Sitemap Builder: 7 Best Practices to Use

Proper site structure is fundamental in web development for a successful online presence. However, creating and managing complex websites can be challenging and requires a systematic approach and careful planning. This is where sitemap builder comes into the picture - a tool that makes creating and updating a sitemap easier.

Diagram depicting interconnected boxes with lines.

What is a Sitemap Builder and What is Its Role in Web Design?

Sitemap builder is a tool for creating and managing a website's structure. Its main task is to help developers and web designers organize site content, define its hierarchy, and navigate it.Overall, a sitemap builder plays an essential role in the web development process by helping to plan a website's structure, optimize website navigation, manage content, and improve SEO.

Using a site map builder helps achieve several goals during the development of web projects, including:

Site architecture

A sitemap builder helps develop a site structure, determine the hierarchy of pages, and establish connections between them. This allows you to create a coherent and easy-to-navigate website.

Project evaluation

Creating a site map allows you to estimate the work required to develop a web project. This helps manage project resources, time, and budget more efficiently.

Development planning

A sitemap builder helps developers and project managers create a development plan, define work stages, and distribute tasks among team members. This improves the organization of the development process and reduces the risk of delays.

Analysis of business and marketing needs

A sitemap builder helps identify critical business needs, goals, and marketing strategies. It allows you to determine which sections and functionality of the site will most effectively achieve business goals and attract an audience.

Frank designer
Miles Cornui

Lead UI/UX Designer

“When you come up with a great concept for creating a website, you immediately want to bring it to life and create a wireframe and layout. But if you want to create a truly cool design, a visual sitemap will allow you to take a broader view and see the full picture. You will be able to understand whether the layout of your website is well organized and whether it is useful for users.”

Key Features of Sitemap Builders

Creating and editing a site map

This main feature allows designers and developers 
to create a new sitemap or edit an existing one. They can add new pages, change their hierarchy, and delete or move sections to organize content better.

Illustration showing linked boxes connected by lines.
Page protoype design illustration

Automatic site map update

Some tools offer a feature to automatically update 
a sitemap after changes are made to the website. This allows the dev team to ensure the sitemap is up to date without manual updating.

Generating an XML sitemap 
for search engines

An XML sitemap contains information about a site's structure and helps search engines effectively index its pages. Sitemapping tools usually allow to generate an XML map automatically and provide customization options for SEO optimization.

Visual representation of interlinked boxes with directional arrows.
Diagram displaying boxes interconnected via arrows.

Visualization of the site structure

Sitemap builders visually represent the site's structure through a diagram or tree, which helps to understand its organization and navigation better.

Analysis of SEO indicators

Sitemapping tools provide analytical functions 
to evaluate a site's SEO performance based on the sitemap, such as browsing depth, page refresh rate, etc.

Visual page card example by Flowmapp.
Diagram displaying boxes interconnected via arrows.

Integration with other development tools

Such tools can integrate with other website development tools, such as CMS (content management systems) or code editor plugins, making creating and updating a site more accessible.

Advantages of Sitemap Builders

Speeding up work on sitemaps

Many sitemap builds have ready-made templates that you can adapt to the project's specific needs. This can reduce the time it takes to create a hierarchy of pages for a particular web solution.

Graphic representation of interconnected boxes with linking arrows.

Diverse tools

Sitemap builders often have a rich graphical interface with various drag-and-drop elements that help designers accurately convey their ideas and vision of the finished project. Since the completed work will be presented graphically, the likelihood that you will have disagreements with your teammates and stakeholders at subsequent stages of development will be minimal.

Schematic diagram showing connections between boxes using lines.

Possibility of sharing

For the website's work to be as coordinated as possible, any task performed by an individual specialist should be distributed among all team members and stakeholders who can refine it. Many sitemap builders have this feature, allowing you to share projects, leave comments, edit them, etc.

Example of design tool.

Compatible with any software environment

Typically, a sitemap builder is a web application that works in any browser, which means it does not require installation, and the operating system requirements are minimal. Our sitemap tool is one of these.

Diagram demonstrating flow between interconnected boxes with arrows.

Ability to attach media files and leave comments

Most modern sitemap builders, and ours in particular, allow you to attach images, links, and text comments to the project so that your entire team can understand what the finished project should be like from the early stages of development.

Illustration depicting the flow of information between linked boxes using arrows.

Possibility of reuse of previous projects

If necessary, you can use ready-made sitemaps and make a minimum number of manipulations with them to reduce the time needed to implement new projects. This is especially true for sites that belong to the same business niche, have the same purpose, and have similar functionality.

Visual site maps improve communication by illustrating the decision-making process and can help even non-technical stakeholders understand a website's plans. A carefully crafted sitemap demonstrates the logic of structural decisions. It will also serve as a guide for future developers and designers and allow them to see the situation through the prism of search engines. Sitemap builders can be helpful to a wide range of professionals and organizations working in web development, marketing, and SEO. Here are some examples of how various professionals can use these tools in practice:

- Web Developers
- SEO specialists
- Content Managers
- Marketers
- Business owners

Illustration depicting the flow of information between linked boxes using arrows.

7 Best Practices for Using a Site Map Builder

1.

Building an effective website structure

A sitemap builder is necessary to create a logical and intuitive website structure, ensuring users' easy navigation.

Example User flow diagram
2.

Assessing the scope of work before starting the project

A sitemap builder can estimate the scope of work and determine the required resources, which will help the company plan and manage the project effectively.

Wireframe components
3.

Speeding up the development process for web developers

With the help of a site map builder, web developers can quickly create and update the site structure, reducing the time spent on development.

Wireframe interface draft with directional indicators
4.

Optimization of marketing strategies

Analyze sitemap data to determine the most effective marketing strategies and identify potential growth areas.

Website designs example with images
5.

Use in analytics and strategic business planning

Use sitemap data to analyze user behavior, identify trends, and formulate strategic decisions to grow your business.

Structured wireframing tool interface with directional connections
6.

Implementation of the tool in team processes and collaboration

Integrate a site map builder into your team's collaboration processes to ensure transparency and effective communication between project participants.

Diagram linked via arrows (illustrating wireframe components)
7.

Laying a solid foundation for SEO

One of the key factors influencing the excellent ranking of a website is the organization and structure of the functionality presented on it. In particular, Google search robots pay attention to the page hierarchy's correctness and orderliness, prioritizing such websites.

Diagram linked via arrows (illustrating wireframe components)

The Future of Sitemapping Tools

Technology development in sitemap builders aims to improve the tool's functionality, ease of use, and efficiency. Significant changes and innovations have contributed significantly to the field's development in recent years.

For example, introducing artificial intelligence technologies into sitemap builders can significantly improve the process of creating and managing the site structure. AI can help automatically analyze site content, offer recommendations for improving its structure and navigation, and optimize SEO indicators.

Also, the development of analytics technologies makes providing a deeper and more detailed analysis of site map data possible. This allows users to gain valuable insights about user behavior, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and other aspects of the site.

Future improvements to sitemap builders will allow the creation of more flexible and adaptive tools that adjust to each user's unique needs.

Create free sitemaps in the most powerful way

Build sitemap
💎
One project is always free. Easy onboarding. No credit card required