How Can I Simply Create a Site Map?
A site map is a key factor in the design and building of a website. A site map is the last part of a site that is created, and it is meant to serve two important purposes. The first is to provide a map of the site that your visitors can follow to easily navigate the various pages and levels of your site, and the second is to give search engines a way to "crawl" your site to properly index it on the Internet so it can be easily found.
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Instructions
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Develop a list of the main categories that you plan to feature on your website. List all major categories and any subcategories that will be listed under them. As an example, if you have created your site to sell clothing, you can list main categories, such as men's clothing and women's clothing, and then you might list subcategories under the main categories such as shirts and pants. Under those subcategories, you might go deeper and list styles and /or sizes.
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Use a web-based mapping applet such as PowerMapper to develop your web map. Enter your website address into the applet software's blank entry space that is provided for you. The applet will then analyze your website and create a map of it. Properly name all of the pages you list so that the software can create an accurate map of your site.
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Download the newly developed website map that the mapping software creates to your computer as an HTML file.
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Open the HTML file of the map that you downloaded in any HTML editor and then copy and paste the list of categories and subcategories that you listed in the first step into the correct blank entry spaces within your web map. Save the file to your computer.
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Upload your HTML website map to your website using the uploader tool that is provided by your website host, or use an FTP client to upload the file. Place a link to your web map in the navigation list on your website. Do this on every page of your site to make your site easy to navigate. Test your website by going through every page and testing every link to see if they are broken. Repair any broken links.
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Tips & Warnings
Test your website on different browsers to insure compatibility. Google's Chrome, Apple's Safari, Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer should all be able to display your site correctly.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit navigation concept - map with navigation tools image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
