Sitemap

Sitemap

A sitemap is a file containing information about a site's structure to help the search engines index the content. A sitemapis not really necesssary for small sites that have all the pages linked to each other via the navigation menu.
Larger sites that have more than one section and are built using more than one EverWeb project file would benefit from having a sitemap.
When a website is updated, a propely created sitemap which has been uploaded to the server and submitted to Google will get the new content indexed faster.
Format
Sitemaps can be created in various formats but perhaps the most common one is XML. A basic sitemap can be created and downloaded online for free.

Uploading

The sitemap needs to be uploaded to the server where the rest of the website's files are located. If the site is published using a hosting service, the sitemap.xml file can be uploaded using the host's file manager or an FTP app.
The sitemap would normally be uploaded to the root folder which is the one containing all the website files and the URL for the sitemap will be …
http://website-domain-name.com/sitemap.xml
The sitemap can also be in any directory folder …
http://website-domain-name.com/folder-name/sitemap.xml
EverWeb
If the site is published to the EverWeb server where access to the folders and files is not permitted, the sitemap.xml can be uploaded using a widget designed for that very thing.
Use the link below to download the widget …

Sitemap Widget

Follow these steps to insert the widget, link to the sitemap and upload it to the server …

  • Download the widget to the desktop and double click it to install it with the EverWeb application window closed
  • Open the project file and the main Assets List and drag the sitemap.xml file into the External Files section
  • Open the website's Home page in EverWeb
  • Drag the Sitemap Insert widget onto the EverWeb design canvas
  • The widget will appear as a red rectangle centered in the content section
  • Command drag it into the footer area or below the footer widget if present
  • Click the "Choose" button and select the sitemap.xml file
  • Check the box to hide the red rectangle
  • Publish the site changes

Sitemap Location

If the website is created on one project file, and the widget is inserted on the home page, the URL for the sitemap.xml file will be …

http://website-domain-name.com/ewExternalFiles/sitemap.xml

If the widget is inserted in a page within a directory, the path to the sitemap.xml file will be …

http://website-domain-name.com/folder-name/ewExternalFiles/sitemap.xml

NOTE: When creating file paths, remember that EverWeb converts all file and folder names to lowercase and separates words with a hyphen.

Sitemap Automator

Rage software - the developers of EverWeb - have an app for creating and uploading sitemaps which is well worth having by those who have a large site or manage more than one site.
The feature for finding broken links is a huge time saver and this alone justifies the cost of the app.

Submit The Sitemap

Login to the Google account associated with the website
Click the "Info" link to find out more about sitemaps.
Click the "OPEN SITEMAPS REPORT" button and then click on "Search Property" and select "Add Property" and enter the URL to the sitemap.

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