What is sitemap in SEO?

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What is sitemap in SEO?
By Dixinfotech Team on 14 Jul,2022

What is a sitemap?
Sitemap contains a file that provides information about the pages, and various files as well as describes the relationship between them. Sitemaps are an important tool that helps search engines to understand your website structure. Search engines like Google read sitemap files which helps them to crawl your website more efficiently.


 Why do we need an XML Sitemap?
You might be wondering about the importance of having an XML Sitemap for your website? Dixinfotech is one of the Leading Website  Development Company Gurgaon. Dixinfotech is here to provide you with all the answers. There are several reasons why do you need XML Sitemap on your website and these include:

 

  • Discovery

Search engines like Google, Bing, Yandex, and many more utilize XML Sitemap. A sitemap is represented as a convectional URL suffix such as /sitemap.xml. The presence of an XML sitemap highly contributes to your chances of content discovery and promotes indexing. 

  • Indexing

Search engines have crawlers that are directed to identify new content on a particular website. XML Sitemap makes such objectives simpler as it makes sure that the sitemap only contains items that are to be indexed. 

  • Frequency

A sitemap is efficient for your website as it allows your website to use as a tag that allows us to provide information when items on your sitemap change. XML Sitemaps not only identify new content but also allows search engines to make efficient changes in the existing indexed content. The use of , allows search engines to increase the frequency in which our content is crawled and evaluated. This will provide more current and up-to-date data which will increase the traffic to your website. 

  • Feedback

Multiple tools such as Google Search Console, Webmaster, and SEO tools such as RYTE analyze your website. These tools efficiently provide feedback for improving the difference between your XML Sitemap content and your actual site crawled indexed content. This allows your website to gain more views and more traffic. 

 How to Create a Sitemap?

There are several CMS that generate a sitemap for you and these are automatically updated when you add and remove a post or pages from your website. However, in many cases, these CMS are not able to create an efficient sitemap for you. In that case, there are several plugins that do the work you want.

1. With a wordpress plugin

WordPress contains 34.5% of the total websites, however, it does not generate a sitemap for you. In order to create one, you need to install a plugin like Yoast SEO. 

You have to log in to your WordPress dashboard to install the plugin. 

Go to plugins -> Add new -> Search for Yoast SEO

Then install & activate

Go to SEO > General > Features and then make sure your XML toggle is on. 

Your sitemap will now be available. 

2. Without the wordpress plugin

Creating a sitemap in WordPress manually 

The benefits of building a sitemap are infinite as it is not only a simple piece of programming but affects your website to the extreme as it is an effective tool for your website. We provide reliable business solutions for sitemaps as well as other services. Our team keeps itself up to date with the latest trends and the best Digital Marketing agency in Gurgaon takes care in providing the best and customised websites.

 

The first question arises, Why will anyone want to build a sitemap without using any third-party plugins? 

The answer is simple. All the WordPress websites that are built by an average user generally aim to have atleast ten main plugins that are necessary to keep the website functional. It is also necessary to balance the pace, versatility, security, and usability of the same. 

However, there are some plugins that are not safe for your website and it also leaves your website vulnerable. These plugins are usually incompatible with other plugins, cause your website to not load, and cause errors. Some plugins can also be bulky and overloaded with codes hence this leads to slowing down of your website. 

Here is the step-by-step procedure on how to create a sitemap without using plugins:

  • Go to theme’s functions.php file

This file is the place where you incorporate your WordPress theme’s particular features to make it more flexible and functional. Go to wp content < theme folder < functions.php.

  • In the right side, click Function.php
  • You will now see a code. Copy and paste the code into your theme’s function.php file.
  • Next, create a file named sitemap.style. XSL.
  • Now copy and paste the code below in that file, and save it with the similar name. 
  • Lastly, create a new post or update an existing one. 

 

Now that you have created a new page or blog, the code that you have roasted will either delete the older content or replace it with a new one. You can check this at, where you will see the modified XML Sitemap. 

 Sitemap Generators.

The need to have a sitemap is undoubtedly the most wise decision as it is very important for the webmaster to create and submit the sitemap to SERP’s. This consists of URLs that define the pages and sections in your website. The purpose of sitemap is to ensure that the users and search engines are able to find specific content irrespective of their location. 

 Top 9 Sitemap Generator tools.

1.XML Sitemap Generator
This is the most affordable yet easy method to generate a sitemap. This tool is suitable when you quickly want to create a sitemap (as it does not require any registration) for a small website that is up to 500 pages. You can directly download the XML sitemap file or receive it via email and install it on your website. 

