This post is to share with you 10 stellar sitemap tricks you can use to boost SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex, multifaceted process. One aspect that often gets overlooked is the humble sitemap. This simple tool can work wonders for your website’s SEO. It can contribute to improving your visibility and ranking on search engines.
Before we get to the sitemap tricks, do you need help with Organic SEO Services for your business? If yes, we can help you. Contact us for a free 1-hour SEO consultation with no obligation to become a client.
Now, here are ten excellent sitemap tricks to make your sitemap a powerful ally in your SEO strategy.
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XML Over HTML
While both XML and HTML sitemaps can be useful, XML sitemaps are generally more effective for SEO purposes. This is because XML sitemaps provide important metadata to search engines about your web pages. Metadata such as; when they were last updated, how frequently they change, and their importance relative to other pages. All this information helps search engines to crawl and index your site more efficiently.
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Accurate Prioritization
One of the key features of an XML sitemap, is the ability to assign different priority levels to your web pages. By setting the priority, you’re telling search engines which pages are the most important on your site. However, bear in mind that assigning high priority to a page does not guarantee a higher search engine ranking. However, it does inform the search engines about the pages you deem most valuable.
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Stay Up-to-Date with your Sitemap
Your sitemap should be a current representation of your website. This means you need to update it whenever there are changes to your website. Changes such as adding new pages or removing outdated ones. Regularly updating your sitemap ensures that search engines are indexing the correct pages, thereby improving your SEO.
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Sitemap Index
If your website is quite large, containing hundreds or thousands of pages, it may be beneficial to create a sitemap index. This is essentially a sitemap of sitemaps, making it easier for search engines to navigate and index your site. This strategy is particularly useful for e-commerce sites or content-heavy platforms.
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Segmentation is Key
Segmenting or categorizing your sitemaps based on sections of your website can improve the indexing process. For example, you could create separate sitemaps for blog posts, product listings, and category pages. This strategy allows search engines to understand and index your site’s content more effectively.
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Manage Frequency
One of the valuable features of XML sitemaps is the ability to specify the frequency at which each page is likely to change. This informs search engines how often they should revisit pages to look for new content. While it’s just a guide and doesn’t guarantee crawlers will visit as often as specified, it helps them to plan their crawl budget effectively.
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Limit Your Sitemap Size
Search engines can struggle with processing very large sitemap files. To avoid this, try to keep each individual sitemap under 50,000 URLs and under 50MB in size. If your website is larger than this, you can split your sitemap into several smaller ones and then use a sitemap index.
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Include Media in your Sitemap
If your site is rich in multimedia content, it’s a good idea to include video, image, and other media sitemaps. Media sitemaps enable search engines to index and present your media content more effectively in search results. This can significantly boost your visibility and click-through rates.
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Direct Sitemap Submission
Instead of waiting for search engines to discover your sitemap, submit it directly to search engine webmaster tools like Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. This proactive approach speeds up the indexing process and helps you to identify any potential issues with your sitemap that might be hindering your SEO efforts.
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Use Sitemap Generators
Creating a sitemap manually can be a complex and time-consuming task, particularly for large websites. That’s where sitemap generators come in. These tools ensure your sitemap is in the correct format, includes all necessary information, and updates automatically as you add or remove content. Some popular choices include XML-Sitemaps.com, Screaming Frog, and Google’s own Sitemap Generator script.
You may also like to read: SEO in 2023: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Website Traffic.
A well-constructed, current sitemap isn’t just an optional extra; it’s an essential part of your SEO toolkit.
By implementing these 10 sitemap tricks, you can make your sitemap work harder for your website, improving your visibility on search engines and ultimately driving more traffic to your site.
Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint – keep refining, keep optimizing, and you’ll reap the rewards in the long run.
