HTML Sitemaps are pages specially developed for users in the form of a tree diagram. Here is a structured list of all important URLs of a website according to hierarchies.
Primarily, HTML Sitemaps are used to help users navigate a website. Especially websites that do not have a clear navigation structure can implement HTML sitemaps. This in turn helps search engines to understand the page context. If the navigation of a website is intuitive and clearly arranged, an HTML sitemap can be dispensed with in the meantime.
If a website needs to catch up in terms of navigation, the HTML sitemap can be linked in the frontend. This temporarily improves the user experience and findability of content.
Certain URLs should not be included in the HTML Sitemap. These include pages with the status codes"404 - Not found" or "noindex". Likewise, pages with little added value such as duplicates or thin content should be avoided.
HTML sitemaps are still useful for crawl management, but are considered "soft" SEO factors. Because by allowing users to quickly find content, time on site increases and bounce rate decreases. HTML sitemaps provide a complementary function to XML sitemaps and support SEO efforts by improving the user experience and making content easier to find.