What is an HTML sitemap?
An HTML sitemap is a page on your site, often linked from the footer, that lists your main sections and pages as regular links. It's written for people who want an overview, or who can't find something through the menu.
It shouldn't be confused with an XML sitemap, which is a machine-readable file listing URLs for search engines. The two do different jobs. An XML sitemap helps crawlers discover URLs but passes no link value and isn't seen by visitors. An HTML sitemap is a real page with real links, so it can shorten the click path to pages that are otherwise buried.
HTML vs XML at a glance
| HTML sitemap | XML sitemap | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Visitors, and crawlers following links | Search engine crawlers |
| Format | A normal web page | An XML file, often a sitemap index |
| Passes internal link value | Yes, like any links | No |
| Includes metadata | No | Last modified dates, image entries |
| Typical size | Key pages and categories | Every indexable URL |
Most sites need the XML sitemap. The HTML version is optional.
Sites that benefit
An HTML sitemap earns its place on large sites with deep structures: publishers with years of archives, stores with many categories, documentation sites, and local businesses with many service or location pages. On those, some pages are otherwise many clicks from the home page; see crawl depth.
A small site with clear navigation gains little. If every page is already linked from the menu or the home page, an HTML sitemap just repeats the menu.
Building one in WordPress
You don't need a plugin. Create a page called Sitemap and add core blocks:
- Page List outputs every published page in its hierarchy.
- Categories List outputs your categories, optionally with post counts.
- Latest Posts or Archives covers recent content.
These update themselves as you publish, which is the main thing to get right. Hydrogen SEO generates the XML sitemap and adds it to robots.txt automatically; the HTML page is yours to build and link from the footer.
Keeping it useful
Group links by topic or section rather than dumping one alphabetical list. Leave out thin pages you've set to noindex, such as tag archives or thank-you pages. And don't let it grow to thousands of links on one page; link to category hubs and let those list the posts.
Common questions
Does Google need an HTML sitemap?
No. Google discovers URLs through links and XML sitemaps. An HTML sitemap helps mainly by adding internal links to pages that are otherwise hard to reach.
Should an HTML sitemap be noindexed?
It doesn't need to be. It's a legitimate page, though it rarely ranks for anything. Keeping it crawlable lets search engines follow its links.
Can an HTML sitemap replace my XML sitemap?
No. They do different jobs. Keep the XML sitemap for crawlers and add an HTML sitemap only if it helps visitors.