“Do I need a sitemap?” Yes don’t skip it.

So, you’ve just launched your shiny new website. Congratulations! You’ve put in the hard work, designed it beautifully, and filled it with content you’re proud of. But here’s the thing: just because your website is live doesn’t mean people can find it. If you’re wondering why your site isn’t showing up in Google searches, the answer might be simpler than you think—your sitemap.

Yes, that little file you might have overlooked is actually a big deal. A sitemap is like a roadmap for search engines. It tells them where to find all the important pages, posts, and images on your site. Without it, your website is like a hidden treasure chest buried deep in the sand—no one knows it’s there, no matter how valuable it is.

In this article, we’ll dive deep into why sitemaps are crucial, how to create and submit one, and what happens if you get it wrong. Plus, I’ll share a real-life case study to show you the impact of having the right sitemap in place. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to make your website visible to search engines—and, more importantly, to your audience.

What is a Sitemap, and Why Does It Matter?

Let’s start with the basics. A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages, posts, and other content on your website. It’s essentially a directory that helps search engines like Google, Bing, and others crawl your site more efficiently. Think of it as handing over a map to a treasure hunter—it makes their job a whole lot easier.

Here’s why a sitemap is so important:

1. Helps Search Engines Find Your Content: If your site is new or has a lot of pages, search engines might not discover all your content on their own. A sitemap ensures they know where to look.
2. Improves Indexing: Indexing is the process where search engines add your pages to their database. Without a sitemap, some of your pages might never get indexed, meaning they won’t show up in search results.
3. Speeds Up Crawling: A sitemap tells search engines which pages are most important and how often they’re updated. This helps them prioritize crawling your site.
4. Boosts Visibility: When your pages are indexed, they’re more likely to appear in search results, which means more traffic for your site.

The Problem: What Happens When You Get It Wrong

The website first went live July of 2023, but when I checked on November of that year here’s the current state of their sitemap on Google Search Console:

The Impact of the Wrong Sitemap

• Missed Opportunities: With the wrong sitemap, Google wasn’t able to crawl and index all the pages on the site. This meant that many pages were essentially invisible to searchers.
• Stagnant Traffic: The site’s clicks and impressions were flatlining. Despite being live for several months, it wasn’t gaining any traction in search results.
• Wasted Sandbox Period: New websites go through what’s called a “sandbox phase,” which typically lasts 3-9 months. This is a critical time to build a strong SEO foundation. Unfortunately, this site wasn’t taking advantage of it.

Here’s a snapshot of the site’s performance during this period:

As you can see, the site was barely getting any clicks or impressions. This is a common issue for new websites that don’t have a proper sitemap in place.

Now this would be our baseline and see if things will improve after the supposed sandbox period (February 2024). The best scenario that we’re looking at will be increased clicks and impressions.

When starting a new website; It’s more important to focus on getting noticed in search results rather than worrying about getting lots of traffic quickly and ranking for specific terms.

The main aim should be to publish content regularly to address what your audience wants to know. You should also keep an eye on whether Google is finding and listing your content, and how often it shows up in search results. Tracking clicks and impressions can help you see how well you’re doing.

The Solution: Fixing the Sitemap and Building a Strategy

When I took over, the first thing I did was conduct a baseline audit. Here’s what I found:

No Clear Strategy: The site lacked a cohesive SEO strategy, including keyword research, on-page optimizations, and internal linking.

Incorrect Sitemap: The site had submitted the wrong sitemap, which meant Google wasn’t crawling all its pages.

Step 1: Creating the Right Sitemap

The site had 11,000-12,000 pages, which meant it needed more than one sitemap. Here’s what I did:

1. Generated Multiple Sitemaps: I created a sitemap index file, which acts as a master list of all the individual sitemaps.
2. Submitted to Google Search Console: I submitted the correct sitemap index to Google, ensuring all pages were discoverable.

Step 2: Implementing On-Page Optimizations

I also provided the client with a strategy they could implement on their own, including:

• Optimizing H1 Tags: Ensuring each page had a clear, keyword-rich H1 tag.
• Internal Linking: Creating a network of internal links to help Google understand the site’s structure and hierarchy.

While the client only implemented two of my recommendations (H1 tags and internal linking), the results were still impressive.

The Results: A Turnaround in Performance

After submitting the correct sitemap and making a few tweaks, the site’s performance started to improve—even before the end of its sandbox period in February 2024. Here’s what changed:

• Increased Clicks and Impressions: The site began to see consistent clicks and impressions, breaking away from the dreaded zero-click days.
• Improved Visibility: More pages were being indexed, which meant more opportunities to appear in search results.

Here’s a look at the site’s progress:

You can see that even before the supposed end of their sandbox period (February 2024), the site was able veer away from 0 clicks in a day and continues to increase their total impressions in a day. While the website still has a lot to improve on its SEO, you can see how a simple submission of the right sitemap and a few tweaks can have a great impact on your website.

By June 2024 ,(image above) the site was performing even better, with steady growth in clicks and impressions. While there’s still room for improvement, the impact of having the right sitemap and a few strategic tweaks is undeniable.

I believe that if they only followed everything on the strategy I made for them, they could do better but this result is still impressive for a website that is not fully optimized.

