Sitemaps are the blueprint of your website that helps the search engines to find, crawl, and index all of your website’s content. It even helps the search engine know which page of your website is more important and informative.
Sitemaps are not mandatory for proper SEO but are usually recommended, especially for websites that require a frequent content update. Creating a strong website structure with relevant contextual linking is very important for search engines’ understanding of your website.
Here we are going to explain the XML sitemap vs HTML sitemap SEO benefits for each and also evaluate the drawbacks associated with them. Needless to say, a sitemap is a complex process. So, refer to an expert for web design in Adelaide, for better and effective results.
XML Sitemap vs HTML Sitemap SEO: The Benefits
XML
- Using XML helps you list all the URLs from your site. And it even includes the pages that probably wouldn’t have been found by search engines.
- Using XML means prioritizing the engine page, which means crawl priority.
- When you use an XML sitemap, you can access the Googlebot activity, for instance.
- When you use the XML sitemap, you can enjoy the benefits of including two other optional tags. This will help you pass additional information to search engines which will help them crawl your website.
HTML
- The biggest advantage of using an HTML sitemap is that it is widely used, and almost every browser supports HTML language.
- HTML is lightweight and faster to load, which helps you increase your page load speed.
- HTML is present in every window by default. So, you don’t need to buy any software which costs too much.
- Since HTML has many tags and attributes, it can shorten your line of code.
XML Sitemap vs HTML Sitemap SEO: The Drawback
XML
- One of the major drawbacks of using the XML sitemaps is that you need to assign priorities to your pages for crawlers to access them. And when you do so, not only do search engines but also your competitors can view them, which creates unwanted competition.
- The moment sitemaps generated from a database are crawled and indexed, they become obsolete. So, it becomes a task to stay up with the ever-evolving nature of search engines.
HTML
- Because of being a static language, HTML alone cannot produce dynamic output.
- Making the structure of HTML documents is tough to understand. And errors can be costly.
- Using an HTML sitemap can be time-consuming as you would be required to maintain the colour scheme of a page and also to make lists, tables, and forms.
- You need to keep a check on the deprecated tags and affirm that they do not appear because another language that works with HTML has replaced the first work of the tag.
Conclusion
Choosing between HTML and XML sitemap can be a great task because they both have their benefits and drawbacks. So make sure you seek professional help before deciding on the same. Moreover, the application of both languages is complex and can affect your SEO performance. So, it is advisable to take expert help from an experienced individual in web design in Adelaide.
Author’s Bio
Shrey Jain is the Co-Founder of Writofy & a Chartered Accountant who works with a team of creative content writers. He holds a forte in creating informative content on niches like crypto, business, fintech, digital marketing, and several others. In addition, his willingness to learn and share his knowledge can immensely help readers get valuable insights on varied topics.
