How to Use XML Sitemaps to Boost SEO

Have you ever wondered why some of the best-designed websites fail to convince users and are eventually shut down? It is always good to have a good design to impress visitors but to get the attention of buyers, search engine optimization is important. Today, if you glance at the competition between websites, it is very severe.

There are multiple websites of the same category so buyers have several options to choose from. In such cases, websites owners have to use exclusive SEO strategies to get an edge. Search Engine Optimization processes are critical because they help website owners in scoring good ranks. People want to get their required products/services in the quickest possible manner. To avoid waiting they click the first few links on the first page of results. Most users do not even bother looking at links not listed on the first page. Thus, in a nutshell, it can be said that SEO rank decides the website progress.

The Role of an XML sitemap

An XML sitemap generator can be used to produce an XML sitemap. The use of an XML sitemap is used to improve SEO results. Before we get into the details, let us go through the purpose of an XML map. When a website is created, its pages have to be indexed. The indexing process is completed by search engine bots. These bots reach the newly designed pages or the ones that have been modified by going through the crawling process. When the indexing process has been completed, the web pages are added to the search engine repository.

• Some websites do not have an XML sitemap. This makes it harder for Google bots to index such pages. If your website has a proper XML sitemap, the bots would be able to identify the structure of the website and sequence of pages. This would obviously accelerate the indexing process and the web pages would be added to the search engine repository at a faster pace.

 

Key Ways in which XML sitemap boosts SEO

It is mentioned above that websites with a proper XML sitemap make have a quicker indexing process. In other words, search engine bots add these websites to the search engine in a quicker manner. The purpose of an XML sitemap is to provide a layout of the website. When bots search for web pages to be indexed, they scan through websites with sitemaps at a very fast pace. This is simply because, through the sitemap, they get to know about the structure of the website.

Here are some key ways in which the XML sitemap can boost the SEO rank of a website

 

Increased traffic on a consistent scale

Traffic is everything for website owners. A website that does not have traffic fails to excel and gather customers as well. Let us go through an example to gain more understanding. Can you earn money from a website if you do not have people visiting it? The answer to this question is no.

• When users search for something on the internet, they have numerous websites to choose from. However, only the indexed websites are displayed against the generated search. If a website has not been indexed properly, it would not appear among the searches. Websites with XML sitemaps are indexed at a quicker pace. Thus, users are able to view them among the searched results. As a result, these websites get a high traffic count without a lot of problems.
• A website would not appear among searched results if it has not been indexed. Websites with XML sitemaps get indexed in an easier manner as search bots are able to locate them conveniently. Hence, for better traffic rates, website owners should make sure that their websites have sitemaps.

 

More business conversions

There is a lot of difference between increased traffic and increased conversion rate. People may visit your website but making them spend money would not be an easy task. With a proper sitemap, visitors would be able to move through the website easily.

• What do you need to get if you are visiting a location for the first time? It is obvious that you would need a map so that the desired location can be reached easily. A sitemap helps people when they visit a website for the first time. A sitemap provides users with an arrangement and structure of the website. If the homepage is linked to the services and contact us pages, this sequence would be mentioned in the sitemap. People do not prefer websites without sitemaps because they have to search for pages and links. Other than that, you have to go through links which you do not need.
• Websites with proper sitemaps are preferred by customers because they can reach their desired links without searching. If you want to reach the services page, you would know about the table under which the link has been placed.

 

Conclusion

For any user, the considerable time span is required to understand the layout of a new website. One way is to check all tabs and links but this is unnecessary wastage of time. It becomes very easy to move between pages on a new website when a sitemap is present. By viewing it, you can check the overall structure of the website and the linked pages.

An XML sitemap improves the crawling and indexing process. When a new web page is created or an existing one undergoes major changes, it has to be indexed properly. In other words, it has to be added to the search engine database.

Search engine bots search for all such pages and then add them the repository. Once they have been indexed, users are able to view them. When a website does not have a sitemap, bots do not have an organized structure to look at. This obviously increases the chances of an important page being skipped out.

On the other hand, if the website has an XML sitemap, no such risk is present.