How to Set Up an XML Sitemap in WordPress and Submit It to Google
An XML sitemap tells Google exactly what pages exist on your site and how often they change. Here is how to generate one, configure it correctly, and get it indexed fast.
A sitemap does not directly improve your rankings. What it does is make sure Google can find, crawl, and index every page you want ranked — reliably and quickly. For a new site or a large site with deep page structures, it is one of the highest-leverage technical SEO tasks you can complete in under 30 minutes.
What is an XML sitemap and why does it matter?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists every URL on your website that you want search engines to know about. It is written in a structured format that Google, Bing, and other search engines can read automatically. Think of it as a table of contents you hand directly to Googlebot.
Without a sitemap, Google discovers your pages by following links — starting from your homepage and crawling outward. For small, well-linked sites this is usually sufficient. But for sites with:
- Many pages not linked from the main navigation
- Frequently updated content (blog posts, product pages)
- New sites with little external authority
- Large e-commerce catalogues
…a sitemap ensures nothing slips through the cracks.
Submitting a sitemap does not guarantee that Google indexes every URL in it. Google still decides what to crawl and index based on quality signals. A sitemap removes the discovery barrier — it does not remove the quality barrier. Pages that are thin, duplicate, or noindexed will still not rank regardless of whether they are in your sitemap.
Generate a sitemap with Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO generates an XML sitemap automatically as soon as it is activated. You do not need to do anything to create it — it exists at yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml by default.
To verify it is enabled and configure what it includes:
In your WordPress dashboard, click on “Yoast SEO” in the left sidebar, then click “Settings” at the top of the Yoast panel.
Click “Site features” in the Yoast settings sidebar. Scroll to “XML sitemaps” and confirm the toggle is switched on.
Go to “Content types” in the Yoast settings. For each post type and taxonomy, you can toggle whether it appears in the sitemap. Set any content type you have marked as “noindex” to be excluded from the sitemap.
Visit yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml in your browser. You will see sub-sitemaps listed for posts, pages, categories, and any custom post types. This is the URL you submit to Google.
Yoast generates a sitemap index — a parent file that links to individual sub-sitemaps for each content type (post-sitemap.xml, page-sitemap.xml, etc.). Submit only the index URL (/sitemap_index.xml) to Google Search Console — Google will find and process all sub-sitemaps automatically.
Generate a sitemap with Rank Math
Rank Math also generates a sitemap automatically. By default your sitemap is at yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml — the same URL as Yoast. If you switch between plugins, the URL stays consistent.
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Rank Math → Sitemap Settings. This panel gives you full control over everything the sitemap includes.
If the Sitemap module is not already active, go to Rank Math → Dashboard → Modules and toggle “Sitemap” on.
In Sitemap Settings, you will see toggles for Posts, Pages, Categories, Tags, and any custom post types. Enable only content types you want Google to index. Exclude author archives and date archives unless they contain unique value.
Rank Math lets you include images in your sitemap. Enable this — it helps Google discover images for Google Image Search and can drive additional organic traffic.
What to include and exclude from your sitemap
Not every URL on your site should be in your sitemap. Including low-quality or noindexed pages wastes crawl budget and can signal poor site quality to Google.
Include in your sitemap
- All published blog posts and articles
- All key landing pages and service pages
- WooCommerce product pages and main category pages
- Your homepage, About page, Contact page
- Any page you actively want to rank on Google
Exclude from your sitemap
- Pages marked noindex in your SEO plugin
- Thank-you pages and confirmation pages
- Login, register, and account pages
- Tag archives if they have thin content (fewer than 5 posts each)
- Paginated archive pages (
/page/2/,/page/3/) - Admin, search results, and 404 pages
| Content type | Include in sitemap? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Published posts & pages | Yes | Core indexable content |
| Product pages (WooCommerce) | Yes | Core e-commerce content |
| Category archives | Conditional | Include if they have 5+ posts and unique descriptions |
| Tag archives | Usually no | Often thin — noindex and exclude |
| Author archives | No | Thin content; exclude unless multi-author site |
| Search result pages | No | These should always be noindexed |
| Login / checkout pages | No | Not indexable content |
Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console
Generating a sitemap is only half the job. You need to actively tell Google where it is. Google Search Console is where you do this.
