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WordPress HTML Sitemap: What It Is and Why to Create It?

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Linda Maynard
WordPress HTML Sitemap: What It Is and Why to Create It?

WordPress HTML is one of the several ways to improve user experience. WordPress, by default, has an easy-to-navigate sitemap for creating blogs, websites, and e-stores. But you still need to have an HTML sitemap to ensure your WordPress website is functional and loads smoothly. HTML sitemap can be created easily without any coding and expert help. This article will explain what WordPress HTML sitemap is, why you should have it, and how you can develop it.  

 

What is WordPress HTML?

 

The HTML sitemap is actually a file that contains details of all the pages on your WordPress website. The HTML sitemap file is located in the footer and has links to website pages for easy accessibility. The sitemap makes it easier to locate a page or even information on a website. In short, the HTML sitemap enhances user experience by improving search options. The users on the website can easily locate the information they are looking for through the HTML sitemap. Some free WordPress templates have an HTML sitemap by default, but sometimes, you may have to create a sitemap from the scratch.

 

Why is WordPress HTML used?

 

The WordPress HTML sitemap is primarily used to enhance user experience. Most e-stores, service providers, online vendors, and even online journals use HTML sitemaps to help users find the desired information. Small businesses or websites built with a one or two-page free WordPress templates may not necessarily need an HTML sitemap. But, online businesses and e-commerce websites must use HTML sitemap for the following reasons:

 

  • Directory of Pages: The HTML sitemap serves as a directory of pages. The HTML sitemap, as stated above, is located in the footer of the website. In the sitemap, links to all major pages are provided.

 

  • Easy to Locate Information: Users looking for information, for instance, the location of the store, contact details, categories, services, and others, can easily find at the sitemap.

 

  • Useful for Online Store: Online stores use HTML sitemap to provide valuable information to their potential customers. Most e-stores list large catalogues, offerings, and services and provide links to valuable pages such as cart, check out, shipping, return policy and more in the sitemap.

 

  • Good for SEO: The HTML sitemap is also used for the search engine ranking of a website indirectly. A website with a good user experience is likely to get more exposure on the search engines and improve its ranking.

 

  • More Internal Links: Most online businesses use HTML sites to add more internal links. This directly helps search engines locate and crawl the web pages from your website.


How to Create WordPress HTML?

 

Creating a WordPress HTML is easy. To develop an HTML sitemap for your website, you need SEO plugins. The SEO plugins are free to use, with some premium features that you may have to pay for. In this article, we will use the plugin Rank Math to create a WordPress HTML sitemap.

 

Step 1: Creating HTML Sitemap Using Rank Math

Navigate to the Rank Math plugin through the WordPress plugin directory. Download the Rank Math plugin. Once the plugin is installed you will be able to locate it in the dashboard. Access the plugin from the WordPress admin panel, open sitemap settings, and then select the HTML Sitemap option. Toggle on the HTML setting. A list of options will become visible. These options will include display format, category, and a shortcode.

 

Step 2: Add the HTML sitemap to the website

To add an HTML sitemap to the website, you will first have to decide the format for the sitemap from the HTML setting page. You will have two options – shortcodes and Pages. If you want to add a sitemap on the page then select the page option in the display format, and from the dropdown menu, select the page where you would like the sitemap to appear. To add a sitemap on the footer, select the shortcode option.

 

Once you have decided on the format of the sitemap, select the code appearing in the shortcode option. It will look something like this [rank_math_html_sitemap].

 

Now, go to the appearance setting from the editor in the WordPress admin console. Hit on the template parts and select the footer. Navigate to the pencil option, and the footer will open in the block editor.

 

In the block editor, select the plus icon [+] and insert a new block. In the new block option, you will see a shortcode sign [/] select it. Insert the shortcode copied previously and preview the sitemap.

 

Final Verdict:

To conclude, creating an HTML sitemap is beneficial for overall website performance, ranking, and user experience. There are several plugins you can use to create HTML. It is easy to create. But still, if you face any issue, you can always ask experts to help. All the best!

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Linda Maynard
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