There is a feature that has been out for a little over a month, I believe, called Google Sitemaps. Google sitemaps is a new program that Google allows you to submit sitemaps of the various pages on your website that should be indexed by google. This should help google find and index your pages.

https://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/

I will be posting some code for automatically generating google sitemaps for Invision Board and for Vbulletin in the near future.

Sounds like a good idea from google.

Do any of the other major search engines offer this kind of service to website designers and web hosts?

Cheers,
Graham

Yahoo offers an xml feed I believe for their paid inclusion programs

If it is worth anything to you guys, I have been using Google sitemaps since they were launched. The results are brilliant in terms of SEO. The whole site map encourages spidering of your website in under 24 hrs.

It is important to add that if your site has only two pages it does not need a sitemap. Also there is a limit to sitemap size. But you can link sitemaps and apply them to categories if you have a huge website.

The important thing to understand is that if you have used some dodgy SEO techniques that have got you banned from Google, then this is a sure fire way of letting them know that you have fixed your ways. But only do it if you have fixed your web site.

Format for XML can be in XML or PHP.

Bear in mind that if you list a sitemap only the pages in the map will be listed. So you might need to change the meta structure of your website to account for the sitemap. Make sure you have a link on your pages for the sitemap as with your RSS feed. Google is not the only place that uses sitemaps to this level.

Apart from that go and do it. If you use a CMS system, you can intergrate the sitemap so that it updates with the CMS. Evey two weeks or so go and log into sitemaps and re submit.

An excellent strategy for fledgling websites to get googled quickly. Works better with web site sthat are old and need old content that is no longer there to be removed from the index. You will be laughing if you are listed in DMOZ!!!!(?)


Cheers

Duenna

I removed the link back to your site and the commercial reference. We do not allow advertisements on the site. Sorry. - Grinler

I do not think that is accurate that only the pages in your sitemap will be indexed. According to Google the sitemaps are an additional way for google to find content on your site, but not the only way.

No need to apologide Grinler I understand!

I have deployed sitemaps on a number of websites and monitored the results of visits by Googlebot(s). My statement is based on accurate analysis.

It works.

I agree, they definitely work. I utilize them here. All I am saying is that it is not all or none. Google will still index portions of your site it finds other methods (link backs) whether or not they are in the sitemap.

You are right Grinler!

Just an update on Google sitemaps.

They now give you an option to varify your sitemaps account and they give you feedback about any crawls they have completed. You know broken urls etc, which is quite a good thing me thinks!

Once you log into your sitemap account, you will see a varify link next to any sitmap you have.

Click on it and you will be asked to create a simple text file entitled entitled GOOGLE82369e8gid87xg3.html or similar. Upload this to the root directory and then press check again.

You then will be presented with the stats that they have collated.

Any issues with your website during a crawl will then be flagged.