Go to search.google.com/search-console. Select your property (your domain). If you have not verified your site yet, do that first — Yoast SEO can insert the verification meta tag for you.
Under the “Indexing” section in the left navigation, click “Sitemaps.”
In the “Add a new sitemap” field, enter sitemap_index.xml (Search Console already knows your domain). Click Submit. Google will confirm the sitemap was received.
Return to the Sitemaps report. You will see the number of URLs discovered versus the number indexed. A gap between discovered and indexed is normal and expected — it means Google found the pages but has not yet decided to index all of them.
When your sitemap shows “Success” in Search Console, it means Google successfully fetched and read the file. It does not mean every URL is indexed. The “Discovered — currently not indexed” status is common for new or lower-authority pages — it means Google found them but is still evaluating whether to index them.
Submit to Bing Webmaster Tools
Google is not the only search engine worth considering. Bing powers Microsoft search, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo’s results — collectively representing 5–10% of search traffic depending on your industry and audience. Submitting your sitemap to Bing takes two minutes.
- Go to bing.com/webmasters and sign in with a Microsoft account
- Add your site and verify ownership (Bing accepts the same HTML meta tag as Google)
- Go to Sitemaps → Submit sitemap, enter your sitemap index URL, and click Submit
- Bing also supports automatic sitemap import from Google Search Console — enable this in Bing Webmaster Tools settings to keep both in sync
Monitor and maintain your sitemap
Submitting your sitemap is not a one-time task. As your site grows, your sitemap needs regular attention.
- Check Search Console monthly — review the Sitemaps and Coverage reports for new errors, excluded URLs, or a growing gap between discovered and indexed pages
- Your sitemap updates automatically — both Yoast SEO and Rank Math regenerate the sitemap file every time you publish or update a post, so new content is included immediately without any action from you
- Re-submit after major restructuring — if you change your URL structure, merge categories, or delete a large number of posts, re-submit your sitemap to prompt Google to recrawl and update its index
- Check for noindex conflicts — pages that are both in your sitemap and marked noindex send contradictory signals to Google. Audit quarterly: every URL in your sitemap should be indexable
- Monitor crawl budget on large sites — sites with 500+ indexable pages should review the Coverage report to ensure Google is crawling the right pages and not wasting budget on thin archives
A well-configured sitemap removes the discovery barrier for Google — it ensures every page you want ranked gets found, crawled, and considered for indexing.
Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math, verify your sitemap at /sitemap_index.xml, configure what is included and excluded, submit to Google Search Console, and check the Sitemaps report monthly. It takes 30 minutes once and pays dividends indefinitely.
Need an SEO-ready WordPress site built for you?
Simple Automation Solutions builds WordPress websites for businesses worldwide — with sitemap, schema, speed, and technical SEO configured correctly from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Does WordPress automatically create a sitemap? +
WordPress has included a basic XML sitemap since version 5.5. However, it is very basic — it lists pages and posts but gives you no control over what is included or excluded. An SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math generates a much more configurable sitemap that is better suited for serious SEO purposes.
How long does it take Google to index my sitemap? +
After submitting your sitemap in Google Search Console, Google typically begins crawling within 24–72 hours. Full indexing of all submitted URLs can take days to weeks depending on your site’s authority and how often Googlebot visits. You can track progress in Search Console under the Coverage and Sitemaps reports.
Should I include all pages in my WordPress sitemap? +
No. Only include pages you want Google to index — your published posts, key pages, and product pages. Exclude login pages, thank-you pages, tag archives with thin content, paginated archives, and any URL with a noindex meta tag. Submitting low-quality pages in your sitemap wastes crawl budget and can signal low site quality to Google.
