Quick Sitemap Question

[Tawnyfrog]

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How an I check my sitemap is set up in the best way? Also do I need it in my footer and to always add it to webmaster?

[ascentem]

In which way do you mean setup in the best way? Is it in XML?

You don't need it in your footer - it will need to be added to your webmaster tools though.

[scriptmonkey]

Do you mean an xml sitemap?

If so, then it'll need the following structure:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9" xmlns:news="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-news/0.9">
	<url>
		<loc>http://www.yoursite.co.uk/pageURI.htm</loc>
		<lastmod>2011-06-22</lastmod>
		<changefreq>Never</changefreq>
		<priority>1.0</priority>
	</url>
	<url>
		<loc>http://www.yoursite.co.uk/pageURI-2.htm</loc>
		<lastmod>2011-06-22</lastmod>
		<changefreq>Never</changefreq>
		<priority>1.0</priority>
	</url>
</urlset>

Google only use the 'loc' and the 'priority' on their own sitemap, so, they're not all necessary.

The tags are explained here: Creating Sitemaps - Webmaster Tools Help

You have two choices with Google, either add the sitemap to your webmaster tools, or have it linked to on your homepage, either of these will do, I'd go for the first option.

Tony

[scriptmonkey]

Oops, I meant three options, the third is simply to add this line to your robots.txt

Sitemap: http://www.yoursite.co.uk/sitemap.xml

[paraleadogg]

it will need to be added to your webmaster tools though.

It doesn't NEED to be added to WMT. As Tony pointed out you can stick a ref to in your robots.txt (if it is a search engine specific sitemap i.e. XML)

Good idea to have a sitemap for your users too - just a simple html page. Especially if you are goin on the basis that a site should be built for your users, not for search engines. If you wanted to stick a link to your users sitemap in your footer (or wherever) then you could. But again there is no hard an fast rules.

[apg1985]

you can ping your xml file to se's as well.

Although I says its just for blogs I do it with my wp websites as just something extra to get indexed faster.

Google Blog Search Ping Service