Sitemap

A sitemap is an overview of the structure and content of a website. It is a page or file that provides a hierarchical overview of all available pages on the website. A sitemap can also provide access to pages that can otherwise be hard to find, such as deeply buried pages in the website hierarchy or pages that are not directly linked in the main navigation. This allows users with different accessibility needs to access all the content of the website.

When designing and developing an accessible website, creating a sitemap is a useful tool. It helps to plan and organize the structure of the website, which allows better application of accessibility principles. By thinking about the structure and navigation in advance, you can ensure that the content is well organized and easily accessible to users.

Accessibility

A sitemap provides a structured overview of the content and helps users navigate the website easily. It provides an alternative navigation method for users who have trouble finding specific pages through regular site navigation. This is especially valuable for users with cognitive disabilities or who prefer an organized list.

Sitemap page

Add a sitemap to your sitemap page via the WordPress menu and the AWP Menu block. Check out our sitemap page for an example.

Create a menu

  1. Create a new menu via wp-admin > Appearance > Menus
  2. Add all your public pages to the menu
  3. Place the parent pages in a logical order
  4. Nest sub-pages under the parent page (add as many sub-levels as needed)
  5. Save the menu, copy the newly create menu ID (this is visible in the url wp-admin/nav-menus.php?action=edit&menu=# where # is the ID you need to copy).

Create a sitemap page

  1. Create a new page (that will include the sitemap)
  2. Add a AWP WP Menu block
  3. Enter the WordPress menu ID from the previous steps
  4. Save the page

SEO

A sitemap not only helps users, but also search engines to better understand the structure and content of the website. This can lead to better indexing and findability of the pages in search engines, which improves the overall accessibility and visibility of the website.

Sitemap.xml

To add a sitemap.xml that can be submitted to the Google Search Console we advise to use Yoast SEO. Yoast add the functionality for all public post types (pages, posts and custom post types added via plugins e.g. products or events).

Read more about the Yoast settings in our documentation.

Checkout out our sitemap.xml for an example.

Navigation