If you want your WordPress website to rank better in search engines and get discovered more easily, creating an XML sitemap should be one of the first steps on your SEO checklist.
Think of a sitemap like a roadmap for search engines. It tells Google, Bing, and other crawlers exactly what content exists on your site, where it lives, and how important each page is — all in one tidy, structured file.
Without a sitemap, your website might still get indexed… eventually. But with one? You’re giving search engines a direct invitation to explore everything you’ve published — and to do it efficiently.
Whether you’re launching a new blog, running an online store, or managing a growing content site, a well-structured sitemap ensures your best content doesn’t get buried in the digital noise.
💡 Good to know: Most modern WordPress sites can generate sitemaps automatically. But understanding how they work (and how to customize them) gives you a serious SEO edge.
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn:
- 🧠 What an XML sitemap is and how it works
- 🚀 Whether WordPress creates one for you (spoiler: yes, kind of!)
- 🔧 How to create and customize a sitemap using SEO plugins
- 📤 How to submit your sitemap to Google Search Console
- 💡 Best practices and how to avoid common errors
Let’s get started by understanding what an XML sitemap actually is — and why it’s worth your time.
🧠 What Is an XML Sitemap (And Why It Matters)?
An XML sitemap is a special file that lists all the important URLs on your website — like your homepage, blog posts, product pages, categories, and more. It’s written in a format (XML = eXtensible Markup Language) that search engines can easily read and understand.
Think of it like a directory for your entire website. It tells search engine crawlers what content exists and helps them discover it faster, especially when:
- 🚀 You’ve just launched a new site
- 📝 You publish new content frequently
- 🔍 You want to make sure older pages aren’t forgotten
🔍 Why It’s Important for SEO
While a sitemap doesn’t guarantee your site will rank higher, it does improve your site’s discoverability. It’s like raising your hand and saying, “Hey Google, here’s what I’ve got. Come check it out.”
Search engines use sitemaps to:
- 🧭 Understand your site structure
- 📅 Learn how often your content is updated
- 🔗 Find orphan pages (pages not linked from others)
- 📊 Prioritize crawling important pages
🆚 XML Sitemap vs HTML Sitemap
There’s often confusion between these two types of sitemaps:
| Feature | XML Sitemap | HTML Sitemap |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | For search engines | For human visitors |
| Format | Machine-readable XML | Webpage with clickable links |
| Location | /sitemap.xml |
/sitemap or in site footer |
| SEO Benefit | Helps with crawling/indexing | Improves user navigation |
🧩 Pro Tip: XML sitemaps are for robots, HTML sitemaps are for humans. Both can be helpful — but XML is the one that directly supports your SEO game.
Now that you know what an XML sitemap is and why it matters, let’s see what WordPress does for you right out of the box…
🚀 Does WordPress Have a Built-In Sitemap?
Yes, WordPress introduced a native XML sitemap feature starting in version 5.5 — and it’s enabled by default. That means you already have a basic sitemap the moment you launch a new WordPress site (no plugin required!).
🔍 Where to Find It
To view your built-in sitemap, simply add /wp-sitemap.xml to the end of your site’s URL. For example:
https://yourwebsite.com/wp-sitemap.xmlThis URL will take you to a dynamically generated sitemap index page, which links to several categorized sitemaps like:
- 📄 Pages
- 📝 Posts
- 📂 Categories
- 🏷️ Tags
💡 Why It’s Helpful
WordPress’s default sitemap ensures that your content is visible to search engines right out of the box — even before installing any SEO plugins. This is especially useful for:
- 🆕 Beginners who don’t want to deal with setup
- 📦 Simple sites with basic content types
- ⚡ Sites that prioritize performance over features
⚠️ Limitations of the Built-In Sitemap
While the native sitemap feature is great for getting started, it’s fairly limited in terms of control and customization. Here’s what you can’t do easily without a plugin:
- ❌ Exclude specific posts, pages, or custom post types
- ❌ Add priority or update frequency metadata
- ❌ Customize structure or groupings
- ❌ Easily integrate with Google Search Console
🔧 Pro Tip: If your site grows, or if you need finer SEO control, using an SEO plugin like Yoast or Rank Math is the better route. They give you full sitemap management tools with no code required.
