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A WordPress sitemap is a file that lists your site’s important URLs so search engines can discover them. WordPress 5.5 and later generates a basic sitemap automatically; WordPress.com does too. Most site owners can start by checking the sitemap already available on their site, then submit it to Google Search Console if they want processing reports. A sitemap can help search engines find pages, but it does not guarantee crawling or indexing.
What a WordPress sitemap does
A sitemap is a machine-readable list of URLs on a website. Depending on its format and extensions, it can also provide information about pages and media. Search engines can use it to discover content and crawl a site more efficiently, especially when some pages are new or not easy to reach through internal links. See Google Search Central’s sitemap overview.
A sitemap is a discovery aid, not an instruction to index every listed URL. Google may choose not to download or use a submitted sitemap, and listing a page does not make it eligible to appear in search results. Keep useful internal links and your site’s indexability in order as well.
Does WordPress make a sitemap automatically?
Yes. WordPress core has generated a basic sitemap since version 5.5, so a self-hosted site running that version or later usually does not need a separate plugin just to create one. The conventional core address is https://your-domain.example/wp-sitemap.xml; replace the example domain with yours and check the live site, because another plugin or configuration may provide a different sitemap address. Learn WordPress explains core sitemap generation.
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WordPress.com says its hosted platform creates and updates an XML sitemap automatically as content is added, changed, or deleted. Its documentation says a third-party plugin is not required for this feature: WordPress.com sitemaps.
SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO, All in One SEO, and Rank Math also include sitemap generation alongside other SEO features. Use a plugin if you need its controls over included content or other SEO functions; avoid running multiple sitemap generators without checking which sitemap your site actually serves. Plugins differ, so do not assume they offer identical settings.
How to find or enable your sitemap
Check the sitemap provided by WordPress core
- Open a browser and enter your site’s domain followed by
/wp-sitemap.xml, for examplehttps://example.com/wp-sitemap.xml. - Check that the page loads and that its links lead to sitemap files containing the URLs you intend search engines to discover.
- If that address does not work, check the WordPress version, site configuration, and whether an SEO plugin or an existing sitemap file uses a different route. Do not install another generator until you know what the site currently serves.
Enable the Yoast XML sitemap
In the current Yoast instructions, go to Dashboard → Yoast SEO → Settings → Site features, turn on XML sitemaps, then select View the XML sitemap. Yoast says its sitemap index and child sitemaps update as content changes; post types set to noindex are omitted. Interface labels can change with plugin updates, so consult Yoast’s XML sitemap help if the path differs.
What should the sitemap include?
Include the preferred canonical URLs that you want search engines to consider for search results. Google recommends fully qualified absolute URLs, including the protocol and domain, rather than relative paths. Review the sitemap itself to make sure it does not present unwanted or non-indexable content as a preferred result. Google’s guidance on building and submitting a sitemap covers URL formats and size limits.
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A single sitemap can be no larger than 50 MB uncompressed and can contain no more than 50,000 URLs, according to Google Search Central’s guidance updated 2026-07-08. Larger sites should split their URLs across multiple sitemap files; a sitemap index can point to the set of files.
How to submit a WordPress sitemap to Google
Submission is optional, but Search Console lets site owners monitor processing and see reported errors. You can also tell crawlers where to find a sitemap by adding a line like Sitemap: https://example.com/wp-sitemap.xml to your robots.txt file. Use the actual sitemap URL served by your site.
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- Open Google Search Console and select the relevant property for your site.
- Open the Sitemaps report, enter the sitemap URL, and submit it.
- Review the report for processing status or errors, then fix any sitemap or URL issues it identifies.
Google describes submission as a hint: it does not guarantee that Google will fetch the sitemap, crawl its URLs, or index them. Keep the sitemap accessible and accurate, and use Search Console reports to spot problems rather than treating submission as an indexing switch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When is a sitemap useful?
- Large sites: A sitemap can help search engines find URLs across a large collection of pages, including pages that are not well connected through internal links.
- New sites: New sites with few external links may benefit from giving search engines a direct list of their important URLs.
- Sites with relevant media or news: A sitemap can be more useful when a site has important image, video, or news content to surface.
- Small, well-linked sites: Google says a sitemap may not be necessary for a site with about 500 or fewer pages intended for search results, comprehensive internal links to important pages, and little relevant rich media or news content. The 500-page figure is a rule of thumb, not a strict threshold.
Even when you use a sitemap, make important pages reachable through clear internal links. A sitemap complements site navigation; it does not replace it.
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