Is it Wortwhile to have a HTML site map for a Large Site

[CeeC-Blogger]

We are a large, enterprise site with many pages (some on our CMS and some old pages that exist outside our CMS). Every month we submit various an XML site map.

Some pages on our site can no longer be found via following links from one page to another (orphan pages). Some of those pages are important and some not.

Is it worth our while to create a HTML site map?  Does any one have any recent stats or blog posts to share, showing how a HTML site map may have benefited a large site.

Many thanks

[KeriMorgret]

For an HTML sitemap, you don't necessarily need to include every single page. One example that Ryan Kent often brings up in these conversations is Verizon Wireless's html site map at http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/sitemap.jsp. It lists their major categories, you can find where you're going, but it doesn't list every single page on their site.

I have no stats to share about their site, but it is a useful site map if you're browsing the site and not sure where to go for something.

[CeeC-Blogger]

Thanks Keri,

On our enterprise site we have some really good pages that are unfortunately not connected to the rest of the site. I was thinking of the HTML site map as a way to get some connection to those pages. would this be a viable tactic?

[RuthBurrReedy]

Hi Patrick,

While an HTML site map is one way to add internal links to these pages, it may not be enough to get them to rank for anything (even if they do get back into Google's index thanks to the new links). In addition to the HTML site map, if you choose to build one, I would take a look at these pages and see how they can be better integrated into the main site. What are some user paths that might make sense for people to take to arrive at these pages? Bringing these orphan pages back into the fold will have a higher SEO impact and also increase the likelihood that people find these pages by browsing your site. I know this is a solution that will take more time and effort, so in the short term you might try the HTML site map and see how far that gets you. Good luck!