We have a static sitemap and a blog...Uh oh!

[Studio33]

Hi

We have a static sitemap and a blog...Uh oh!  We are are just realizing that the 2 are not very compatible!!  We need a dynamic sitemap.  Is there such a thing as a "set and forget" sitemap that updates itself without us maintaining a database of sitemap data?

Thanks

Andrew

[ThompsonPaul]

You have a very typical case here, Studio33. The usual way to handle multiple sitemaps most efficiently is to create a sitemap index file at the root of the site which would list the locations of the two actual xml sitemaps you have.

Then in both Bing and Google webmaster tools as well as your robots.tx file, you point to the sitemap index file. This way, you're giving the maximum number of signal for where the engines can find your sitemaps. (A sitemap in internal directories may not be found by search engines - they're trained to look for a standard sitemap file in a standard location at the root of your site - no sense making it hard for them!).

Here's Google Webmaster Tools' help doc on making a sitemap index file.

Hope that helps?

Paul

[AlanMosley]

As long as the pages are linked you need not have them in the site map.

a sitemap is not even necessary for most sites,but the best way to generate is http://www.bing.com/blogs/site_blogs/b/webmaster/archive/2013/02/20/building-sitemaps-manually-stop-until-you-read-this.aspx

Google has something simuar

[Studio33]

Cheers problem solved!

Thanks

Andrew

[PaddyDisplays]

1: not sure, but it opens ok.   but if you submit to WMTs it would warn you if there is a problem

2: to my knowledge, its ok to have more than 1 sitemap (seen a few places have 2 with no issue)

[PaddyDisplays]

http://www.dotnetblogengine.net/page/feature-table.aspx

Google sitemap Yes

so it already generates a sitemap, you just have to find the link

a bit of googling says ther url is www.yourdomain.com/sitemap.axd  (but that was a very old refferance might be different now)

[Studio33]

Hi Paddy,

Your answer prompted me to dig a little further and I have just found that it already has a dynamic one..under /Blog/sitemap.axd.

This raises 2 more questions for me:

1. what is axd, is it ok to use axd not xml.

2. Can a site have 2 sitemaps.  I will have 1 in www.example.com/sitemap.xml and 1 in www.example.com//Blog/sitemap.axd.  Is that ok?  Anything to be aware of with this set up?

Thanks

Andrew

[Studio33]

Hi,

dotnetblogengine.net I couldn't see one.

Thanks

Andrew

[PaddyDisplays]

what cms are you using?  most have sitemaps auto generated, or the there is a plugin available.