An XML sitemap is a file that helps search engines find and index your content
Sitemaps speed up discovery of new pages
WordPress plugins like Yoast and Rank Math create your sitemap automatically
Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console
Sitemaps don’t directly boost rankings, but they help your pages to get found
If you’ve ever looked at your WordPress SEO plugin settings, you’ve probably noticed something called an “XML sitemap”.
Maybe you’ve wondered what it does or whether you need to worry about it. Many small business owners know sitemaps matter for SEO but aren’t quite sure why, or even what they are.
Here’s the short answer: without a sitemap, search engines can miss important pages on your website.
This happens more often than you’d think, especially with new websites, sites with lots of content, or pages that aren’t linked from your main navigation. Google’s crawlers are good at finding content, but they’re not perfect.
A sitemap gives them a clear map of everything on your site.
This guide explains what XML sitemaps are, how they benefit your SEO, and how to check yours is set up correctly. By the end, you’ll know whether your sitemap exists and whether it’s doing its job.
Table of Contents
What Is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file on your site that lists all the important pages on your website.
There’s no images or formatting.
It’s written in XML (Extensible Markup Language), a format that both people and software can read easily. The file sits on your web server and tells search engines like Google and Bing which pages you want them to find and index.
Think of it as a table of contents for search engines. Instead of crawling through your entire site hoping to find everything, they can read your sitemap and immediately see what pages exist.
This makes their job faster and more thorough.
Your sitemap typically lives at a URL like yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap.xml or yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml. Most WordPress SEO plugins create this file automatically and update it whenever you publish new content.
What Does an XML Sitemap Look Like?
When you view your sitemap file directly in a browser, you’ll see a list of URLs along with some additional information. Each page entry includes the URL, when it was last updated, and sometimes how often it changes.
The format looks technical, but you don’t need to understand the code. Your SEO plugin handles everything for you.
Larger websites often have multiple sitemaps grouped together in a sitemap index. You might have one sitemap for your blog posts, another for your pages, and another for products if you run an online shop.
How XML Sitemaps Help SEO
XML sitemaps help your SEO by making it easier for search engines to discover your content.
When you publish a new blog post, your sitemap signals to Google that fresh content exists. Without one, you’re relying on Google to find the new page through internal links or external references.
This matters most for new content. A recently launched website might take weeks or months for Google to fully discover on its own. A sitemap speeds this up considerably. It also helps with pages buried deep in your site structure or those that aren’t linked prominently from other pages.
Sitemaps improve crawl efficiency as well. Search engines allocate a certain amount of time and resources to crawling each website (known as “crawl budget”). If they waste time working out your site structure, they might not reach all your pages.
A sitemap lets them work smarter.
Do Sitemaps Directly Improve Rankings?
Having a sitemap doesn’t directly improve your search rankings. Google has confirmed this. Sitemaps help with crawling, not ranking. They ensure your pages get considered for Google’s index, but once there, your content competes on its own merits.
That said, a page can’t rank if it’s not indexed. So while sitemaps don’t give you a ranking boost, they remove a barrier that could prevent your pages from appearing in search results at all.
WordPress SEO Guide: How to Optimise Your Small Business Website
When Does Your Site Need an XML Sitemap?
Not every website strictly needs a sitemap. If your site has fewer than 10 pages and they’re all linked from your main navigation, Google will probably find everything anyway.
But why take the risk? Sitemaps are particularly valuable in certain situations.
New websites benefit because Google doesn’t know your site exists yet. A sitemap helps speed up initial discovery. Large websites with hundreds of pages need sitemaps to ensure nothing gets missed during crawling.
Sites with weak internal linking also benefit.
If some pages aren’t linked from others, a sitemap helps Google find them. The same applies to frequently updated content. If you publish new blog posts regularly, your sitemap tells Google when fresh content is available.
E-commerce sites are another good example. Product pages often have similar structures, and a sitemap helps search engines distinguish between them and understand which ones matter.
For most small business websites running WordPress, there’s no good reason to skip having a sitemap. The setup is automatic if you’re using a quality SEO plugin.
How to Create an XML Sitemap in WordPress
If you’re using WordPress with an SEO plugin, you probably already have a sitemap. Both Yoast SEO and Rank Math create sitemaps automatically when you install and activate them.
WordPress itself has basic built-in sitemap functionality since version 5.5, though the plugin versions offer more control and better features.
To check if you have a sitemap, visit yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap.xml or yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml.
If a list of your pages appears, your sitemap is working.
