Effective indexing of a site, especially if it is still very young, requires the use of a so-called site map. It's simple text file XML format, which contains all available resource links based on the settings. They inform search bots about the priority of links, their update frequency, date and location. This is an important part of working on a website, so let’s look at several plugins for creating a sitemap on WordPress.
The site map was first introduced in June 2005 by Google. Since then and to this day, all search engines have supported it, as mentioned above, for better and easier indexing and scanning of the resource. But you should also understand that it does not affect rankings. And if the question arises: “Does it have to exist?” The answer is no. A site without it will still work and be included in the index, but with certain difficulties.
The fact is that Sitemap XML makes it much easier for bots to find site URLs and understand their structure. It serves as a navigation for search engines and collection of technical data such as updates, date, etc. Let's dive into our selection of Sitemap plugins.
Dynamic Sitemap.xml
One moment... Before we move on to the next step, I’ll clarify about the physical files sitemap.xml or sitemap.xml.gz in the root of the site. All this is an outdated format. For some time now, all plugins of this category have moved to a new level. They use a dynamic sitemap, which does not require manual creation of files, as was the case in the past.
The map file is created virtually, that is, you only need to install the necessary plugin, configure it as desired and see the result. But be sure to indicate the card address. Example – http://site.ru/sitemap.xml
This is one of the most popular SEO plugins with a large number of different parameters and additional modules. One of these is the site map, which is connected to the tab “All in One SEO Pack – Module Management”. The settings contain all the important details, from priority to the selection of records for indexing.
Official video of an example of Sitemap settings
Warning! There is no need to create a sitemap using several plugins at the same time. One more suitable option of your choice is enough. Be it a separate plugin or an additional module, but only to use it alone. Otherwise, a conflict and incorrect operation may occur.
Yoast SEO
The second plugin is also from the SEO category and is also very popular. In it the map is included on the tab “SEO – Dashboard – Features – Advanced settings pages”. After which new functions will appear in the main menu.
One of the very first, nowadays, popular plugins that generates Sitemap. It doesn't have any other tools and does only one thing - create a sitemap. It is stable and will not affect the load or speed of the site in any way.
How to add a sitemap to search engines
After you generate the map, make all the necessary settings, check its availability, all we have to do is add it in the search engine webmaster’s account.
Yandex. Go to your account using the link https://webmaster.yandex.ru. Log in and select your site. On the left side of the panel, open the “Indexing – Sitemap Files” tab. At the top of the page there is a line to indicate the card address. We register and click the “Add” button.
Google. We go into the master's office http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ under your login, select your site. On the left toolbar, open the “Crawling - Sitemaps” tab. There is an add button at the top, you need to click on it and enter the address.
Bing. Opening the webmaster's account https://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster, you can enter under accounts Microsoft. Select your site and click on the “Site Settings – Sitemap” tab in the left panel. At the top there is also a line where you need to enter the address and click on the “Send” button.
Today we will analyze the generation of sitemap.xml for WordPress. There are special online services that generate such a map, their disadvantage is that it has to be created anew each time.
The WordPress sitemap is generated automatically using plugins that update it every time a new article is added. First, let's find out why a sitemap is needed for WordPress, and then we'll move on to automatically creating it.
Why do you need an XML sitemap for WordPress?
We already know that text indicates search engine, what information should be indexed and what should not. But the XML sitemap for WordPress performs the function of organizing: what to index first, and what is less important for indexing; how often it is necessary to reindex certain pages.
A WordPress sitemap will help search engine crawlers explore your site. It is a guide that helps the search engine index site pages faster, therefore. Let's look at the technical content of this file.
XML sitemap - information file xml format, containing instructions for search engines (addresses of all pages of the site, the priority of each of them from 0% to 100%, frequency of page changes and the last change made on the page).
For sitemap WordPress blog set the following indicator values:
- lastmod - for pages and posts you need to set the value of the last change, and for the main page the value of the most recent modification date of any post.