Next up, we’ll walk through how to create and customize XML sitemaps with the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress.
🔧 Using an SEO Plugin to Create and Manage Your Sitemap
While WordPress comes with a basic sitemap feature, most site owners turn to SEO plugins for more flexibility, control, and optimization. These tools do far more than just improve your meta tags — they also let you fully manage your XML sitemap settings.
Here are three of the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress and how they handle sitemaps:
🟣 Yoast SEO
Yoast automatically generates an XML sitemap when you install and activate the plugin. You can access it by visiting:
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xmlTo manage Yoast’s sitemap settings:
- Go to
SEO > Settings - Select Site Features > XML Sitemaps
- Toggle the feature on/off, or manage post types to include/exclude
You can also control which post types or taxonomies appear in your sitemap under SEO > Search Appearance.
💡 Yoast Tip: Use the “Advanced” tab on each post/page to exclude individual items from your sitemap if needed.
🟢 Rank Math
Rank Math is another fantastic SEO plugin that offers a robust sitemap module with detailed customization.
To set it up:
- Go to
Rank Math > Sitemap Settings - Enable or disable different content types (posts, pages, attachments, etc.)
- Choose the number of links per sitemap and include/exclude categories or tags
The default sitemap URL is:
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml⚙️ Rank Math Bonus: You can also create separate sitemaps for custom post types, user roles, or even WooCommerce products!
🔵 All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
AIOSEO is a beginner-friendly plugin with advanced options hidden under the hood.
To use the sitemap feature:
- Go to
All in One SEO > Sitemaps - Turn on “Enable Sitemap” toggle
- Choose what to include, and even create a Video or News sitemap (Pro version)
AIOSEO also allows you to exclude individual posts/pages and define update frequency settings.
📹 Bonus: AIOSEO’s Video Sitemap feature is perfect for content creators or educators with lots of video content.
🔍 Finding Your Sitemap URL (Across Plugins)
Regardless of which plugin you use, your sitemap will usually live at:
https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xmlIf you’re unsure, the plugin settings panel typically provides a direct link to the sitemap.
Now that your sitemap is up and running, let’s explore how to customize it further for better performance and relevance.
⚙️ Customizing Your XML Sitemap
A sitemap doesn’t have to be an “everything and the kitchen sink” list. In fact, a more strategic, streamlined sitemap can help search engines focus on your best and most relevant content.
Let’s look at some common ways to customize your sitemap in WordPress using SEO plugins like Yoast, Rank Math, and AIOSEO:
📂 Exclude Specific Pages or Posts
Sometimes you don’t want certain content to show up in your sitemap — maybe a thank-you page, a landing page, or outdated blog posts. You can exclude individual posts like this:
- Yoast: Edit the page/post → Scroll to “Yoast SEO” panel → Advanced tab → Set “Allow search engines to show this Post in search results?” to
No - Rank Math: Edit the page/post → “Rank Math” panel → Advanced → Toggle “Include in Sitemap” to
Off - AIOSEO: Edit the page/post → Scroll to “AIOSEO Settings” → Advanced tab → Uncheck “Include in Sitemap”
🚫 Tip: Avoid listing low-quality, duplicate, or irrelevant pages. A cleaner sitemap = better crawl efficiency.
🧩 Choose Which Post Types and Taxonomies to Include
You might not want certain content types (like attachments, tags, or author archives) to appear in your sitemap. Here’s how to manage that:
- Yoast:
SEO → Search Appearance→ Turn off post types or taxonomies you want excluded - Rank Math:
Rank Math → Sitemap Settings→ Toggle visibility for posts, pages, categories, etc. - AIOSEO:
AIOSEO → Sitemaps→ Choose which content types appear in the sitemap
This helps you avoid cluttering your sitemap with thin or duplicate content that may not be SEO-worthy.
