Site Structure:

The major search engines index only the first 2 levels of a web site. As a result, the way your site is structured can have a profound impact on how many of your pages end up in the index.

As a general rule, I recommend it take no more than 2 clicks to get to any page on your site from your homepage. A sitemap (i.e. one aimed at human beings) can help you achieve this.

Your site structure will help ensure a large percentage of the pages on your site end up in Google's index. For example, this lead generation site has 84 pages. 82 of them have been indexed by Google.

The reason such a high number of this site's pages have been indexed, is due to its structure, and a properly configured Google sitemap.

A Google sitemap is an XML document that describes the site to Google's search engine spider. It gives you an iron-clad means of making sure Google finds every page you want it to.

To take advantage of a Google sitemap (and all the other resources that come with it), you'll need a Google Webmaster Account. I strongly recommend you sign up for, and then take advantage of this free service.

You would normally need some knowledge of XML to create a sitemap that conforms to Google's requirements. Fortunately, this free sitemap generator automates the process. It produces downloadable content in a variety of different formats – including a human-friendly HTML version.

Here are some of the things you can do with your Google webmaster account...

Resubmit your sitemap every time there's a change
Discover problems with your site (e.g. dead links)
Better understand how Google's search engine bot sees your site
Manage multiple web sites
Integrate with Google Analytics for additional information and analysis

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