Stuck with SEO - currently PR2

[fisicx]

If a site is built with text links (as recommended) then the robots can index every page on the site, there is no need for a site map.

The site map cannot possible influence the ranking of a page - it is the file contents and the intenal and external linked that determines ranking. All the site map does is point the robot towards a particular page.

Google themselves say this in webmaster central.

[tamecrow]

Originally Posted by fisicx

If a site is built with text links (as recommended) then the robots can index every page on the site, there is no need for a site map.

The site map cannot possible influence the ranking of a page - it is the file contents and the intenal and external linked that determines ranking. All the site map does is point the robot towards a particular page.

Google themselves say this in webmaster central.

Indeed, and they also recommend that each site has an XML/text and HTML sitemap. For the sake of five minutes work, I don't see any reason not to do it.

[Elquicos]

I personally disagree with the positive impact of submitting XML sitemaps to Google, as by doing it you give a flat hierarchy of the site. I'd rather get the SEs to follow my internal links through the navigation and then map out the hierarchy.