- changefreq - update daily for the main page, weekly for posts, and monthly for pages.
- priority - home page= 1, posts = 0.9, pages = 0.5
Now let's look at two plugins for creating a sitemap - (this plugin for SEO optimization has already been discussed on the blog) and the Google XML Sitemaps plugin. The advantages of the first include:
- no intrusive links to the author’s website
- cleaner map view
- no additional load (if you are already using this plugin, you will not have to install additional ones, thereby loading the blog)
All in One SEO Pack plugin creates a sitemap for WordPress
This plugin appeared relatively recently, so not everyone knows about it yet. To create a site map WordPress plugin All in One Seo Pack will be the best option.
Installation:
I hope that you have already installed this plugin and updated it to latest version. In the sidebar, find the link “ SEO Tools" Select " Other modules" and activate the module " XML site map" A new link will appear in the sidebar to go to the map management page.
I would like to note that next to each setting there is a question mark, when you click on it, a hint pops up. But if you don’t want to deal with the settings, then just set my values: 
Main features of sitemap settings:
- Integration of additional pages and third-party resources.
- Possibility of excluding individual pages (usually static) from the record map.
- Settings for priority and scanning frequency. Enter the values shown in the previous screenshot.
- The biggest advantage of the settings is the “ Dynamic sitemap" It allows you to automatically generate a sitemap for WordPress every time you access the address your_site/sitemap.xml. Check the box next to this item, and you won’t have to re-create the sitemap every time. A dynamic map does not create a sitemap.xml file in the root of the site, but generates a map on the fly. Therefore, robots.txt must contain a link to the sitemap, otherwise search engines will not find it.
Google XML Sitemaps plugin
This plugin is not as convenient as the previous one, but it is very popular (I think that not everyone still knows about the new features of All in One Seo Pack). Therefore, Google XML Sitemaps are also worth considering in this article.
The word “Google” in the name of the plugin does not mean that only this search engine will index your site. Sitemap.xml - universal format, equally indexed by any search engine. The plugin installation is standard. We will look at the latest (at the time of writing) version - 4.0.4.
One of the advantages of the plugin, as in All in One Seo Pack, is generating a sitemap on the fly(sitemap.xml is also not created in the root of the site). If there was already a previously created sitemap (sitemap.xml file) in the root folder, the plugin will require its removal - agree.
The settings of the Google plugin differ little from the previous one. I also advise you to use my configuration: 
Adding a WordPress sitemap to search engines.
First, you should check if your robots.txt file contains a link to /sitemap.xml.
Go to Yandex.Webmaster, find the tab “ Indexing Settings» -> « Sitemaps" Enter the address of your sitemap in the input form.
You can also check the correctness of the created map using the corresponding button in the webmaster. If no errors are found, click the " Add».
With Google everything is similar: go to Webmaster to the “ tab Optimization» -> « Sitemaps».
So, you have created a sitemap.xml for WordPress, thereby making the work of search robots easier. But don’t forget that your resource is not for machines, but for people! Work first of all on its usefulness for users, then search engines it will definitely be appreciated.
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Good afternoon, dear readers of the blog site. Today I decided to tell you about the Google XML Sitemaps plugin, which helps improve mutual understanding between you and It is difficult to imagine in the current realities a webmaster who would neglect such an opportunity.
It’s no secret that modern projects on the Internet are aimed at maximizing the attraction of new readers to their resource. This plugin helps them with this, which automatic mode updates the sitemap.xml file when new articles are added to your site.
Let's take a closer look at how to install this plugin and how correct setting Google XML Sitemaps will allow you to increase the speed of indexing of your articles, and this is a very important point in blogging.
So, to install this plugin, go to the administrative WordPress panel and in the “Plugins” tab (1) click “Add new” (2).
On the page that opens, in the “Search for plugins” field, enter Google XML Sitemaps and press “Enter”.
As a result of the search, click the “Install” button as shown in the picture below.
After a few seconds you will see that the plugin has been successfully installed. Click on the active field that says “Activate Plugin”.