⏰ Set Update Frequency and Priorities (Optional)
Some SEO plugins allow you to add metadata like update frequency and priority for each page type. While search engines don’t always follow these hints, they can still be useful for organizing:
- 🕒 Change Frequency: How often a page is expected to change (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly)
- ⭐ Priority: Relative importance of one page vs others (scale from 0.0 to 1.0)
Look for these options in advanced sitemap settings — usually in Rank Math or AIOSEO Pro.
📊 Note: Most modern SEO experts agree that while these settings are optional, having them filled out consistently can give structure to large sites.
👁️ Preview and Validate Your Sitemap
After customizing, always preview your sitemap by visiting:
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xmlYou should see your latest structure, organized by post types or categories. If anything looks off — like missing pages or unwanted URLs — go back and tweak your settings.
Next up, we’ll walk through how to actually submit your sitemap to Google Search Console — a crucial step in improving your site’s visibility in search.
📤 Submitting Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
Creating a sitemap is only half the job. If you want search engines like Google to actually use it, you’ll need to submit your sitemap to Google Search Console (GSC). This ensures Google is aware of your content and can crawl it more effectively.
🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Submit Your Sitemap
- Log in to Google Search Console
Visit search.google.com/search-console/about and sign in using your Google account. - Select Your Website
From the dashboard, select the property (your website) you want to manage. If your site isn’t listed, you’ll need to add and verify it first. - Open the Sitemaps Tool
In the left-hand menu, clickSitemapsunder the “Index” section. - Enter Your Sitemap URL
In the “Add a new sitemap” field, type the last part of your sitemap URL — for example:
wp-sitemap.xmlorsitemap_index.xml - Click Submit
Hit the Submit button and wait a few seconds. If all goes well, you’ll see a success message.
🧠 Pro Tips
- ✅ Submit only your main sitemap index (not each individual sitemap file)
- ⏱️ Google typically starts crawling within a few hours to a few days
- 🔍 Monitor crawl stats and errors in the GSC “Pages” report to catch issues early
📈 Bonus: After submission, Google will provide insights such as how many pages are discovered, indexed, or have coverage issues.
🧼 What If You Need to Remove a Sitemap?
If you submit the wrong sitemap or switch plugins, you can remove a sitemap anytime by going to the “Submitted sitemaps” section and clicking the three dots menu → Remove Sitemap.
With your sitemap now in Google’s hands, you’re in a great position to boost visibility and ensure your content stays crawlable and indexed!
Let’s wrap up with a quick recap and final thoughts on keeping your sitemap working smoothly long-term.
🧭 Conclusion & Best Practices for Sitemap Success
Congratulations — by now, you’ve not only learned what an XML sitemap is, but you’ve also set one up, customized it, and submitted it to Google. That’s a major step forward in your WordPress SEO journey. 👏
But don’t stop here. A sitemap isn’t a “set it and forget it” tool. To get the most out of it, here are a few ongoing best practices you’ll want to follow:
✅ Regular Sitemap Best Practices
- Keep it clean: Exclude low-value pages like thank-you pages, admin-only pages, or outdated content.
- Update automatically: Make sure your SEO plugin is set to refresh the sitemap when you publish or delete content.
- Avoid broken links: Remove or redirect deleted pages so they don’t clutter your sitemap with 404s.
- Check Search Console often: Watch for crawl errors or indexation issues and fix them promptly.
- Resubmit after major changes: Added a blog archive or launched a new product section? Re-submit your sitemap in GSC.
🚀 Pro Tip: Set a calendar reminder to check your sitemap and Search Console every 30–60 days — it’s a simple habit that can make a big impact.
📘 Final Thoughts
Search engines are always evolving, but one thing remains true: they love structure. An optimized XML sitemap helps them crawl your content faster, deeper, and more intelligently.
Whether you’re running a personal blog, an eCommerce store, or a high-traffic news site — taking time to build and maintain a smart sitemap is one of the easiest, most effective SEO steps you can take.
So go ahead — update, tweak, submit — and let your content shine on search results pages. 🧭
Got questions? Drop them in the comments below 💬, and don’t forget to share this guide with a fellow WordPress user who could use an SEO boost!