Think of it like Febreeze for your website, Google Sitemaps, now part of the larger Google Webmaster Central, helps Google crawl your site more efficiently, resulting in increased visibility. Sitemaps allow you to tell Google what URL’s you want crawled along with hints about the URL such as when the page was last changed and how often the page is changed.

Sitemaps also give you an array of valuable statistics such as how Google crawls and indexes your site, and problems Google may be having accessing certain pages. You can also learn which search queries drive traffic you your site and the keyword terms used in external links pointing to your site.

Search Engine Watch highlights some of the new features in Google Webmaster Central such as the ability to choose a preferred domain and improved crawl/sitemap error reporting. By keeping your website fresh and offering valuable site stats, this free service is a great complement to any well rounded SEO plan.

Be sure to check out the video tutorials section of our website in the upcoming weeks for an easy step-by-step guide on how to create and submit a sitemap to Google.

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