This completes the installation. As you can see, searching and activating a plugin is similar to the plugins that I talked about and. If you haven't read these articles yet, be sure to read them! I think you will find them useful.
Setting up Google XML Sitemaps
To customize this plugin for yourself, go to the “Plugins” tab and in its descriptions click “Settings”.
Basic parameters
In the window that opens, in the “Basic parameters” menu there are 6 submenus.
Let's take a closer look at what exactly each of them means.
- The first two points indicate that you agree to notification of search engines Google systems and Bing about changes to your blog.
- The third item allows you to add the sitemap address to the virtual one. To be honest, I still don’t fully understand why this is needed, and on the Internet there are two opinions: you need to leave it active and uncheck it. Because this item is active by default, I decided to join the first group of users and did not change anything.
- The next two items “Try to increase the memory limit” and “Try to increase the usage time limit” are needed to reduce the load on your site. This can mainly be useful for people with a lot of articles, pictures, videos and audios. These settings are made individually for each project, and if you change them, you can harm your article indexing. I would advise you to ignore this point.
- Item “Try to automatically compress the sitemap...” I also leave it inactive.
- The next item “Include sitemap in HTML” allows you to make your sitemap available in HTML format.
- The last item of this menu “Allow anonymous statistics” allows anonymous sending of statistics without transfer of personal data. I forbade it here.
Additional pages
The next menu with the fewest settings is “Advanced Pages.”
It allows you to add third-party pages to your sitemap, that is, those that do not belong to your blog.
Article priorities
Next is the “Article Priorities” menu.
I advise you to select the first option, since this means that not a single article posted on your site will receive priority in the process of placing it in the XML map. In fact, priority does not have any decisive meaning in indexing and calculating the number of comments will only create unnecessary load on your server.
- Here we tick the types of pages that will be included in your map. By default, the program selects the first three items. I would advise you to also check the fourth line “Include categories”. This is due to the fact that category pages are an additional entry point for visitors from search engines. It would be foolish to refuse them. Is not it?
- The last item “Include the last...” Adds the date and time of last changes to records. Search engines use this information to make timely changes to the pages they return.
Excluded categories
The next section is “Excluded categories”.
At this point, you can exclude any categories from the created map or individual articles by entering their identifier separated by commas in the lower field.
Let me remind you that you can view the ID by going to the “Posts” menu in the WordPress admin. Next, by hovering your cursor over the article you need, in the lower left corner of your browser, you will see the numeric identifier you are interested in.
Change frequencies
Next menu « Change frequencies."
It allows you to set the scanning frequency search robots your content. What I liked most was the honesty and openness of the developers of this service. They indicate in the header that the specified values are not a priority for search engines. This means that, despite the specified values, search engines will visit your pages at the time they want.
Priorities
Well, the last setting item is “Priorities”.
Here you can set priorities from 0 to 1 for each item. I didn’t touch anything at home and left it as default.
This completes the configuration of this service, click “Update parameters” and do not forget to add Sitemap.xml to search engines. I will tell you how to do this in one of the following articles. So don't miss her release.
I guess I'll finish for today. If you have any questions, don’t be shy – write in the comments.
Video “How to install and configure the Google XML Sitemaps plugin”
In the video I tell you everything in detail and show you specific example. So I wish you a pleasant and, most importantly, useful viewing. I also recommend subscribing to our YouTube channel, there is a lot of interesting stuff there!
Wondering how you create a sitemap? Share your experience!
Anton Kalmykov
Good afternoon, dear readers!
Indexing web resources by search engines is a complex matter. And not only for webmasters, but also for the search engines themselves and their robots. To make their task easier, such a thing as a sitemap.xml was invented. With its help, robots will be able to navigate the pages of your project. For example, see categories, tags, pages with some non-standard content, etc.
Sitemap is important both for article writers and for other projects, such as online stores, photo stocks or even landing pages (especially if they contain more than one page). Today we will talk about how this very sitemap can be created, we will also touch on the topic of the most preferred option for WordPress.
