HTML sitemap
Senior SEO-specialist
A road map when traveling is always handy. Also on “travel” on a website. A road map on a website can therefore be useful. Such a roadmap is called a sitemap. We explain more about this in this article.
What is an HTML sitemap?
An HTML sitemap is a page that serves as a complete overview of all the pages on a Web site. The sitemap is intended for the visitor and not for the search engines. In this way, the visitor can see at a glance what pages the website all has. You have different types of sitemaps, namely an HTML sitemap and an XML sitemap. The XML sitemap is a sitemap for the search engine. Often an HTML sitemap can be found in the footer of a Web site.
The impact on your SEO
Visitors can navigate more easily through an HTML sitemap. This is because there are internal links per page in the overview. Visitors can click on these links and easily navigate to the next web page they want to learn more about. Internal links are also seen by Google. You therefore create more value to such a page this way.
You also maintain your visitor’s interest. As they see more topics on your website, they will become interested in other topics. They click through and causes them to stay on the site.
My advice
An HTML sitemap is uncluttered for your visitor. The visitor can see at a glance what pages your website contains and where they can navigate to. It also arouses interest in your visitor.
New information on similar topics can make the visitor stay on the site longer.
However, a sitemap is not mandatory or highly necessary. A good header and footer is more important for your SEO and often for the visitor.
The search engines, too, have essentially no use for an HTML sitemap. The XML sitemap is more important to the search engine.
However, it is not unnecessary to create a good sitemap. It has many benefits for your SEO and usability for the visitor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an HTML sitemap?
An HTML sitemap web page that displays a complete overview of all pages within a site. This allows site visitors to see what pages a website consists of. Often it is in the lower part of a website.
What is the impact of HTML Sitemap on SEO?
By including an HTML Sitemap, the visitor to your site can navigate more easily by having internal links listed in the overview for each page that will take him or her directly to that page. Google also sees such links and will rank your site higher as a result.
