Is having a sitemap.xml file still beneficial?

[davieshussein]

Hi,

I'm pretty new to SEO and something I've noticed is that a lot of things become relevant and irrelevant like the weather.

I was just wondering if having a sitemap.xml file for Google's use is still a good idea and beneficial?

Logically thinking, my websites would get crawled faster by having one.

Cheers.

[eseyo]

Absolutely relevant, infact i'd say essential.

A great article posted on the site already here: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/xml-sitemaps-guidelines-on-their-use

[Tompt]

It's worth looking at the Webinar video on Sitemaps for this one. It's just a month old so it's completely up to date.

http://www.seomoz.org/webinars/getting-value-from-xml-sitemaps

Sitemaps aren't just a case listing every page on your site anymore, they require a bit of thought and attention.