I’ll tell you in more detail why a Sitemap is needed. This is a file with links to blog/site pages that notifies search engines about the current structure of the resource.
It can be either static or dynamic. The first is relevant for the same static, non-updating web resources.
Such a site map is easily created using an automatic generator and placed in the root folder of the resource. The second option is relevant for most projects - all changes in the content are taken into account and automatically entered into the xml file.
This feed can then be added to Yandex.Webmaster and Search Console. Thanks to this, search engines will know about all the changes that occur on your resource. Be it the release of a new article or a simple change in the number on the contact page.
Naturally, in the case of a static file created using the generator, you will have to upload it to the root again, manually. Not the most convenient option, but if your site is written in pure html + css and is updated once a year, then this is still tolerable.
If you work with a CMS, such as WordPress, then this process can be simplified and accelerated as much as possible. With the help of plugins you can forget about any manual manipulations. You just need to organize the work of such an extension, configure everything and then send the link to the above-mentioned services. It's simple, no pain. We'll talk about how to do this later.
How to Create Sitemap.xml for WordPress
A sitemap, as I already said, can be created by the most different ways. To the point of writing it manually. But let’s not dwell on this, let’s move on to consider more adequate methods.
You can create a sitemap using:
- online generator;
- programs (the same generator, just not online);
- plugins;
- manually.
Let's talk about all these options in more detail.
Online generators and programs
With their help you will create a static version of sitemap.xml. It will not be updated, so it is suitable for projects in which changes do not occur so often. Please note that each time to keep your map up to date, you will have to re-enter the service and generate it, then replacing the old file with a new one.
If your web resource is updated every day, then this sitemap variation does not look very attractive. However, in some circumstances you can afford this method. For example, if your website is a business card or landing page with several pages and information about the company.
The same applies to generator programs (usually paid ones). You simply create a non-updatable xml file and upload it to the host with using FTP or file manager. In theory, of course, you can bring this method to fruition by making it semi-automatic. But there is no need for that, because with the help of special extensions you can create a dynamic sitemap and completely forget about such problems.
So, examples of online services for creating sitemaps:
- XML-Sitemaps (up to 500 pages),
- Free Sitemap Generator (up to 5,000 pages),
How it works?
The same applies to software products. But I won’t talk about them here, so you can look for information about it yourself.
Here I will note that some online services offer a paid option for use, which consists of an unlimited number of pages or bringing the process to semi-automation. The site map is regularly updated using the built-in tools of such services. All you have to do is set up autoloading. I think this is a crutch, especially for CMS, including WordPress.
Plugins
This is where we move on to the main part of this material. Plugins, in my opinion, are the most preferred way to create a sitemap. Thanks to these great extensions, you don't have to keep up to date or download anything. strange files. You just need to click the “Install” button directly in the admin panel - and you’re done.
There are a great many plugins with which you can do this. Below I will give a list of the most popular and popular ones, and also briefly talk about each of them.
- Yoast SEO
A multifunctional SEO plugin, which, among other things, also includes a tool automatic creation sitemap. It is enabled by default, so immediately after installation you will receive a ready-made map. You can find it at: site.ru/sitemap_index.xml. Interestingly, the plugin creates separate sitemaps for posts, categories, tags and archives. In theory, it will be even easier for search engines to navigate all these elements.
- All in One SEO Pack
There is also the opportunity to create sitemaps. It is an analogue of the previous plugin and its direct competitor. Like Yoast SEO, the map is automatically generated and kept up to date.
- Google XML Sitemaps
But this is a specialized solution for automatically generating sitemap.xml. Google Sitemaps will allow you to create a neat sitemap that will be supported by almost all search engines.
It is noteworthy that this plugin has over a million installations. Most of these users also have feature-rich solutions installed. They simply disable these functions, giving preference to Google XML Sitemaps.
