How big is too big re site maps

[jeanm]

I have a query about the "visible" site map on my web site. It's enormous already and still there are probably another couple of hundred more pages to add. Does every single page have to be added please? Any of my site visitors would surely think it wold be ridiculously huge.

(I'm not meaning the xml site map)

 

[Pheno]

Best practice is to break down the sitemap into chunks once it starts getting too big.

 

[notarypublic]

Consider using bread-crumbs: you see them on bigger sites as "general topic > more specific topic > List of everything that applies to that specific topic"

If it ends up being something more than 3 layers deep, you may want to ask yourself if there is a better way to organize your pages. If I may ask, what kind of site is it? Commercial? Educational?

 

[jeanm]

Thanks guys. It's a commercial site for my business.

This is the page I'm currently working on in its temporary position: http://d7806.mysite.westnethosting.com.au/tin-ceilings-sitemap.php

I've got several dozen pages for all the various clickable patterns you can see on this page: http://d7806.mysite.westnethosting.com.au/tin-ceilings-patterns.php apart from heaps of others.

Maybe I'm just complaining because of the work involved in doing this. Plus I don't really think people would be going to the sitemap to look for those sorts of pages.

 

[Phreaddee]

a sitemap's purpose is so that someone who is "lost" can view "all" pages and then find what they are after, a selective sitemap? - you may as well not even have one!

definately group like pages and categorise them. I know its a bitch to do heaps of pages, a recent site of mine had a sitemap of over 950 pages...

but ultimately if your going to go to the trouble of making a sitemap, then make it in its entirety.

also incorporate breadcrumbs as well as. and sometimes you have to go more than 3 deep unfortunately...but try not to if you can.

 

[jeanm]

Thanks Phreaddie. Point taken. I'll just have to get on with it and think myself lucky I don't have your 950 pages to do.