I am a noob to html and I keep reading how important it is to have a good sitemap. can someone tell me the proper way to format your sitemap for SEO in noob terms or link me to somewhere that will? Thanks!
There are actually two types or "flavors" of Site Maps. The first is the type that is loaded up to your Web server and that is used by Search Engines to spider your pages thereby playing a big part in Page rankings. These Site Maps are constructed and formatted according to strict protocols. IMO, the most important by far is that of Google(TM) for that is the Search Engine that is currently used for approx. 90% of Web searches. Their protocol is at: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=34575&hl=en ..... I am sorry I cannot offer you a live link, but I don't have enough Forum seniority for that at present. The second type of Site Map is the one that you load onto your Home page and that plays such a prominent role in insuring Web Accessibilty (W3C WCA). There is no precise protocol for this type, although traditionally such Site Maps consist of a Hierarchal list of links to all pages of the site. Again, I cannot offer a live link, but if you visit my Home page at: http://jp29.org/ you can obseve this type of Site Map. In some cases, depending on the format selected, you can use your Search Engine submittal Site Map on your Home page. James