This extension is easy to install and configure. Support has been provided for 9 years, so the developers can definitely be trusted (a big plus for millions of installations). I definitely recommend it as one of the best ways.
- XML Sitemap & Google News feeds
Two in one. With this add-on you can create not only an xml map, but also an additional feed for Google News. Now the plugin has more than 100,000 installations, so I advise you to pay attention to it too. As with the rest of the variations, the tuning is easy to reproduce.
- Google Sitemap by BestWebSoft
An increasingly popular plugin with support for the Russian language. It’s simple: install it on your WordPress resource, after which files in xml format are generated for all your taxonomies.
You can find a huge number of plugins in the catalog different solutions– good and not so good. In any case, I recommend installing only proven products with good reviews and background in the form of time or number of installations. Under other circumstances, you risk a fiasco due to a low-quality product.
I also note that some of the presented extensions require configuration. Take this fact into account.
Manually
A method that requires time, knowledge and patience. Very impractical, by the way. In general, you will have to figure out the xml markup syntax, and then one by one enter all the data of your portal there. Even if your web resource only has a few dozen pages, you still have to work hard, entering the data for each into an xml document. Let alone hundreds and thousands, when you will simply go crazy if you try to implement it with your hands.
You will have to manually enter everything, from the url to any image contained in the article or on the page. Of course, you will need to monitor the syntax and correctness of filling out such data. If you make any mistakes, search engines simply will not accept your file. Be extremely careful when choosing this method. Most likely, this is only advisable for your own development and studying xml markup, but nothing more.
What to do next with the card
To help search engines find a map of your project, you can use services such as Yandex.Webmaster and Search Console. Each of them has tools for sending sitemaps, as well as data on all errors that could have occurred during its generation. You need to know the exact link to the map in order to add it. As a rule, it lies right at the root. Therefore, to go to the xml file you only need to specify its name and format.
Adding to Yandex.Webmaster
Go to Webmaster, and then select our site (if there are several of them). Next, go to the Indexing tab – Sitemap Files. This is where we will manage the sitemap files for our project. Copy the sitemap address into the field, then click “Add”.
After you add the file to the service, you can click on the arrow icon to have the search engine start reading the file.
Search Console
We go to the console, after which we go to the Scanning – Sitemap files section. Otherwise everything is the same. We add the file and check it for errors.
Conclusion
I hope you now understand what a sitemap is and why it is needed. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in creating it. You just need to know the ways in which you can implement this matter.
How exactly to generate a sitemap is up to you. But I must note that for WordPress the most preferred method is plugins. Moreover, most multifunctional SEO plugins have this option built in, but you still have to choose some SEO plugin.
Sitemap is extremely important for search engine optimization, and if you want to know more about it, then I invite you to . In it you will consider all aspects of SEO optimization of projects.
That's all, thanks for your attention.
The topic of a sitemap for WordPress has already been raised several times on the blog. If we talk about XML Sitemap for search engines, then I previously recommended a plugin of the same name. Now this functionality is available in the latest version (and there is no point in installing both modules).
As for the HTML sitemap, it is used for additional user navigation. I usually played for her. However, the plugin, although working, stopped being updated a couple of years ago. So it's time to look for an alternative. What are we going to do today?
A module with a hierarchical sitemap without additional css or js files, only in pure PHP. I found an article about it in one of the English-language blogs, although this is our development, here is the author’s blog with information on installing the plugin.
This solution allows you to quickly and easily display a list of blog posts by category while maintaining the hierarchy of posts. Main features of the module:
- Ability to add pages to the site map.
- There is a small navigation on the map displaying all categories.
- Exclusion of certain posts/categories.
- Date display.
- Clean code without unnecessary files and styles.
Here's what a map from the Hierarchical HTML Sitemap roughly looks like:
To insert a sitemap, use a shortcode that has Extra options:
- — exclude records;
- - exclude categories;
- — add pages;
- — hide navigation on the site map;
- — display short description categories;
- — hide publication date;
The module is relatively new, so there are only 600 downloads, although the rating is very good - 5 out of 5. Compatible from WP 3.0 to 4.1.7 at the moment.
