another boring sitemap question for you all

[Sjak]

Hi everyone,
I ended up at this forum because I was playing Sherlock Holmes and tried to find out what happened to JuniorHarris' posts at another forum.
:D

Anyway, here's a question right away. I know site maps are important. Is it necessary to link back from every single page to the site map or is it enough just to link back from the home page?

Oh, and here's another one while I am at it: Would it be best to submit just the sitemap to the search engines (or not at all) or is the best way site map + index page?

Thanks!
Sjak

[ihelpyou]

Welcome to the forums Sjak! :hi:

Definitely put a site map link on your front page. You should put it on your other most important pages as well.

If the link is a regular text link on the front page you would not have to submit it.

[pageoneresults]

Ah-ha, this is another important part of my Chain of Command Theory. I recommend that you have a site map link from every page of your site. I usually include that link in my main text navigation which is typically at the bottom of each page or at the left within the main linking structure.

The Site Map is the only page on the site that provides a complete linking stucture of your site. Not only is it important for spider based entities, but, you'll find some of your users navigating your site using it instead of following links from other pages.

[Sjak]

Thanks people!
So, let me get this straight. It is not necessary to link back from every page, it would just be better?? (for both spiders and humans)
I've heard some people say that it would be good to submit the site map to the search engines (I've even heard that you should submit ONLY the sitemap). I realize it's not necessary, but would it be better? Or just a waste of time? Maybe I am better off say, cleaning the toiletbowl or paying grandma a visit or clipping my toenails instead?
;)

[ihelpyou]

Yep. As long as it is linked off your front page, no need to submit it at all.

A little known thing is;

Spiders would rather find pages on their own.

Just ask them. :)

[JuniorHarris]

Welcome Sjak!~:hi:

I would be careful about the visit to grandma, especially if it included clipping her toenails!~;)

I concur with PageOne on this. He has done a great job with his site map (http://www.123seo.com/site-map.htm), and a fine example for the rest of us. Though it is not necessary to have the link on every page, as Pageone suggests, it can be useful for visitors as well as search engine spiders. And if it is included as a text link within the navigation, it should not detract from the page itself.

As for submitting pages, generally only a single page submission should be necessary. Whether it be the home page or the site map, most of the major engines do a great job deep crawling. So if a site has a good linking structure and friendly URLs, then the spider should find and index the rest of the pages as well.

[Sjak]

Just the answers I was hoping for on all my questions. I don't really need to do anything more about my site map and I'm also adviced to stay clear of grandma (big relief that one, since she died a while ago :) ).
Pageoneresults, I like your sitemap. Must have taken you awhile.

[pageoneresults]

Thanks Sjak for the compliments on the site map and thanks to JH for posting the link. When I build sites, I have a navigation structure that I've proposed to the client. It shows the main categories and then any sub-categories underneath of that.

After I finish building the core content of the site, I build the site map. I go through each page and make sure that my titles and descriptions are in order as I typically reference those from the site map (I think it adds to theme).

Some might think its a little bit much for a site map but when I'm talking with clients on the phone, it has been my savior. It also helps users to have a brief description of where that link is taking them to and what type of information it contains.

[Sjak]

Pageoneresults, your thorough approach to this sitemap thing might at first hand seem to be a bit overdone, but the more I think about it, the more I think you are right. It makes a lot of sense..... sigh. More work...

[Kal]

Just wanted to say welcome Sjak :hi: and also it's nice to see P1's site map getting recognition. I have long been an admirer of your site structure P1 and plan to implement a detailed site map soon in my own site, they are a great resource for both webmaster & visitor.

[rmridgew]

ok maybe i missed something along the way.

in essence every page on my site is a site map, all pages link to one-another 2 times (once at the top and once at the bottom)
have i screwed up somewhere?

thanks

[Mel]

Hi Ridge
No Nothing wrong with that since you have the equivalent of site map incorporated into everypage. Both spiders and humans should be able to navigate well so long as those are not graphic or JS links.