How to Create XML Sitemap in WordPress?

May 18, 2021

How to Create XML Sitemap in WordPress?

An XML (eXtensible Markup Language) sitemap acts as a roadmap for your website, helping Google find and crawl all your essential web pages. This is especially useful for pages with no internal links, which can otherwise be overlooked. By improving crawlability, XML sitemaps boost your website’s visibility on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Source: Reddit

What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all of your site’s content in an XML format, making it easier for search engines to quickly crawl and index your content. It also refines the hierarchy of links, signaling which pages are most important and how often they are updated.

By providing this roadmap, an XML sitemap ensures that even pages with few or no internal links can still be discovered. As a result, your content is more likely to appear on SERPs, driving visibility and organic traffic.

An XML sitemap is also beneficial for new websites, which may not yet have any backlinks. Search engines such as Google allows site owners to submit their sitemap through webmaster tools. In doing so, they help search engine bots easily find and index their page content.

For established websites, XML sitemaps remain just as valuable. They highlight which parts of the website are more important. They also show which features are more frequently updated, helping search engines to visit and index content accordingly.

How to Create an XML Sitemap in WordPress

There are several ways to create an XML sitemap in WordPress. For this guide, we’ll focus on three of the most widely used methods.

Create an XML Sitemap without a Plugin

Since WordPress 5.5, a basic XML sitemap feature has been built into the platform. This allows any website (new or established) to automatically generate an XML sitemap without using a plugin.

To access it, you can simply add ‘wp-sitemap.xml’ to the end of your domain name. WordPress will then display your default XML sitemap. The only downside to using this method is that it lacks flexibility. You cannot easily customize or remove items from the generated sitemap.

Create an XML Sitemap using All in One SEO

One of the easier ways to create an XML sitemap in WordPress is through the All in One SEO Plugin. The plugin offers a more advanced and customizable way to create XML sitemaps, along with a suite of SEO tools to optimize your content.

Follow these easy steps:

Install and activate the plugin.
After activating the plugin, head to the sitemaps page to check your sitemap settings.
By default, it will enable the Sitemap feature, which automatically replaces the sitemaps created by WordPress.
Click on the “Open Sitemap” button to see how it looks. You can also do this by adding sitemap.xml to your URL—for example, https://www.websitename.com/sitemap.xml.
Customize the sitemap settings to control the items that you want to add or remove in your sitemap.
Scroll down to the Sitemap settings section to manage your sitemap indexes, post types, categories, and tags. It also allows you to enable XML sitemaps for author- or date-based archives.
To add external pages in your WordPress sitemap, scroll down and enable the Additional Pages section. It will display a form to add custom pages that you want to include in your sitemap.
Paste the page URL, set its priority (0.3 is recommended), and then choose its update frequency and its last modified date.
Click “Add New” if you want to add more pages.
Click “Save Changes” to store your settings.

Create an XML Sitemap using Yoast SEO

The Yoast SEO plugin automatically enables XML sitemaps for your WordPress site, covering posts, pages, authors, categories, and more.

Here’s how:

Install and activate the Yoast SEO plugin.
After activation, click on SEO to find the General page. Click on the “Features” tab to find and enable the “XML Sitemap” option.
Click on “Save Changes” to store the changes made.
Verify the creation of the sitemap by clicking on the question mark icon beside the XML Sitemap option on the page.
Click on “See the XML Sitemap” to preview the XML sitemap.
You can also do this by adding xml after your website address—for example, https://www.websitename.com/sitemap_index.xml.

Submit Your XML Sitemap to Google Search Console

Once your XML sitemap is ready, the next step is to your Google Search Console. This free tool allows you to:

Help Google easily locate your sitemap;
Check if all your sitemap pages are indexed, and
Monitor site performance and trouble shoot crawl issues.

By submitting your sitemap, you improve Google’s ability to crawl and rank your content, giving your website stronger visibility on SERPs.

Boost Web SEO with XML Sitemaps!

As shown, creating an XML sitemap for your business website greatly supports your search engine optimization efforts. If you already have an up and running business website, adding an XML sitemap in WordPress ensures better visibility on search results.

Take the next step in strengthening your online presence and maximize your website’s SEO potential with expertise in WordPress design and development in the Philippines!

This article was updated on August 29, 2025.

FAQs About XML Sitemaps

Why is an XML sitemap important for SEO?

For SEO, having an updated XML sitemap ensures that new blog posts, product pages, or updated content are quickly recognized by search engines, improving your chances of ranking faster and more accurately. It’s a foundational element of technical SEO that supports better site health and discoverability.

Should every website have an XML sitemap?

Yes, nearly every website benefits from having an XML sitemap, especially sites with more than 20 pages, dynamic content, or complex navigation. E-commerce stores, blogs, and large corporate sites particularly need sitemaps to ensure all product and article pages are indexed.

Even small sites gain efficiency and future-proof SEO, supporting faster indexing, especially after site launches or major updates.

Can a wrong XML sitemap hurt my website’s SEO?

Yes, a poorly configured or outdated XML sitemap can indirectly harm your SEO. Including broken links, duplicate content, or low-quality pages (like thin or private content) may waste crawl budget — the number of pages search engines are willing to crawl. This can delay indexing of important pages.

Also, sitemaps with incorrect syntax or 404 errors won’t be processed properly. Always validate your sitemap using Google Search Console and remove irrelevant or outdated URLs. A clean, accurate sitemap improves crawl efficiency and supports better indexing, which strengthens overall SEO performance.

About Xenia Labis

Bridging technology with business goals, Xenia Labis is a Custom and Business Applications Specialist at Syntactics, Inc. With over 7 years of experience, she specializes in custom software solutions, project management, and requirements analysis, helping businesses streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and achieve measurable growth through technology-driven strategies.

Find more about me on: