Differences in Sitemaps SEO wise?

[cmjolley]

I'm a bit confused about sitemaps. I'm just learning SEO so forgive me if this is a basic question.

1. I've submitted my site to google webmaster using http://pro-sitemaps.com and the sitemap generator it creates.

2. I've also seen sites do this: http://www.johnlewis.com/Shopping/ProductList.aspx and http://www.thesafestcandles.com/site-map.html so I did something similar for my site (www.ldnwicklesscandles.com). You figure you see everyone do it you might as well try it too and hope it works.

So I've done both 1 and 2.

Which sitemap is best for SEO purposes or should I do both? Is there any format that should or shouldn't be used for Option 2? Any site examples for good practice would be helpful.

[DougRoberts]

Hi Christine.

The sitemaps you submit to google webmaster tools are used by google to help index your site and to make sure content that gets indexed. If you've got a large site with a complex architecture it can be difficult to ensure that google finds and indexes your content.

https://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156184

Sitemap pages on your own website are there to help visitors to your site find the pages they're looking for. Sitemap pages have lots of links to deep content on your site so will also help search engine spiders find content on your site.

If you've got a small site, a simple architecture and good navigation you'll probably find that your website sitemap page doesn't get much use. For a large site it can help provide visitors with a good overview of the content on your site.

It's worth keeping an eye on visitors to your sitemap and the local site search to see what pages they're looking for. It can indicate that it would be worth giving those pages a higher profile in your site navigation.

Think about how you can present your sitemap to help visitors understand the structure of your website and in a manner consistent with your main navigation.

You may also want to have a "Can't find what you're looking for? Get in Touch..." type call to action/form on this page especially if you offer custom/bespoke products.

[cmjolley]

Very helpful thank you. X