XML sitemaps

An XML sitemap lists the URLs you want search engines to crawl, with the date each one last changed. It helps Google and Bing find new and updated pages faster, especially on large sites or sites with few links pointing in.

RankKit SEO builds on the sitemaps that WordPress core already generates, so they are fast and cached, and it removes what shouldn't be there: noindexed content, attachment pages and anything you exclude. Sitemaps are on by default.

Your sitemap URL

The sitemap index is at:

https://example.com/wp-sitemap.xml

It links to one sitemap per content type, taxonomy and (if you include them) authors, for example /wp-sitemap-posts-post-1.xml and /wp-sitemap-taxonomies-category-1.xml. WordPress splits large lists into several numbered files.

If you used Yoast SEO or Rank Math before, /sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml redirect (301) to /wp-sitemap.xml, so any old submission keeps working.

Open it from RankKit SEO → Settings → Sitemaps → View sitemap, or from the Sitemap quick link on the Dashboard.

What's included

Included	Left out automatically
Published posts, pages and public custom post types	Posts set to noindex (No index in the editor's Robots Meta Override) and terms set to noindex
Categories, tags and public taxonomies (except post formats)	Content types and taxonomies set to noindex under Settings → Content types
A lastmod date for each post	Attachment (media) pages
Author pages, only if you turn them on	Content types and taxonomies you switch off in the settings

With WooCommerce, cart, checkout and My account pages are noindexed and left out, and hidden products are skipped. See WooCommerce SEO.

Settings

Go to RankKit SEO → Settings → Sitemaps. The XML sitemaps card says it best: "Built on WordPress core sitemaps: fast and cached. Noindexed content is left out automatically."

Setting	Default	What it does
Include content types	All on	One switch per public content type. Turn one off to drop it from the sitemap.
Include taxonomies	All on, except post formats	One switch per public taxonomy.
Include author pages	Off	Adds the author archive sitemap. Leave off on single-author sites, where author pages duplicate the blog.

Click Save changes.

To leave out a single post or page, don't look for a sitemap setting: mark it noindex in the editor: in the RankKit SEO panel, Advanced → Robots Meta Override → No index (in the Classic Editor, Advanced → Hide from search engines (noindex)). Noindexed URLs should never be in a sitemap. See Noindex, nofollow and canonical URLs.

Submit your sitemap

1. robots.txt: RankKit SEO adds Sitemap: https://example.com/wp-sitemap.xml to your virtual robots.txt automatically. See Edit robots.txt.
2. Google Search Console: open Sitemaps, enter wp-sitemap.xml and click Submit.
3. Bing Webmaster Tools: open Sitemaps and submit the same URL. For faster updates on Bing and others, turn on IndexNow.

Google and Bing retired their old "sitemap ping" URLs, so submitting once is enough. They re-read the sitemap on their own.

Integrations that add to the sitemap

• Multilingual sites: each URL lists its translations as xhtml:link hreflang alternates. See Multilingual SEO.
• Local SEO: locations.kml is added to the sitemap index. See Local SEO.

RankKit SEO Pro RankKit SEO Pro adds a Google News sitemap and a video sitemap, both listed in the sitemap index and robots.txt. See News and video sitemaps.

Turn sitemaps off

Go to RankKit SEO → Dashboard → Modules and turn off XML sitemaps. Do this only if another plugin generates your sitemap.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
/wp-sitemap.xml returns a 404	Settings → Reading → Discourage search engines from indexing this site is ticked. RankKit SEO turns sitemaps off while the site is hidden.	Untick it when the site goes live.
A page is missing	It is noindexed, its content type is excluded or noindexed, or it isn't published.	Check the Advanced section of the page's RankKit SEO panel and Settings → Content types.
The sitemap looks out of date	A page cache or CDN serves an old copy.	Clear the cache, or exclude wp-sitemap*.xml from caching.
A different sitemap appears	Another SEO or sitemap plugin is active and replaces core sitemaps.	Deactivate the other plugin's sitemap feature.

FAQ

Why does RankKit SEO use /wp-sitemap.xml instead of /sitemap.xml?

It builds on WordPress core sitemaps, which live at /wp-sitemap.xml. That keeps them fast and compatible. /sitemap.xml redirects there, so either URL works.

How do I remove one page from the sitemap?

Set the page to noindex in the Advanced section of the RankKit SEO panel: turn on Robots Meta Override and tick No index. A page you don't want indexed shouldn't be in the sitemap, and RankKit SEO removes it automatically.

Do I need to resubmit the sitemap after publishing?

No. Search engines re-read a submitted sitemap regularly, and each URL carries its last-modified date.