|
Sitemap Construction
Constructing a sitemap for your website
The importance of your sitemapYou wouldn't think of going on a vacation trip without a map or guide to refer to but many websites present a rich source of information in their website content without a sitemap for a guide. When a visitor or search engine spider enters your website they are looking for specific information. By making it easy for them to find what they are looking for you have enhanced their search.By providing your visitors a sitemap you help them to focus on the subject matter that interests them the most. Your sitemap is also an important element of your website navigation scheme. It is the road map to your website. It provides a network of links that connects to every page in a website. All websites should have a comprehensive sitemap that complements their website navigation.
Linking webpages to the sitemapIf the people who visit your website cannot easily navigate to the information they want, they will go elsewhere. Provide a clearly defined link, in your webpage layout, to your sitemap. You should always provide a link to your sitemap in your headers and footers.
The sitemap is a table of contents for your websiteLike a table of contents in a book you should construct your sitemap as an outline of your website structure. Constructing a good sitemap takes effort, patience and a thorough understanding of the material contained in your website. Devote a fair amount of time to designing and implementing your sitemap and it will pay dividends. The steps given below provide an outline of how to construct a sitemap.Be sure to cover the scope of your websiteUnderstand the complete scope of the website. Have a clear picture in your mind of the structure of your website and what you are trying to present to your visitors.
- Find websites which have similar content and view their sitemap. Take notes to add to your website journal.
- Make a list of all the main categories that make up your website sections. This would be your site index.
- From your main categories break down your content into subcategories. This is where your visitors will find the detailed content of your website.
- Write a short description of each category and sub-category. Add these to your sitemap outline as you develop your website.
- Once you are satisfied with your sitemap build the webpage and upload it to your host server.
Use the sitemap as your default error pageBy using your sitemap as your default error page you increase the exposure of your website. It will help people who would normally abandon their search when they are served a 404 page to find you and your content . By default page I am referring to the error page (i.e. 404 page) that is served up when you click on a bad url. Contact your webhost about this feature. They should have available the means by which you can create a custom 404 page. |
Use your sitemap, or a portion of it, for this default error page and you will get visitors that you otherwise would have missed. This is an easy way to increase your website traffic and provide some website promotion. Anything is better than getting a generic "404 not found" error page when you are following a link.Sitemap construction final thoughtsYour sitemap should display a birds eye view of your website. Be aware that your sitemap will help guide search engine spiders through your website. This can be a big help for increasing website traffic.I hope that I have impressed upon you the need for a sitemap on every website. Without it a visitor to your website is lost and at the mercy of whatever links they might find on the individual pages. A sitemap is the focal point of your website basic layout as well as for searching a website, both for your visitors and the search engines.
|
|
|