Go to the online generator home page and enter the URL of your website with the help of the above form and click “START” to proceed.

2.Slickplan
Slickplan helps you to build an XML Sitemap in minutes. It provides a customizable that makes use of a simple drag and drop interface. Slickplan creates a fine sitemap structure and flowcharts as well as building diagrams to gather users' paths on your website.

3. Writemaps
Writemaps is yet another sitemap generator through which you can create your sitemap in minutes. It provides a visual sitemap builder which means that the user can create a sitemap from vague ideas. You can even format your sitemap in seconds through option bars. Writemaps even allow exporting your visual sitemap as well as your website's content to PDF or sharing it via a unique URL.

4.Mindnode 
More than a sitemap generator tool, Mindnode is a mind mapping tool that helps to plan projects in a visual way. The functions of Mindnode plan out website sitemap if you want to do it in a visual way. Mindnode does not export your visual sitemap as an XML but provides you with an outline version or PDF for client presentation. Mindnode also provides customizable sitemap and drag and drop features.


5. Dynomapper
Dynomapper is considered one of the best solutions for displaying the proper architecture of a particular website. Its interactive visual sitemaps are easy to create as it needs one mouse click. With the help of its interactive display, your website also displays Google Analytics, Content inventory, as well as comments for useful collaboration.


6.PowerMapper 
Powermapper offers one-click and automatic site mapping to save your time from building a manual sitemap.


7.Wix 
Wix creates a sitemap for your website automatically. The downside of the Wix sitemap generator is that it does not allow much control over the pages. In case you want to exclude a page, head to SEO (Google) settings tab and turn off the “Show this page in search results”. 

8.Inspyder Sitemap Creator
It is considered as one of the most simple and quick installs for a one-time cost as it helps you to generate accurate XML sitemaps. This also provides mobile-specific, pictures and video sitemaps. This sitemap creator automatically creates Google sitemaps, uploads it to your server, and sends you an email notification for the same. In addition, Inspyder also provides customizable options and built-in FTP/FTPS/SFTP Client. These benefits make Inspyder sitemap creator a convenient sitemap generator tool. 

9.Yoast SEO

Recognized as a well-known WordPress plugin and a go-to tool for basic SEO, is also convenient in adding sitemaps. You can easily insert an XML Sitemap. The Yoast SEO plugin is free and creates dynamic sitemaps.

Benefits of having a Sitemap.
As sitemaps help to boost the online presence of a website, the pros of adding a sitemap to your website is immense. 

1.Quick inform to search engines about changes in your website

There are a lot of changes happening in your website, however search engines does not index those changes instantly. In that case, a sitemap informs the search engines for the changes and gets the pages indexed faster. 

2.Helps with canonical URLs

Sitemaps helps Google to identify the main URL which solves the chances of happening canonical errors. However, a 301 redirect is also helpful but a XML sitemap is useful to make the process faster. 

3.Effective website planning

A sitemap helps you to plan out your website in a much effective way as it is much like creating a structural layout of a building. It helps you to decide the number of pages and how they should be laid off. 

4.Contributes to development

Sitemap are the most important part of the indexing process and an effective indexing tells you that where are you lacking behind. Having a sitemap also contributes to create an effective SEO strategy. 

5.Reduces broken links

Thanks to sitemap, crawlers detect the broken, incomplete or incorrect internal links in your website right away. As it might take some time to recover the issue, sitemap provides a temporary remedy in the meantime. We at Dixinotech Web Design Company in Gurgaon can Help you generate and place sitemaps to your website.
Visit- https://www.dixinfotech.com/

FAQs

1.Will a sitemap help me to rank better?

A sitemap does not affects the ranking of the pages in your website. However, it does helps that the URL of your website are timely crawled, which lead to an increased presence as well as visibility in SERPs. 

2.Where should I put the sitemap? 

Dixinfotech is the best Website Designer Gurgaon.We now offers Sitemap cross-submission, which means that you can put your sitemap just anywhere. For further queries, click here. 

3.Will the placement of an URL within a Sitemap file really matters?

No, it doesn’t. 

4.If my site has multiple section, for instance a blog, gallery, and a forum. In that case, should I submit one sitemap for my site or multiple sitemap for each section?

The answer is flexible as you can submit just one sitemap or even multiple sitemaps for each section. Submitting a sitemap for each section will help you to use a Sitemap Index file to list them all.             

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