitemap to Search Engines
Once your sitemap is created, you should submit it to search engines for them to use when crawling your website. How to submit a sitemap to major search engines:
- Google Search Console: Go to your Google Search Console and login into it. Go to the “Sitemaps” page and submit the URL of your sitemap.
- Bing Webmaster Tools: Login into Bing Webmaster Tools. Scroll over to “Sitemaps” section. Sitemap submission there.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with XML Sitemaps
While creating an XML sitemap is quite simple, it does not mean that there are not common mistakes that can affect its performance:
- Missing Important Pages: The sitemap should include all important pages. Contact form pages, product pages, or category pages should never be missing.
- Broken Links: Verify that all the listed URLs are working. Search engines have a tendency to crawl even broken links, which adversely affects performance.
- Not Updating the Sitemap: Your sitemap should be updated regularly in case of any additions or changes to your website. Being up-to-date means that fresh content will go straight to search engine awareness.
How to Maintain and Update Your XML Sitemap Regularly
An XML sitemap is not a setup for one time. It should be updated periodically so that your website is able to change. Here is how it is maintained:
- Regular Updates: If you have added new pages or removed old pages, make sure you update your sitemap with such changes.
- Automation: Most content management systems (CMS), like WordPress, automatically update your XML sitemap whenever you add new content. This makes managing and maintaining it effortless.
Conclusion
So, what is an XML sitemap and do I really need one? An XML sitemap is one of the most important tools you will have to ensure that your website is crawled and indexed as efficiently by search engines as possible. While a small website might not need it immediately, larger websites or ones that frequently update their content will greatly benefit from an XML sitemap. It indexes faster, leads to better SEO, and does not miss important pages. If you haven’t made one for your site. Now is the perfect time to do so and get fully utilized of this great resource.
FAQ’s
What is an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is just a list of all the important pages on your website. It facilitates search engines to crawl and index your content effectively.
Do I need an XML sitemap for SEO?
This is especially true for big sites and websites with frequently updated content. This means that all of your pages are found by the search engines and indexed in order to improve SEO.
How often should I update my XML sitemap?
Update the XML sitemap every time you create new pages or delete the old ones. There are many automation tools that can be helpful for this.
All in one SEO error on XML sitemap: What should I do?
If your All in One SEO plugin throws an error regarding the XML sitemap, first check if it is created properly, all the URLs in the sitemap are correct, and the sitemap has been submitted to the search engines correctly. Look for broken links or incorrect settings.