Increased Web Site Traffic by Using a Sitemap

A site map may imply the provision of an illustration to help website visitors with navigation, but in truth a site map is simpler than that and can create increased web site traffic. A site map is just a page listing all the links or pages making up your website. These links are not outbound links but rather the links that represent a part of your website. Sitemaps also offer benefits in search engine optimization. Creating a sitemap for your website can definitely drive more traffic to your page so if you don't have one yet, it's best to start learning how to make one right now.



The Benefits of Having a Sitemap in Your Website



A good starting point for creating sitemaps is to understand the many benefits it offers. Knowing what those benefits are will help you identify if there are any potential flaws in your sitemap and rectify them immediately.






Easy Navigation Help



Some people just have the talent or misfortune of getting lost in websites no matter how excellent their designs. But these people are still potential consumers and you don't want to risk losing them, do you? With a sitemap, these people won't experience trouble looking for the right link because all of the links are already listed in your sitemap. One click and they've got their destination!



Accessibility



There are of course other alternatives than sitemaps, alternatives that may appear more attractive and sophisticated. Such qualities, however, are not always favorable and sometimes even end up as an impediment. It's alright to offer your visitors screen readers, Flash animation maps, and other assistive technologies, but offer them right alongside your good old sitemap. Sometimes, simple works best!



Search Engine Optimization



Earlier on, we mentioned how sitemaps are good for SEO benefits, too. This is because sitemaps spell out links the way search engine spiders best understand them. This is especially true if your website has dynamic content, a huge archive, and pages that may not be easily located by search engine spiders.



A sitemap is the best way to introduce a new website to search engine spiders. Sitemaps also let search engine spiders know how often and recent your websites content has been modified as well as the relative importance of the various pages in your website.



The Basics of Creating a Sitemap



Step 1: Start with making a draft. Write on paper or use your word processor to formulate a list of links making up your website. You should know all these by heart, but if you don't then try visiting your website yourself and check each and every link in it. If you have your list prepared, validate all items in your list for the second time around. This is very important because you don't want any malfunctioning or repeated links in your sitemap later on.



Step 2: Open a new document or file in your preferred text-editing program. Copy the list you've created with your word processor then paste it on the document in your text-editing program. Start encoding it in the appropriate language, save your document, and then preview it with your Internet browser.



Step 3: Click on each link to make sure that everything on the page is in working order. If so, you can then upload it to your website and you've got yourself a sitemap!



Tips on Making Your Sitemap a Traffic-Driving Feature of Your Website



Creating a sitemap, based on the instructions provided above is easy. But making it so that you get increased web site traffic requires a bit more effort on your part. Consider the following suggestions:



Let people you know have a sitemap.



Your sitemap won't be much help if people aren't aware it exists in the first place. Let them know about your sitemap by posting a strategically positioned and highly visible link on every page in your website.



Don't make your sitemap too fancy.



People don't need you to be fancy when you're offering help. What they need from you is effectiveness and efficiency. Use basic text links instead of making your sitemap unnecessarily dynamic.



Update your websites Table of Contents.



If you have one, remember to include a link to your sitemap! Always double-check links.



Last but not least, remember to regularly check the links in your sitemap to make certain that they're active.



Visit our website to learn more about increased web site traffic and how, more web site traffic increases sales.

Increase Website Traffic Through Link Popularity

You don't need to play dirty just to make more people link to your website and consequently increase website traffic. All you need to do is become more selective and creative with your content while exerting more effort in research. It may be easier said than done, but at least you don't have to shell out a lot of money for it. Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started on your bid for link popularity stakes.



Never Submit Any Post that's not Worth Reading



Online readers are rarely forgiving. All they need is just one ugly and worthless post from your website and that will be enough to make them blacklist your website on their list or worse, talk bad about you. Yes, we all know that it's important to consistently update the content of your website, but avoiding posting trash is the most important of all. If you really can't find anything worth reading to post today then don't. There's always tomorrow!






Update Consistently



No self-respecting website owner would want to link to a dead website. Plus, inactive links in his link directory will affect his own credibility. Readers will think that he's only added the website address to bulk up his link resources or some other reason that readers won't care about. Because of that, website owners should constantly check and ensure that outbound links are active. More importantly, you must ensure that those links lead to websites with regularly updated content. If you stop updating, people will stop linking to you, too.



Make It Easy for People to Link to You



In terms of social bookmarking, remember to place as many social bookmarking buttons as you need on every post you make. Remember to make them unobtrusive or you might end up irritating your readers. As for other situations, you could remind your readers to link back to you at the end of every post. You can also offer to redirect them to where they can download buttons of your website if they wish. Bend over backwards as long as it's going to help them link back to your website!



Submit to Directories



There are various types of directories online such as podcast directories, article directories, blog directories, link directories, and more. Submit to all of them because every submission you make is one more opportunity to improve link popularity for your website.



When submitting to directories, remember to use the same submission data for all directories to increase website traffic. This will solidify your reputation and let readers know that they're only reading from one source. Double-check your words, ensuring that they're all properly formatted and grammatically correct. Third, read the terms and conditions of the directory and ascertain that your words don't violate any of their rules. Also, make sure you're submitting to the appropriate categories. If you don't then you end up being read by people without any interest in the kind of information you offer.



Last but not least, consider how much time it would normally take before your submission gets listed: timing is especially important if you're after a particular season or holiday.



Be a Social Butterfly



People won't link to you if they don't know your website exists in the first place. The only way to do that is by being a social butterfly. Join social networking websites and start adding as many people as you can but make sure you focus more on adding members who may be potentially interested in checking out your website.



Circulate in your blog community. Drop by other people’s blogs not just to say hi but to leave insightful comments as well. The very least these blog owners can do is to return the favor. If they like what you have to say then your friendly overture could be a start of a continuous exchange of links between you two.



Make Yourself Famous



Write an ebook. Collaborate with other experts. Join contests. Do what you can to make people aware that you and your website exist! This is the way to recruit new visitors for your website. Of course, it's up to you to make certain your website is consistent to ensure they'll come back for more.



Find out how to increase website traffic and how increased website traffic can help your website by visiting us now.