Comments on: Sitemaps – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/ A blog about the web Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:20:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Graham Sanders http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-21698 Graham Sanders Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:45:32 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-21698 Hi Out of interest do the Mac owning users out there use iGooMap for XML site map generation? I personally find it quite useful:http://www.pointworks.de/software/igoomap/ Hi

Out of interest do the Mac owning users out there use iGooMap for XML site map generation? I personally find it quite useful:http://www.pointworks.de/software/igoomap/

]]> By: mlcdir http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18859 mlcdir Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:43:23 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18859 I guess sitemaps are good for bots ; but i wonder why there is so much difference between the number of indexed pages in Google webmasters and the number is can check if I use SeoQuake with FireFox. I guess sitemaps are good for bots ; but i wonder why there is so much difference between the number of indexed pages in Google webmasters and the number is can check if I use SeoQuake with FireFox.

]]> By: Monica http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18841 Monica Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:26:46 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18841 interesting... does the good outweigh the bad with sitemaps? do people actually use them? i thought they are more to appease search engines like google. interesting… does the good outweigh the bad with sitemaps? do people actually use them? i thought they are more to appease search engines like google.

]]> By: Bret Bouchard http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18834 Bret Bouchard Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:03:25 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18834 I love how CMS's have removed the need to even worry about sitemaps. I use modx and have been using the google sitemaps for abut 3 years now. So much easier then manually updating a central page every time a client adds a new article. I love how CMS’s have removed the need to even worry about sitemaps. I use modx and have been using the google sitemaps for abut 3 years now. So much easier then manually updating a central page every time a client adds a new article.

]]> By: Robert Mills http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18823 Robert Mills Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:01:10 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18823 Hey, I agree with you both, ugly and bad. Isn't it ironic that something that is meant to be helpful and useful is anything but. Is the fact that so many sitemaps are bad or ugly, a sign that their days are numbered? I still think sitemaps are needed but not when they are like that Olympic one. Good example, thanks for sharing. Rob. Hey,

I agree with you both, ugly and bad. Isn’t it ironic that something that is meant to be helpful and useful is anything but.

Is the fact that so many sitemaps are bad or ugly, a sign that their days are numbered?

I still think sitemaps are needed but not when they are like that Olympic one.

Good example, thanks for sharing.

Rob.

]]> By: Tim http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18756 Tim Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:52:22 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18756 Well I would categorize it as 'The Bad' as well, can't find anything! Let's go for the Apple alike ;-)! Well I would categorize it as ‘The Bad’ as well, can’t find anything! Let’s go for the Apple alike ;-)!

]]> By: Nicole Foster http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18747 Nicole Foster Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:27:32 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18747 Now that I think about it, I can see a single-page website having a sitemap, but it would be focused on the different "sections" of the page. Maybe explaining what each one is and how it is important to the viewer. Wow, I wish I came up with this thought earlier. I would have applied it to my old single-page portfolio design. Now that I think about it, I can see a single-page website having a sitemap, but it would be focused on the different “sections” of the page. Maybe explaining what each one is and how it is important to the viewer.

Wow, I wish I came up with this thought earlier. I would have applied it to my old single-page portfolio design.

]]> By: Tom Something http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18744 Tom Something Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:10:54 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18744 I have an xml file that keeps track of page url's, titles, hierarchy, and a few other useful things. Breadcrumbs, title tags, primary/secondary navigation, page-specific contact info, 404 redirection suggestions and some other stuff all rely on this one xml file, so stuff manages to stay fairly consistent site-wide. I have another script that translates this into the xml format that Google likes, so whenever Google sends a robot over to visit, the server cooks up a fresh sitemap. Does anyone else do something like this, or is my approach really strange? I have an xml file that keeps track of page url’s, titles, hierarchy, and a few other useful things. Breadcrumbs, title tags, primary/secondary navigation, page-specific contact info, 404 redirection suggestions and some other stuff all rely on this one xml file, so stuff manages to stay fairly consistent site-wide. I have another script that translates this into the xml format that Google likes, so whenever Google sends a robot over to visit, the server cooks up a fresh sitemap.

Does anyone else do something like this, or is my approach really strange?

]]> By: Oleg http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18704 Oleg Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:40:47 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18704 Very Nice Article. I saw the sitemap of Winter Olympic Games 2010 site last day, it's really "The Ugly" :) http://www.vancouver2010.com/sitemap/ 1000000 chilometers long. Very Nice Article. I saw the sitemap of Winter Olympic Games 2010 site last day, it’s really “The Ugly” :) http://www.vancouver2010.com/sitemap/ 1000000 chilometers long.

]]> By: Tristan Botly http://thinkvitamin.com/design/sitemaps-%e2%80%93-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-18689 Tristan Botly Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:13:41 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4541#comment-18689 Interesting article... I have to say I don't often use them and was losing interest in having them except for indexing on search engines. It is clear though that my assumption that no one uses them was incorrect. I would argue though that there is a difference between a sitemap for a search engine and one for a user. (apart from the file format) If your site has over a hundred pages a search engine would thank you for pointing out every page I am pretty sure a user would not. For the users sitemap maybe a manually created version with helpful titles descriptions of large sections of the site would be of more use than a dynamically created one with everything. Additionally I did smile when Nicole wrote ' if you’re a smaller website or single-paged website, I wouldn’t even bother'. I would like to see a site-map for a one page site, well two counting the site-map :) Interesting article…
I have to say I don’t often use them and was losing interest in having them except for indexing on search engines.

It is clear though that my assumption that no one uses them was incorrect.

I would argue though that there is a difference between a sitemap for a search engine and one for a user. (apart from the file format)

If your site has over a hundred pages a search engine would thank you for pointing out every page I am pretty sure a user would not.

For the users sitemap maybe a manually created version with helpful titles descriptions of large sections of the site would be of more use than a dynamically created one with everything.

Additionally I did smile when Nicole wrote ‘ if you’re a smaller website or single-paged website, I wouldn’t even bother’. I would like to see a site-map for a one page site, well two counting the site-map :)

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