It has no
effect on how often search engines spider content, the position in a search results
page, or how content is ranked in regard to other sites.
Besides describing the links of a site, XML site maps allow developers to proactively inform
search engines of new content. As shown in Figure 4-9, Google in particular has an online
tool that allows you to ping its system every time your site map is updated.
ARCHITECTURE AND NAVIGATION
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13. www.google.com/webmasters/tools/docs/en/protocol.html
14. www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-datetime
Figure 4-9. Google provides an online tool for managing XML-based site maps.
The XML site map protocol is not a replacement for traditional site maps. Because they do
not appear on a web page, website visitors cannot use them; they exist purely for the benefit
of search engines. Using them will not guarantee a better search engine ranking (or
even a ranking at all), but it certainly increases the chances of being more accurately and
frequently indexed by search engines.
Summary
When website managers take the time to organize content and gain a clear understanding
of what needs to be accomplished??”using mind maps, hierarchical diagrams, and indexes
of content as their guides??”the subsequent development process will go much more
smoothly.
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