Do I need an image sitemap?

Google's sitemap extensions for images allow you to include information about important images on your site. You can include a title, caption, geographic location (where the image was taken) and license information. This provides Google with much needed information about the content of your images (sometimes this is called "meta data"). But will your site really benefit from an image sitemap?

The answer is: it depends. If images are integral to your website then yes, there is a benefit to having an image sitemap. However, if your website uses images and graphics for style and navigation only, then you don't need an image sitemap.


How can you tell if images make up an integral part of your website? Ask your self these questions:

• If I remove the images from my website and replaced it with text, would my visitors get lose information?
• Does my website include unique images not found anywhere else on the Internet?
• Does my website have an image gallery of any kind?
• Do the images on your website contain a subject that is often searched for? (Such as a geographic location, a diagram, or images of a product.)

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then chances are you could use an image sitemap. If you answered no to all of them, then a standard XML sitemap is probably all you need.