An important tip to remember every now and then is that people
visit the site checking out for some information. These Surfers
can be an unforgiving lot. Once they found things useful for
them in a site they would definitely visit every now and then.
The reason site maps are indispensable is due to its helpfulness
in letting the surfers understand the site program and plan and
therefore, speed up the way to onset to what the site will be
showcasing. This is a part of the website created where the
edifice of a web site can be visible to a surfer or visitor.
These visitors can choose the link to where they want to surf
with just a touch of the mouse of keyboard.
Here are Significant key pointers of a good site map, which
helps visitors at finding information faster on a web site:
· The site map should be the simplest page on the web site. ·
Keep the name "Site Map" so those visitors won't be having a
hard time looking for it. · Always avoid "dynamic" site maps.
Those in which the visitors have to find their way easily to get
hold of information. · If the site map is list of text links,
use the TITLE attribute of the anchor tag and include keywords
inside it. · Putting a sentence describing the page contents
below the link for that page on a site map is always good. · It
should not be the primary navigation on the web site it should
complement it. · It is very important that there is a link to
the site map page and all pages should carry this link. The site
map link can be combined with other links in the main menu on
the web site or placed at a section on the web page from which
is it clearly seen. · Other important factors on a web site
should complement site maps. For example, the link color for
visited links should be different from that of not yet visited
links so that visitors have a clear idea which pages they have
already seen and thus, save time.
In addition to the advantages a site map showcase to "living"
surfers, it is also significant for robot surfers from search
engines . As a web developer should be aiming to get all visible
pages on the web site found in the search engine database. As
expected a site map, from one page to another, should carry
links to all, it is an ideal form to submit to search engines .
Submission of the site map to a search engine might help in
getting all web pages indexed quickly by the search engine. I
may be incorrect since I have no data to support this point but
it just seems logical. However, on a similar note, there is
still a limit to all the information that a search engine could
provide a visitor. For example, if there's a page which is not
found in the directory program of the web site, it will not be
detected other search engines. With this in mind, another
importance of a site map it tells the search engine instantly to
go to a specifc page rather than scouting through the links.
Two important questions: 1. Will the website appear as it was
planned even for robots? 2. Are the pages exact and effectively
designed? Having a site map assists the creator in planning the
site before he can even start creating it. Once the pages have
been decided, the whole thing becomes simpler and the web pages
designs are easily matched to the creator's ideas.
There are 5 important tips in making a good site map:
Good Site Must-Have 1 The logo should be linked to the website
homepage.
Good Site Must-Have 2 The Site map must be place either on top
or on the upper left, under the header. Unless everything's in
order already and sure about the design, never try to alter or
make changes for a while.
Good Site Must-Have 3 There must be a congenial way to go around
searching the web site. Do not place the site map in a location
that is different from one page to another, like if it is placed
horizontally on one page, it should be placed horizontally on
the rest of the other pages. However, the case is different if
it is a navigation system for a homepage. This could differ in
homepages.
Good Site Must-Have 4 Additionally, the logo of the homepage
should be linked with a "HOME" or any equivalent sign for easy
work around or navigation. There should also be a "contact us,"
"about our site," pages to be visited.
Good Site Must-Have 5 The golden rule for a good site map is
that the number of a visitor's clicks should be leading him
every step of the way and not jumping to other pages. It is
required that the move should be as easy, reliable and above
all, very user-friendly.
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