How to Create an Effective Site Map

A site map shows the layout and provides links to the significant parts of a website. Not only does a site map make it easier for the website visitor to find their way around your site, it also makes it easier for search engines to completely index the website pages and topics.

Not too long ago, sidebar links were seen as an effective way to guide a website visitor to the information that they were looking for. Now, a more detailed website map is the way to go. By offering a well laid out and comprehensive site map, the website visitor is able to quickly locate the information that they are looking for, thus increasing the odds of a return visit to your site.

To fully utilize a website map and to increase its effectiveness, a web master should add a brief description about the information that the link is leading too. By taking the time to offer a brief description of the content, you are giving the site visitor more information as well as increasing your search engine ranking. A few sentences on each link is all that it takes to effectively have a page full of the keyword rich text that search engines all seem to like. This will increase the Google page rank for your site as well as offer more content for search engines to pick up on.

By taking a few extra steps when planning your site map, you can attract much more targeted traffic to your website and increase your page ranking as well.