HTML vs XML Sitemap

**Kovich** · 19 October, 2009, 11:58 AM

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi5DGOu1uA0"]YouTube - Which is better: an HTML site map or XML Sitemap?[/ame]

Have you ever wondered whether you should use an HTML or XML Sitemap? Google addresses this question in a brief video recently uploaded to their Webmaster Help Channel on YouTube. The unidentified engineer in the video says that HTML sitemaps are better for both search engines and users.

I think I use XML sitemaps, so I'll have to go and check this out further.
What about you? Which do you use?

**ELCaD** · 19 October, 2009, 13:35 PM

Thanks for sharing this. I do, and always have used xml sitemaps so I may have to reconsider this...
Thanks

**bogart** · 19 October, 2009, 14:51 PM

I've been using html sitemaps. You would figure that an xml sitemap was better for search engines.

On the isuue of HTML sitemaps being better for both search engines and users. Unless the site is large, the menu should be adequate for the user.

**texashiker** · 20 October, 2009, 17:52 PM

Can scripts generate html sitemaps with 50,000 urls on it? All I have ever seen are XML automatic site map generators.

If you have a small site with just 10 - 20 pages, a html sitemap might do just fine.

But if you have hundreds of thousands of pages, you need something that is dynamic, and easy to update.

**Kovich** · 20 October, 2009, 20:20 PM

That was my thought exactly - I've never seen an automatic html sitemap generator, personally. I'm positive they exist though, but as you said, they're not really dynamic. For my make money online blog, I use the standard wordpress XML Sitemap Generator Plugin. But... I mean, if Google likes HTML better, maybe we should just try and switch?

**bogart** · 21 October, 2009, 15:01 PM

Originally Posted by Kovich

That was my thought exactly - I've never seen an automatic html sitemap generator, personally. I'm positive they exist though, but as you said, they're not really dynamic. For my make money online blog, I use the standard wordpress XML Sitemap Generator Plugin. But... I mean, if Google likes HTML better, maybe we should just try and switch?

Google should be able to read the XML just as well as the HTML sitemaps. Perhaps Google prefers HTML becuse of the XML sitemaps that have 50,000 urls on it.

**bojandevic** · 22 October, 2009, 20:05 PM

Originally Posted by Kovich

That was my thought exactly - I've never seen an automatic html sitemap generator, personally. I'm positive they exist though, but as you said, they're not really dynamic. For my make money online blog, I use the standard wordpress XML Sitemap Generator Plugin. But... I mean, if Google likes HTML better, maybe we should just try and switch?

Why switch, use both

**hambo** · 22 October, 2009, 20:16 PM

I use a HTML sitemap, but then my site is small and its very easy to maintain the sitemap. I do also have an XML sitemap purely for submitting to Google in the webmaster tools. I agree that a HTML sitemap will not be of much use to a website user on a very large site. The unidentified engineer is Matt Cutts by the way.