How useful html sitemap is to your blog/website SEO

Like I said in my previous post, an XML sitemap helps the crawlers of the search engines identify each and every post of your website/blog and index it. Simply put, an XML Sitemap is like say a single URL containing all the URL's of your website/blog. Whereas HTML sitemap is meant for the users, I mean humans and not for robots. It's a place where all your web pages or blog posts were listed in a structured manner. 

Usually; we can consider HTML sitemap as a directory, just like web directory (learn about submitting site to web directories) where posts/ pages were categorized under separate headings or dropdown menus. Lets assume your website/blog is large; has got more than 1000 posts, then it will be quite difficult for the user to search for a specific topic and find it. Even putting page tabs is not much helpful in this case. So, putting your posts in a structured way in some location of your blog/website will help the users browse the category and find the required posts quickly. 

Our website or blog should be designed as a 'user-friendly' and not as a 'robot-friendly' (comparatively). Search engines happily welcome including user sitemap and therefore helps us in getting our webpage/blog better indexed. I mentioned above that HTML sitemaps are for users/humans; but to be precise, they are also for the crawlers of the search engines - to recognize as well as identify each posts. So, including user-friendly sitemap is an added advantage and is likely considered as an important 'Search Engine Optimization' tool. Say your site has got sitemap and If a user is looking for a topic in your blog, then most likely he will notice other similar pages and may go through it. 

Interestingly; they may browse for some fresh and non-related topics also. It's like a menu card in a restaurant, if say there is no menu card and you go there to eat a sandwich, you would mostly order a sandwich. But say you are given a menu card, then there is a possibility that you will order some other additional dish that waters your mouth. Interesting right, but it's fact. So, do make a sitemap for your website or blog today. 

Many great websites like Mashable, CNET etc updates many posts each day and usually it's difficult to track a particular post among million posts ! of course search bar and archive gadgets are there.

Advantages of including Sitemap

• Reader friendly design
• Improved Traffic
• Greater possibility of blog/website getting bookmarked by users
• Greater exposure about your site content
• Useful both for users as well as crawlers !
• Sitemap category appears in search engine search results, so greater chances of clicks
• Fast and better indexed by crawlers

I will tell you how I maintained a sitemap. I used to keep all my blog posts in my blog home page (custom homepage and not default homepage - Learn how to hide default homepage here) under different categories, that helped my blog users browse for a topic as well as find other interesting topics. I came to know about that by interacting with my users. 

View this beautiful explanation about user sitemap by Matt Cutt posted by itop seo