HTML Page Sitemap
HTML Page Sitemap is a fairly simple sitemap in functionality that only works with pages, not posts. That is, WordPress is suitable for projects like websites, not blogs.
An element is added to the page using a shortcode. In this case, you can use almost all the settings that are in : exclude, include, sort_order, depth, sort_column, child_of, authors, number, meta_key, meta_value and offset, for example:
- — site map of no more than 3 levels of nesting with excluded pages whose ID is 555;
- — displaying subpages for the current page;
- — a list of pages sorted by the menu_order parameter, displaying the date of modification.
Essentially, the module allows you to add the wp_list_pages function to a website page as a shortcode. Perhaps this will be useful for someone. It is similar in functionality except for the use of miniatures in the latter. There are more than 30 thousand installations here, rating 4.3, supported from WP 2.7 to the latest versions.
Simple Sitemap
The authors of the Simple Sitemap module claim that this is the most easy way create a sitemap for wordpress. You just need to add the shortcode to your page or widget. A distinctive opportunity this decision there is a sorting element for posts/pages in the site map - by title, date, categories, author and tag. The module has been downloaded more than 40 thousand times, the rating is 4.8, which is quite good.
PS Auto Sitemap
PS Auto Sitemap is a plugin for automatically building an HTML sitemap. It is easy to install for beginners and has different settings for advanced users. Main functions:
- Show/exclude different categories, individual posts and pages.
- Limiting the depth of the sitemap.
- Specifying the sorting of records.
- Select a sitemap design style from 12 basic options.
- Whether or not to use cached content.
In principle, all the features of the plugin are more or less standard, the only thing that sets it apart from others is the basic design styles. The plugin has been downloaded more than 200 thousand times, rating is 5.
WP SEO HTML Sitemap
I bring to your attention another interesting module - WP SEO HTML Sitemap. It contains a responsive sitemap that will be a great addition to your XML Sitemap. If you already have the WordPress SEO by Yoast module installed, then the sitemap will use all its settings when creating HTML versions. In addition, it has the following capabilities:
- determining the number of columns to display, which look great in all modern browsers;
- Multilingual support when displaying the site map;
- adaptability for different devices;
- no validation errors according to W3C Markup Validation;
- possibility of switching off CSS styles;
- there is a link to your XML Sitemap.
The sitemap display here is really quite unusual.
I like. The advantages definitely include adaptability, multilingualism and other very unique module options. More than 3 thousand users downloaded it.
Simple Wp Sitemap
The Simple Wp Sitemap plugin is designed to create both sitemaps - XML and HTML. Its distinctive feature is that the sitemap.xml and sitemap.html files are created dynamically and are not “part” of the site. That is, no physical page is created on the card. This seems to avoid errors of missing or accidental deletion of relevant files. However, the site map looks a little simple:
By the way, you can add other pages to it that are not part of your WordPress site. In the same way, unnecessary materials can be excluded. The Simple Wp Sitemap plugin supports caching. The number of installations is more than 10 thousand, the minimum supported system version is 4.0, the plugin rating is 5.
WP Sitemap Page
To create a sitemap using the WP Sitemap Page module (after installing it), use the shortcode. Everything is set up quite easily; both posts and pages are included in the map. The module downloads are about 80 thousand, the rating is 4.8.
Main features of WP Sitemap Page:
- support for custom post types;
- display taxonomies;
- select to display only pages or posts;
- excluding materials from the map (both posts and custom types);
- hierarchical display of categories;
- multilingual support;
- the ability to customize the map display through the WP admin panel;
- Availability of special CSS design styles.
Total. I tried to describe each HTML sitemap module in as much detail as possible. Unfortunately, we simply didn’t have time to install them all; we had to be content with descriptions and screenshots of the plugins on wordpress.org. However, this information is quite enough to evaluate the pros and cons of each solution.
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