Understanding External Sitemap Generators and Orphaned Pages
If you’re working on improving your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) or simply want to analyze another site, you might have found the need for a sitemap. However, what happens when the website in question has no sitemap of its own? One solution to this dilemma is to use an external sitemap generator, like XML-Sitemaps.com.
But here’s the catch: these generators crawl websites through their internal links. This means that if a page isn’t linked to from within the site—commonly referred to as an “orphaned page”—it won’t be included in the generated sitemap.
This raises an important question: Can an external sitemap generator effectively identify orphaned pages? The short answer is no. Since these tools rely on following existing links to discover pages, any content that exists without links leading to it will be bypassed completely.
To summarize, while an external sitemap generator is a handy tool for mapping out the readily accessible content of a website, it falls short in revealing those hidden orphaned pages. If understanding all the content of a website is your aim, combining sitemap generators with other SEO techniques may be necessary for a comprehensive analysis.
2 responses to “Does an external sitemap tool identify orphaned pages?”
You raise a very important point about the nature of external sitemap generators and their capabilities for uncovering orphaned pages. To clarify, yes, most external sitemap generators work by crawling web pages through existing internal links. This means that they might miss pages that do not have any links pointing to them—effectively overlooking what we term “orphaned pages.”
Understanding Orphaned Pages
Orphaned pages are those pages on a website that are not linked to from any other pages within the site. Since crawlers primarily follow these internal links, they may fail to discover these unlinked pages, leading to an incomplete sitemap. This can be problematic for SEO, as orphaned pages may not be indexed by search engines, reducing their visibility and accessibility.
How External Sitemap Generators Work
To elaborate on how external sitemap generators function, they often use methods similar to a traditional search engine crawler:
Crawling through Links: They begin by entering a specified URL and then follow the internal links they find throughout the site. The crawler systematically visits these pages and builds a sitemap based on what it encounters.
Page Count Limits: Many sitemap generators also impose limits on the number of pages they crawl. This could further restrict their ability to find all the pages on a site, especially large ones.
Ignored Parameters: Some generators might fail to follow certain parameters or structured data leading to hidden pages, restricting their completeness even more.
Alternatives for Discovering Orphaned Pages
While external sitemap generators are useful, if you’re specifically looking to uncover orphaned pages, consider the following alternatives:
Use a Site Audit Tool: Tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Ahrefs, or SEMrush can provide more detailed analysis options. They can crawl the site similarly to external sitemap generators but often have features to identify broken links and potential orphaned pages through analysis of internal linking structures.
Manual Search: If you have access to the web server, searching the file directory can provide insights into pages that exist but are not linked. Tools like Google Search Console can also help if the website is verified in the console.
Third-Party Services: There are services available that specialize in web crawling and can provide a comprehensive report on a site’s structure, including lists of orphaned pages if they exist.
Requesting Access to the Site: If you’re collaborating with the site owner, ask for access to their content management system (CMS) or request a more comprehensive sitemap directly from them.
Conclusion
In short, while external sitemap generators can produce helpful results, their limitation lies in the discovery of orphaned pages due to their reliance on crawling through existing links. For a more thorough exploration of a site’s architecture, consider leveraging a combination of tools and strategies to better identify and address orphaned pages. This holistic approach will give you a clearer picture of the site’s SEO health and visibility.
This is a crucial topic for anyone involved in website management and SEO! You’ve highlighted an important limitation of external sitemap generators when it comes to uncovering orphaned pages. To build on your points, it’s worth noting that while these tools cannot directly identify orphaned pages, there are other methods to do so.
One effective strategy is to utilize Google Search Console. By analyzing the “Coverage” report, you can identify pages not indexed or flagged with issues, which often includes orphaned pages. Additionally, running a thorough site audit using tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs can provide insights into internal linking structures and highlight pages without inbound links.
Another aspect to consider is the user experience. Orphaned pages can result in a poor navigation experience for visitors, so it’s beneficial to ensure that all valuable content is accessible. Implementing a sound internal linking strategy not only helps in identifying these pages but also enhances overall site SEO by distributing link equity more effectively.
In conclusion, a multi-faceted approach that includes analytics tools and a focus on internal linking can help uncover and address orphaned pages, supporting both SEO efforts and user engagement. Thanks for shedding light on this important topic!