When a site contains dozens of sections, finding a specific page can quickly feel like a game of hide and seek. The sitemap addresses this issue: it displays, on a single page, an organized list of all accessible content. For an information portal like Passez l’info, this page becomes a direct shortcut to each theme, without going through the dropdown menus.
HTML Sitemap and XML Sitemap: Two Tools, Two Audiences
Before discussing navigation, a distinction needs to be made. The term “sitemap” actually refers to two very different things depending on the context.
The HTML sitemap is intended for human visitors. It is a standard web page, readable in a browser, that lists the sections and pages in the form of clickable links. Its role: to provide an overview of the structure so that a user can quickly find what they are looking for.
The XML sitemap, on the other hand, is aimed at search engine bots. It is a technical file, invisible to the visitor, that tells Google or Bing which pages to index and how often to revisit them. It does not replace the HTML sitemap; it complements it.
A site that only has an XML sitemap deprives its visitors of a concrete navigation tool. Conversely, an HTML sitemap without an XML sitemap risks leaving orphan pages off the search engines’ radar. On the Passez l’info sitemap, it is the HTML version that is highlighted, structured by categories to facilitate reading.
Accessibility and WCAG 2.4.5 Criterion: Why the Sitemap Has Become Normative
You may consider the sitemap a relic of the 2000s, a page that no one consults. Accessibility standards tell a different story.
The WCAG 2.2 AA criteria, published by the W3C on October 5, 2023, include criterion 2.4.5 named “Multiple Ways”. This criterion requires providing at least two ways to reach the same page on a website. The main navigation alone is not enough: it must be supplemented with an internal search engine, a sitemap, or a table of contents.
The HTML sitemap is explicitly cited as one of the normative means to meet this requirement. For an information site that regularly publishes content, it is often the simplest solution to implement and maintain.
What WCAG 2.2 Changes for Sitemap Design
Version 2.2 also adds criteria 2.4.11 and 2.4.12, grouped under the name “Focus Not Obscured”. Specifically, when a user navigates using the keyboard in the sitemap, the focus must never be obscured by a floating element (cookie banner, sticky header, sticky footer). If your sitemap contains a long list of links and a banner covers the active link, the criterion is not met.
This technical point requires testing the sitemap with actual keyboard navigation, not just visually.
Anatomy of a Useful Sitemap for Navigation
Not all sitemaps are created equal. Some consist of a raw flow of links without hierarchy. Others replicate the main menu without adding value. An effective sitemap adheres to a few concrete principles.
- Pages are grouped by sections with visible depth levels (category, subcategory, page). The visitor can grasp the organizational logic in a few seconds.
- The link titles correspond to the actual titles of the pages. No shortened or rephrased labels that would create confusion between the sitemap and the content.
- Utility pages (legal notices, privacy policy, terms of use) are listed in a separate section, at the bottom of the page or in a distinct block, so as not to drown out editorial content.
- The sitemap remains accessible from any page on the site, usually via a link in the footer. An unfindable sitemap serves no purpose.
Update: Manual or Automatic
On a site that publishes several articles per week, maintaining a sitemap manually quickly becomes unrealistic. Most CMS (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla) offer extensions that automatically generate the HTML sitemap from the existing structure.
Automation has an obvious advantage: each new publication appears in the sitemap without human intervention. However, it may include pages that are of no interest to the visitor (tag pages, empty archive pages, mistakenly indexed drafts). A good automatic sitemap requires well-configured exclusion rules.
Optimal Navigation: What the Sitemap Does Not Replace
The sitemap is a safety net, not a substitute for well-thought-out navigation. If your visitors consistently need to consult the sitemap to find content, it is a sign that the main menu or the site’s structure is problematic.
An effective sitemap works in conjunction with three elements:
- A clear main menu, limited to a few entries (most high-performing sites stay below eight first-level sections).
- An internal search engine, particularly useful on sites with a high volume of editorial content.
- A breadcrumb trail that indicates at all times where the visitor is within the structure.
These four combined elements cover the requirements of the WCAG 2.4.5 criterion while providing a smooth navigation experience regardless of user profile.
The sitemap remains one of the few web elements that serves both accessibility, SEO, and user comfort. Ignoring it is to deprive oneself of a simple lever to deploy, with almost no maintenance cost once the right settings are in place.