“Do I need a sitemap?“

Of course! You need to submit your sitemap to search engines so your pages and content will be discovered and start showing up on the searches.

If you’re running a new website, here’s the key takeaway: Don’t skip the sitemap. It’s one of the simplest yet most effective ways to ensure your site gets noticed by search engines. But remember, a sitemap is just the beginning. To truly succeed, you’ll also need:

• Quality Content: Publish helpful, engaging content that answers your audience’s questions.
• Keyword Research: Identify the right keywords to target based on what your audience is searching for.
• Technical SEO: Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and free of errors.
• On-Page Optimization: Use proper headings, meta tags, and internal linking to make your content easy to crawl and understand.

Let’s Break It Down Why You Need It!

The question of whether you need a sitemap isn’t always a straightforward yes or no. It depends on the size, structure, and content of your website, as well as how easily search engines like Google can crawl and index your pages. Let’s explore this in more detail to help you decide if a sitemap is right for your site.

How to know if a sitemap is a MUST HAVE

1. Large Sites (500+ Pages)

If your website is large, with hundreds or even thousands of pages, it can be challenging to ensure that every single page is properly linked and accessible to search engines. Without a sitemap, Googlebot (Google’s web crawler) might miss some pages, especially if they’re buried deep within your site’s structure or aren’t well-linked internally.

• Why It Helps: A sitemap acts as a master list of all your important pages, ensuring that nothing gets overlooked. It’s like giving Google a treasure map to every corner of your site.
• Example: E-commerce sites with thousands of product pages or news websites with extensive archives can benefit greatly from a sitemap.

2. New Sites with Few External Links

If your website is brand new, it likely doesn’t have many (or any) backlinks pointing to it. Backlinks are one of the primary ways Google discovers new content, so without them, your site might fly under the radar.

• Why It Helps: A sitemap gives Google a direct path to your content, speeding up the discovery and indexing process. It’s like introducing yourself to Google and saying, “Hey, I’m here, and here’s what I’ve got!”
• Example: A startup’s website or a personal blog that’s just launched can use a sitemap to get noticed faster.

3. Sites with Rich Media Content

If your site features a lot of videos, images, or other multimedia content, a sitemap can help Google understand and index this content more effectively. Google can use the additional metadata in your sitemap to display rich results in search, such as video thumbnails or image carousels.

• Why It Helps: A sitemap allows you to provide extra details about your media files, such as titles, descriptions, and categories, which can improve their visibility in search results.
• Example: A photography portfolio, a YouTube channel’s website, or a news site with embedded videos can benefit from a media-specific sitemap.

4. Sites with Frequently Updated Content

If your site is constantly being updated with new content—like a blog, news site, or event calendar—a sitemap can help Google keep up with the changes.

• Why It Helps: By including the <lastmod> tag in your sitemap, you can tell Google when a page was last updated, encouraging it to revisit and reindex the page.
• Example: A daily news blog or a website for a conference with regularly updated schedules.

When You Might Not Need a Sitemap

1. Small Sites (500 Pages or Fewer)

If your site is relatively small and all your pages are properly linked, Googlebot can likely crawl and index your site without any issues. In this case, a sitemap might not be necessary.

• Why It’s Optional: Googlebot is pretty good at following internal links, so if your site is well-structured and easy to navigate, it can find all your important pages on its own.
• Example: A small business website with just a handful of pages (Home, About, Services, Contact) might not need a sitemap.

2. Comprehensively Linked Sites

If every important page on your site is linked from the homepage or other easily accessible pages, Googlebot can find its way around without a sitemap.

• Why It’s Optional: A sitemap is most useful when there are pages that aren’t easily discoverable through internal linking. If your site’s navigation is solid, a sitemap might be redundant.
• Example: A blog with a clear menu structure and internal links between posts might not need a sitemap.

3. Sites with Minimal Media Content

If your site doesn’t have a lot of videos, images, or other media files, and you’re not trying to optimize for rich results in search, a sitemap might not be as critical.

• Why It’s Optional: Sitemaps are particularly useful for media-rich sites because they allow you to provide additional metadata. If your site is mostly text-based, Google can index it just fine without a sitemap.
• Example: A simple brochure website or a text-heavy blog might not need a sitemap.

Should You Create a Sitemap?

While a sitemap isn’t always mandatory, it’s generally a good idea to have one. Think of it as an insurance policy for your site’s visibility in search results. Even if your site is small and well-structured, a sitemap can provide peace of mind and ensure that Google has all the information it needs to index your content properly.

Even if you fall into the “might not need” category, creating a sitemap is a quick and easy process that can only help your site—it certainly won’t hurt. So why not take the extra step to ensure your site is as search-engine-friendly as possible?

A Cautionary Tale: Having a Sitemap Without a Strategy

To drive home the importance of a solid SEO foundation, let’s look at another example. This website was created in September 2022 and had a sitemap submitted correctly. However, it lacked consistent content publishing, keyword research, and technical SEO.

Here’s what happened:

As you can see, the site never made it out of the sandbox phase. Despite having a sitemap, it failed to gain traction because it didn’t have the other essential elements of a strong SEO strategy.

Would you rather be never getting out of the sandbox?

Frequently Asked Questions

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