We want to know how to create a sitemap for SEO, because one of the greatest methods to make sure search engines can find all of the important material on your website is to create and publish a sitemap. Although a sitemap is not the only method by which search engines may find pages on your website, it is your “direct line” to inform Google of the most crucial content.
How to Create a Sitemap for SEO
Imagine possessing a master key that enables search engines to access every page, picture, and video on your website. This master key, sometimes referred to as a sitemap, is an essential tool that improves your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy by organizing the material on your website and making it easily discoverable.
Sitemaps help search engines index your website more effectively by giving web crawlers a clear understanding of the structure of your website. As a consequence, when consumers search for relevant keywords, your website’s content will more easily show up on results pages.
For instance, let’s imagine you own a tech and gadgets website. A well-designed sitemap increases the likelihood that a user will find your website while searching for software, tech, or gadget reviews.
We will walk you through every step to know how to create a sitemap for SEO in this post.
An XML sitemap: what is it?
A unique webpage that contains a list of all your content is called an XML Sitemap. It contains details like the last time your material was updated.
Because it makes your material easier for search engines to locate and alerts them when you make changes or remove stuff, it’s a crucial component of SEO.
This data is used by search engines to determine what should be added to and changed in search results.
It would take longer for search engines to display or delete your material if you didn’t have an XML sitemap.
It is crucial that you comprehend the contents of your XML Sitemap. To make sure you’re adding the appropriate material and removing anything you don’t want search engines to view, you should check it often.
NOTE: Every time a search engine crawler requests it, All in One SEO updates the XML sitemap. This indicates that it is constantly current.
Every time material is changed or published, we let Google know. Index Now is used by Bing and a few other search engines to notify users when new or updated information is available.
How to Create a Sitemap for SEO
Creating an XML sitemap may be done in two ways: automatically and by starting from scratch. Check out our Screaming Frog article on how to construct an XML sitemap if you want to do it automatically.
TIP: Verify whether your website currently has a sitemap before making a new one!
To create an XML sitemap from the ground up, please do the following:
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Compile all of the URLs for your website
You may obtain a list of URLs for your website in a few different methods. The simplest method is to employ a crawler, such as Screaming Frog, to search for every URL on your website. You may also locate your URLs if you don’t have a copy of Screaming Frog by:
- Examining your website by hand and compiling all URLs.
- To find the URLs that Google has in its index, conduct a site search on Google.
- To locate URLs, look at the Google Analytics landing page report.
When collecting URLs for a sitemap, the most crucial consideration is whether you want Google to index that particular page. For instance, you probably want your homepage to be included in the index, but not your terms and conditions or privacy policy page.
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Put the URLs into code
It’s time to code the URL in an XML format once you’ve compiled a list of URLs you wish to include in your sitemap. You’ll need a text editor like Sublime Text to code the URLs in the correct way.
- A <urlset xmlns=”https://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9″> tag should be opened first.
- Next, use the <url> and <loc> elements to enter your URL.
You can stop here if you like, but you can use more optional tags to give your sitemap extra information. The following tags are optional:
<lastmod>: The most recent modification date of the page.
<changefreq>: The frequency of page changes.
<priority>: In relation to your other pages, how significant is this one? This has values between 0.0 and 1.0, where 1.0 is the greatest priority.
- End with the </url> and </urlset> ending tags.
How to use Google Search Console to upload your sitemap
It’s time to submit your XML sitemap to Google using Search Console now that it has been built. To help you do it, follow these easy steps:
- Sign into Google Search Console and click “Sitemaps” in the left sidebar
- Where it says “Add a new sitemap” at the top of the page, enter the URL of your sitemap.
- Click submit and Google will crawl your newly created XML sitemap.
If you like this article, you should check out our newly updated Screaming Frog Guide that is packed full of tips and tricks to do almost anything.
Commonly Asked Questions about How to Create a Sitemap for SEO
How is a sitemap made?
You may use a sitemap generator or plugins in your CMS to produce a sitemap. As an alternative, make a sitemap by hand by listing URLs and describing the page layout, hierarchy, and relationships of your website.
What kinds of sitemaps are there?
The three primary forms of sitemaps are graphic, XML, and HTML. XML sitemaps are for search engines, however HTML and graphic sitemaps are easy to use. To meet more specialized purposes, there are other kinds such as RSS sitemaps, picture sitemaps, news sitemaps, and more.
Why is submitting my sitemap to Google Search Console necessary?
When you submit your sitemap to GSC, Google is better able to comprehend and crawl your website, increasing its exposure in search results and bringing in more natural visitors.
Is a sitemap necessary for every website?
A sitemap facilitates user navigation and enhances search engine crawling, while it is not required. It improves user experience and SEO, which is especially advantageous for big or complicated websites. Although a sitemap may not be necessary for smaller websites, it is usually advised for SEO reasons.