Whether you’re launching your personal blog or structuring a more professional website in WordPress, you might look for guidance to get helpful tips to create a new XML Sitemap for SEO.

After having published your website, you will want to make sure that the site will be properly crawled and indexed by search engines. To boost visibility, you will need not only to write persuasive and unique content but most importantly to check that your technical SEO is well-tested and validated without errors.

As part of the audit process, you might need to submit an XML sitemap file which generally helps with your technical SEO boosting your rankings.

What Is A Sitemap?

A Sitemap is an XML file that lists the URLs for a site. This file is important because informs Google saying which URLs a website owns and are available for crawling. Also, the sitemap provides further information about the internal structure of a website, as well as:

• List of URLs available
• Connections between links
• Latest updates on when pages or posts have been edited or published

Submitting a sitemap is not mandatory for SEO purposes. However, it is recommended if you have a large number of pages or blog posts, let’s say if you manage an eCommerce with 100+ items and a well-curated blog. In cases like these, a sitemap helps search engines provide info regarding URL connection and product categories of eCommerce.

Along with an XML Sitemap, you might need to submit a robot.txt file too. This is not mandatory either. A robot.txt helps you to avoid that specific pages being crawled and indexed by Search Engines. For example, you might want to exclude some images or duplicate pages.

Extra Tips: Learn more about how to create a robot.txt, Read this resource from Semrush.

If you’ve come this far, you’re ready to explore 3 tips to create a sitemap in WordPress!

3 WordPress Plugins to Create a Sitemap

a. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is one of the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress. If you do plan to have a robust tool, Yoast SEO is the right choice for you. Using the Free Version you have access to a number of features, for example:

• targeting 1 main keyword for a page or post;
• snippet preview;
• making use of the Breadcrumb Navigation;
• generating robots.txt and XML Sitemap.

Creating the XML Sitemap in Yoast SEO is straightforward: follow the following steps as shown in the screenshot below:

• General -> Features -> XML sitemaps -> ON

               Yoast SEO – Steps to generate a Sitemap

To download Yoast SEO, click here. 

b. All-in-One SEO Pack

All-in-One SEO plugin (AIOSEO) is certainly one of the best free WordPress SEO plugins. With over 2+ Million Active Installations it’s a popular option that is worth considering as a Yoast SEO alternative.

Its free version lets you add and optimize a number of features, including title and description meta tags, AMP, canonical tags and Sitemaps.

In particular, with the All in One SEO Pack you have the freedom to customise the sitemap including only specific pages, categories or images. Upgrading to the paid version unlocks features for creating sitemaps for video content as well. Click here to learn how to create a sitemap with the All in One SEO Pack.

To download the All in One SEO Pack, click here. 

c. Google XML Sitemaps

The last option suggested is the “Google XML Sitemaps” plugin. Compared to the previous two plugins, this solution is certainly straightforward but provides more advanced features than Yoast SEO.

Despite the given name, the plugin is able to generate XML files valid not only for Google but also for Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines. Follow the steps below to activate it:

Then:

Their advanced feature options allow users to set the page’s priority for indexation; setting content categories to be included in the XML file. Also, excluding the specific types of post categories or posts.

For further information about Google XML Sitemaps, click here.

Submit the Sitemap on Google Search Console

Do remember, as the last step, visit your Search Console to submit the XML just generated. See the screenshot below to process the action required. If you’re using Google Search Console, follow these steps:

Index -> Sitemaps ->  Add a New Sitemap: 

write: sitemap_index.xml

The crawling process begins with a list of web addresses from past crawls and sitemaps provided in the Webmaster Tool.

That’s it! ? Now wait a few days till your website will be fully accessible to users.

Conclusions.

Whether you are a seasoned SEO or a beginner, you might need to get tips to find out what plugins to install in WordPress to create a new XML sitemap. There is a wide range of plugins available in the market, which allow users to create sitemaps quickly, with a few clicks and for free. If you still need help optimising your website for SEO, drop me an email! I will be very glad to help!