Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
We are currently in the #2 position for our top keyword/phrase, but the boss is really hungry for that #1 position if we can get it, and he wants to implement Google Sitemaps if that might nudge us up. However, we're also wondering about what the impact on our current SERPs might be if we go forward.
(Note: I've already had the discussion with the boss about position #2 versus position #1, the relative value of it, etc. It's the bosses call, not mine, and we're really only looking at the possibilities...)
Does anyone know or have any thoughts about what impact implementing Google Sitemaps on an already thoroughly-indexed site will have? Will it help? Hurt? Remain indifferent?
Thanks in advance for your comments!
This assumption is arrived at by noting that beneath the normal link and text blurb are more URLs that link deeper into the site
Having an XML Google sitemap has nothing to do with getting Site Links in your #1 listing [webmasterworld.com] -- let's kill that urban myth before it gets too big. I have several clients who have never used Google's WMT-Sitemaps program and their listing has shown Site Links for nearly a year.
The only way that the SiteMaps program will affect the SERPs is if you get some feedback from it and then improve your site on that basis. But just being in the WMT program isn't going to give you extra credit, or something like that. For every claim like that, there's another claim that signing up will kill your rankings. Both theoretical connections are based on logical fallacies, in my view.
Ranking well is still all about a site that sends signals of relevance and trust -- and sometimes a good spamming technique gets in the mix ;)
