Site Maps are used in the development process to determine the requirements for the Navigation System as part of the Information Architecture and Information Design Stage of the Design Process. Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics program that is well suited to developing Site Maps, these can then be exported as PDF documents and emailed to clients for approval.
The idea of a Site Map, is to show the user the entire "plan" of your site and the pages contained within it. So that rather than negotiate your navigation system they can go directly to what they are looking for. Generally Site Maps are only used on Web Sites as part of the final Interface Design, but many sites now use search functions instead of Site Maps to allow users to find things.
A Site Map can be either text or graphic based, depending on whether or not it is going to be incorporated into the overall visual theme. Above all, it should accurately reflect the structure of the Web Site, so that it is fully functional.
