A sitemap plays a vital role in the SEO strategy of any website because it aids search engines in comprehending your site’s structure and locating every essential page. Consider it a directory that directs search engine bots, facilitating their ability to crawl and index your content. In the absence of a sitemap, certain pages—particularly those that are deep within your navigation—might not be indexed correctly.
For those using Drupal to build their websites, creating a sitemap can be simple. Using the Simple XML sitemap module (https://www.drupal.org/project/simple_sitemap) is a particularly simple and reliable way to accomplish this. This module automatically creates an XML file with links to key pages and content kinds on your website, like product listings, articles, and categories. The sitemap automatically updates itself to be up to date whenever you add, edit, or remove information.
To install the module, you have the option of using Composer or the Drupal admin panel. After enabling it via the Extend page, go to Configuration → Search and Metadata → Simple XML Sitemap. You can also choose which taxonomies, menus, or content categories to include here. You can also omit pages like login and thank-you pages that don't have to show up in search results.
After configuration, Drupal will create your sitemap—typically found at /sitemap.xml. After that, you can use Bing Webmaster Tools or Google Search Console to submit this URL to search engines. By doing this, you help search engines crawl your website more efficiently and update their indexes anytime it changes.
Besides XML sitemaps, it’s also possible to develop a visual HTML sitemap for your users. This can be achieved through Drupal Views or a custom block. An HTML sitemap enhances user navigation and simplifies the process for visitors to locate specific pages, which can also positively influence SEO.
In conclusion, creating a sitemap in Drupal is a quick yet important process. It ensures that your material can be effectively explored by search engines while improving user experience. A properly configured sitemap can significantly improve the visibility and ranking of your website in search engine results.