For the first time in years, a client's suggested navigation has included a site map. Should a website have a site map?
I don't think so. Let's see first what a site map is for. There are two reasons why a site map might be useful. They are:
1. To the human viewer, they provide a place where information can be found.
2. They list all the pages on your site which ensures that those pages will be indexed by search engines.
That sounds good, doesn't it?
No, actually.
If your site is properly designed, your human viewers will be able to find the information they are looking for without having to resort to a site map. You see, a site map is an admission that your navigation wasn't carefully considered in the first place. Like this: "Oh, I don't know how people will find their way around my site, it's so confusing. I know, I'll bung a site map in there. That'll solve the problem".
Is that the impression you want to give to your potential clients? Really? That you didn't carefully consider your navigation before the site was built? If that's the case, would I want to be your client? I'd really like to think that you and your business are a bit more organized than that, if I'm going to spend money with you.
If I see a site map, I see it as an admission of failure and that's not the impression I'd like to give to my own clients or my clients' clients!
A professionally-created website, which has had full attention to its blueprint, should never need a site map.
So what about the search engine aspect? Well actually, the same thing applies. A well-planned, well-produced site WILL be crawled by the search engines and a site map will have nothing to do with it.
Think about this too - who would you prefer to decide which of your pages are indexed by search engines? Google, which has many years of experience, which indexes thousands of websites an hour, which has the best technology, which specializes in knowing what their customers want? Or you who, and I'm trying not to be rude, know very little about the subject?
If your site hasn't been properly indexed, then there is a problem, admittedly. But uploading a site map just puts a band aid on that problem, it doesn't fix it.
Imagine going to a doctor who hid your symptoms but didn't cure the cause. It's just the same.
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