The larger and more complex your website is, the more difficult it can be for both users and search engines to navigate. But sitemaps make it easier.
All this means sitemaps are important. Because they can lead to:
Better discoverability: An XML sitemap (more on this in the next section) helps search engines discover important pages on your website. This is particularly helpful for large websites that have thousands of pages and may be impacted by a limited crawl budget.
Faster indexation: For newer websites, submitting an XML sitemap can lead to more pages ranking sooner. And for websites that update existing content, Google can discover those changes sooner when they’re included in the sitemap.
Improved user experience: HTML sitemaps (more on this in the next section) can make it easier for users to find exactly what content they’re looking for. Because they’re able to see all your most important pages in one place.
Different sitemaps offer different benefits, so let’s discuss those next.
What Are the Different Types of Website Sitemaps?
There are two types of sitemaps:
XML sitemaps: Sitemaps written in a specific format designed for search engine crawlers
HTML sitemaps: Sitemaps that look like regular pages and help users navigate the website
XML Sitemaps
Extensible Markup Language (XML) sitemaps are the preferred format for search engines like Google.
They provide three main types of information to search engines:
The list of all the URLs you want to have indexed
The “lastmod” attribute that informs when the URLs were last updated
While XML sitemaps are especially suitable for large websites, websites with extensive archives, or new websites with few links, every website can benefit from having one.
HTML sitemaps used to be a popular way to improve a website’s navigation and provide links to all your important pages in one place.
Here’s an example of an HTML sitemap from H&M Group:
As you can see, it’s a standard page with links to various pages organized in a hierarchical way.
Although HTML sitemaps aren’t that common anymore, some voices in the SEO community still say they’re a must. Because HTML sitemaps can improve your internal linking and provide another layer of navigation for complex websites with many pages.
But don’t use an HTML sitemap as a replacement for good site navigation elements (such as menus, footer links, breadcrumbs, categories, etc.).
