No matter whether it’s a simple blog site or a business site, you should definitely have a sitemap. A sitemap is a crucial thing that you need for your website to get discovered and crawled by search engines easily. Simply, sitemap keeps the list of all the important URLs of your website that you want search engines to crawl.
XML and HTML sitemaps are the two types of sitemaps available. XML sitemap serves as a map to search engine bots and keeps the list of all the important pages of a website to ensure search engines can discover and crawl them all while HTML sitemap serves as the map for users making visitors easy to navigate to your website. They have one thing in common: they both make content discovery faster for users and search engine bots.
What is the difference between HTML sitemap and XML sitemap?
HTML sitemap and XML sitemap are two different sitemaps you need for your website. And the main difference between HTML sitemaps and XML sitemaps is that HTML sitemaps are for users to make it easy to navigate to the website, while XML sitemaps are for search engine bots making them easy to find the website pages. According to the Pander Group .
Below are the screenshots of two different sitemap:
- HTML Sitemap of Apple
- XML Sitemap of itphobia
Which is better: an HTML sitemap or XML sitemap?
Both XML sitemap and HTML sitemap have their own importance. However, having the same functions, the way of storing and functioning is different. As we have already discussed above, an HTML sitemap helps users to navigate within the website easily whereas an XML sitemap helps search engine bots like Google bots to navigate within the website efficiently. So, they both are necessary from a website perspective in the context of both user-friendly and SEO friendly.
How do I create a sitemap in HTML?
Are you non-tech-savvy? Worrying about how to create a sitemap in HTML? No worries, it’s just easy to create a sitemap, and you don’t need to know the code for this. Here are two methods that will help you to make a sitemap: CMS Plugin or Manual Sitemap Creation
CMS Plugin
If you are using CMS like WordPress for your website then it’s easy to create a sitemap with CMS. You just need to install a plugin named Hierarchical HTML Sitemap plug-in. Add a new page named “Sitemap.” Then, follow the plug-in instructions and add the HTML shortcode to the page. Then, click Publish.
Or if you are using SEO Plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math SEO plugin, then you don’t even need to create a sitemap, these plugins will automatically create a sitemap for your website.
You can also find plug-ins for other CMSs, e.g. Joomla (e.g., JSitemap) and Drupal (e.g., Site map module).
Manual Sitemap Creation
If you have fewer page sites like less than 100 pages, then you can go for manual sitemap creation. Create a page and list all the URLs of your website pages and arrange them in proper structure from main pages to subpages.
Thus in these two ways, you can create a sitemap in HTML.
How do I submit an XML sitemap to Google?
Once you are done with sitemap creation. You can easily submit your XML sitemap to Google through Google Search Console so that Google can index your website. Prepare your site XML file including all your website important pages and then:
- Login to Google Search Console
- Go to Sitemap section
- Enter sitemap.xml file and Submit.
How to convert XML Sitemap to HTML?
You can convert XML sitemap to HTML by using free online tools quickly. Below are few online tools you can use to convert XML sitemap to HTML:
- https://www.freeconvert.com/xml-to-html
- https://codebeautify.org/xml-to-html-converter
- https://anyconv.com/xml-to-html-converter/
- https://www.engageweb.co.uk/seo-tools/xml-sitemap-converter
Should HTML sitemap be enabled?
Yes, definitely. HTML sitemaps are recommended by Google itself. Looking at a better user experience, HTML sitemap is one that stands out. It helps to access the website pages easily for users. So, you should enable HTML sitemap.
Do I need an HTML sitemap?
As we have already discussed HTML sitemap above. HTML sitemap’s main purpose is to make visitors easy to go through your website pages. Because in the end, you want your website to be enjoyed by your users, what really matters at the end is user experience and their satisfaction.
So keep an eye on it, HTML sitemap is also important. Because XML sitemaps are not easy to understand by laymen, however, it is needed to make search engine bots understand your website and important pages of your site so that they can find, crawl and index it.
Along with indexing, user experience is also a major thing that a site needs for better SEO. It keeps your website pages organized, in a hierarchy that is best for quick navigation.
How do I get a sitemap for my website?
Check out the sitemap for your website by:
- https://itphobia.com/sitemap
- https://itphobia.com/sitemap.xml
- https://itphobia.com/sitemap_index.xml
Where do I put the XML sitemap?
Put your XML sitemap on the root folder of your website.
What is a Sitemap XML file?
A Sitemap XML file is a file that includes all the URLs of your website so that search engines can find out your website and pages to crawl and index. Simply, it’s a map of your website and it’s written in a code format outlined by sitemaps.org.
How do I convert XML to TXT?
You can use an online converter to convert XML to TXT. Below are some online converters you can use:
- https://onlineconvertfree.com/convert-format/xml-to-txt/
- https://www.freeconvert.com/xml-to-txt
- https://products.groupdocs.app/conversion/xml-to-txt
- https://www.freefileconvert.com/xml-txt
How do I open an XML file without Excel?
You can easily open an XML file with Excel, but you can also open an XML file without Excel. Do you know how?
Below are the few ways to open an XML file without Excel:
- Using XML viewer software: You can download an XML viewer software available in market both free version or paid version.
- Using a Web browser like Chrome, Firefox
- Using a text editor like Notepad
How do I extract an XML file from a website?
Follow few steps to extract an XML file from a website:
- Go to your website and open your website xml file i.e. https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml .
- Go to Developer tools or Ctrl + Shift + I
- Click on Sources tab and select your domain xml file.
- Then right click on it and Click save as and Save it.
Like this, you can extract an XML file from a website
FAQs
The best XML viewers are:
– XML Explorer
– QXmlEdit
– Xerlin
– JSONformatter
A lot more memory, storage, and bandwidth are consumed by XML files which makes it a little slow. Also, XML syntax is repetitive when compared with other text-based formats which cause more storage.
Generally, HTML sitemaps are kept on the footer section naming Sitemap. Users can view them and all the website pages are listed there.
You can download a sitemap from a website with the help of a developer tool. Open your sitemap, Click Ctrl+Shift+I and on the Sources tab, you can see the sitemap.xml file and Save it by right-clicking on it.
HTML sitemap is like another page in a website that is visible on the website. It is normally kept on the footer section, so click on it. You can find my sitemap in HTML as in https://.yourdomain.com/sitemap.
Belayet Hossain is a Senior Tech Expert and Certified AI Marketing Strategist. Holding an MSc in CSE (Russia) and over a decade of experience since 2011, he combines traditional systems engineering with modern AI insights. Specializing in Vibe Coding and Intelligent Marketing, Belayet provides forward-thinking analysis on software, digital trends, and SEO, helping readers navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Connect with Belayet Hossain on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or read my complete biography.