SEO Tycoon

**darkwell25** · 06-17-2010, 12:05 PM

Sorry to ask this but what are XML Sitemaps and what is it for?!? And For you do you think it have a big part on SEO!! Thanks for your help

**chrishirst** · 06-17-2010, 12:18 PM

They are a list of all the URI on your website in XML format. Their role is to assist SE crawlers locate pages on the website.

No they are NOT a big part of SEO, they are not even a small part.

**darkwell25** · 06-17-2010, 12:33 PM

I see, Thanks

**ledb2b** · 06-18-2010, 01:48 AM

a Sitemap is an XML file that lists URLs for a site along with additional metadata about each URL. It will help search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask.com to better index your website.

**vigorandrik** · 03:22 AM

XML sitemaps help Google directory the new position of your site pages to ensure an easy and faster recovery from the change. The XML sitemap procedure is exclusively designed for spiders.

**jameswebsmith** · 06-19-2010, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkwell25

Sorry to ask this but what are XML Sitemaps and what is it for?!? And For you do you think it have a big part on SEO!! Thanks for your help

sitemap in XML format is your XML sitemap and you don't need to worry about it because you can simply create it with help of xml generator.
thanks

**m112** · 06-19-2010, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jameswebsmith

sitemap in XML format is your XML sitemap and you don't need to worry about it because you can simply create it with help of xml generator.
thanks

FYI only
if you are using google web tools they will ask to to submit a map
it needs to been in xml format

**HiChina** · 06-30-2010, 11:42 AM

How does setting up 'priority' effects the crawling?

**Sierra Charlie** · 07-01-2010, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrishirst

They are a list of all the URI on your website in XML format. Their role is to assist SE crawlers locate pages on the website.

No they are NOT a big part of SEO, they are not even a small part.

Beg to differ Chris. But I think sitemaps can help a bit. I've seen it. Especially with large sites with obscure site architectures. It's one of the first things that I recommend along with Google Webmaster tools.

Do read to the very end where Rand Fishkin has added a postscript. I don't feel that nothing much has changed since then and now.

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/expert-ad...ut-dont-submit

**chrishirst** · 07-01-2010, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Especially with large sites with obscure site architectures

There are MUCH better ways to allow SEs to "discover" all the URIs on a site.

That workd for ALL useragents NOT just search engines.

I've "fixed" navigation and crawling problems on sites long before XML was a reality never mind sitemaps.

XML sitemaps are a patch applied over a problem NOT an answer to it, another case of "SEOs" who ONLY ever consider Search Engines, and real users finding pages is merely an afterthought.

**Sierra Charlie** · 07-05-2010, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrishirst

There are MUCH better ways to allow SEs to "discover" all the URIs on a site.

That workd for ALL useragents NOT just search engines.

I've "fixed" navigation and crawling problems on sites long before XML was a reality never mind sitemaps.

Good to hear that Chris. Sitemaps are not a substitute for good site architecture. I agree 100%. But there are times when good design is overshadowed by greed. When a client want 100,000 pages done in a day with content pulled through scraping, one of the first things to go out of the window is sensible site architecture.

Also, I'm meeting designers and developers every day that vehemently say 'NO' to change. When these people do sites together, there's little that SEOs could do but fire fighting.

**chrishirst** · 07-05-2010, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Also, I'm meeting designers and developers every day that vehemently say 'NO' to change. When these people do sites together, there's little that SEOs could do but fire fighting.

I have always walked away from "clients" like that, to the extent of walking out of a meeting where the contract would have been worth around 3k (pounds that is) for a couple of months work.

I have never needed that kind of hassle, I would have stayed as a "wage slave" if I did.

**michael_boss** · 07-06-2010, 08:58 AM

XML site map saves the time of search engine spider to track all the pages of a site. It does not affect the site ranking but it allows crawler to track all the pages frequently which is helpful to rank well.

**dani** · 07-07-2010, 02:06 AM

Xml site map is important for crawling and for submitting in web master tool it will be useful

**MeRulez777** · 07-09-2010, 06:22 AM

I always submit XML sitemap to Google after I launch a new website because my sites get indexed faster and I can make sure that every page can be found in Google.

**leondenam** · 07-09-2010, 06:37 AM

Sitemaps give way for Web sites to specify what pages in site must be indexed and what latest content included. Mainly, it gives contact channel between search engine and site.