Site Map. Do I Need One?

In the ever-challenging process of gaining higher ranking in the search engines, it is important to include a site map in your website. A site map is a regular page on your site that shows all the various pages laid out in an easy to understand fashion, usually a hierarchical list. Think of it as a table of contents for your website.

Here's an example:

The search engine spiders (those little programs that scan the Internet to index and categorize it) relish this type of web page because it offers a way to follow links to all parts of your site. Those spiders will then track all the links and index all the pages they find. Without a site map, the search engines may not find all the pages of your site since there may not be links to all your content-rich pages. It's an important tool to help the search engines completely categorize your site. The other natural benefit is for end-users. Many people go directly to the site map to quickly find the page or pages that are after (without the need to follow the existing navigation scheme set up for the website). So, as part of your efforts to increase your search engine rankings, take a few minutes and add a complete site map (I would recommend adding the link to it in the header or footer area) so spiders and users alike can easily find it.