Using Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO creates your sitemap automatically when you activate the plugin. To confirm it’s enabled, go to Yoast SEO in your WordPress dashboard, then click Settings. Look for the Site features section and check that XML sitemaps is toggled on. Your sitemap will be available at yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml.
Yoast updates your sitemap automatically whenever you publish, update, or delete content. There’s nothing you need to do manually.
Using Rank Math
Rank Math also generates sitemaps automatically. To verify it’s working, go to Rank Math SEO in your WordPress dashboard, then click Sitemap Settings. Check the Sitemap module is enabled. Your sitemap will be at yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml.
Both plugins let you customise which content types appear in your sitemap. For most sites, the default settings work well. You can exclude specific pages if needed, such as thank you pages or privacy policies that you don’t want appearing in search results.
Submitting Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
Google will eventually find your sitemap on its own, especially if it’s referenced in your robots.txt file.
However, it’s good practise to submit it directly through Google Search Console. This tells Google exactly where to find it and gives you access to monitoring reports.
To submit your sitemap:
- Log into Google Search Console (you’ll need to verify your site first if you haven’t already)
- Click Sitemaps in the left-hand menu
- Enter your sitemap URL (usually sitemap_index.xml or sitemap.xml)
- Click Submit
After submission, Google will show you how many pages were discovered and whether any had errors. Check back after a few days to see if your pages are being indexed correctly.
You only need to submit your sitemap once. Google will continue checking it for updates automatically.
Common XML Sitemap Mistakes to Avoid
Even with automatic sitemap generation, problems can occur. Here are mistakes to watch out for:
Including noindex pages – If you’ve told Google not to index certain pages but they appear in your sitemap, you’re sending mixed signals. Most SEO plugins handle this automatically, but it’s worth checking.
Broken URLs – If your sitemap contains pages that return 404 errors, fix or remove them. Google Search Console will flag these issues for you.
Ignoring your sitemap status – Submit your sitemap to Search Console and actually review the reports. They’ll tell you if problems exist that need your attention.
Having multiple conflicting sitemaps – If you’ve installed more than one SEO plugin or use a sitemap generator alongside WordPress’s built-in version, you might have duplicate sitemaps confusing Google.
Pick just one solution.
Keep Your Sitemap Working for You
An XML sitemap won’t transform your search rankings overnight. But it removes friction between your content and Google’s ability to find it.
For a small business website, that’s worth the minimal effort involved.
If you’re using WordPress with Yoast SEO or Rank Math, your sitemap is probably already working. Take five minutes to verify it exists, confirm it’s submitted to Google Search Console, and check there are no errors.
That’s all the sitemap maintenance most small business owners need.
Frequently Asked Questions
An XML sitemap is a file listing all the important pages on your website in a format search engines can read. It helps Google and Bing find and crawl your content more efficiently. SEO plugins create this file automatically, and it usually sits at a URL like yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap.xml.
Most small business websites benefit from having a sitemap, even with only a handful of pages. It speeds up how quickly Google discovers your content and ensures nothing gets missed. Since WordPress SEO plugins create sitemaps automatically, there’s no reason not to have one.
No. A sitemap tells Google your pages exist, but it doesn’t guarantee they’ll be indexed or shown in search. Google still decides whether each page is worth adding to its index based on content quality, technical factors, and whether the page is blocked by other directives like noindex tags.
Visit yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap.xml or yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml in your browser. If a page appears listing your URLs, you have a working sitemap. If you get a 404 error, you may need to enable it in your SEO plugin settings or check that the plugin is installed correctly.
XML sitemaps are designed for search engines and contain technical data about your pages. HTML sitemaps are designed for human visitors and provide a visual overview of your site structure, usually as a page on your website. You can have both, but the XML version is what matters for SEO.
Yes. Yoast SEO generates an XML sitemap automatically when you activate the plugin. You can find it at yourwebsite.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml. The plugin updates your sitemap every time you publish, edit, or delete content.
Yes. Like Yoast, Rank Math generates and maintains your XML sitemap automatically. You can check the settings and view your sitemap URL by going to Rank Math SEO, then Sitemap Settings in your WordPress dashboard.
You don’t need to update it manually. WordPress SEO plugins like Yoast and Rank Math update your sitemap automatically whenever you publish new content or make changes to existing pages. The sitemap stays current without any effort from you.
Yes. Both Yoast SEO and Rank Math let you exclude specific pages, categories or entire content types from your sitemap. This is useful for pages like login screens, thank you pages, or duplicates that you don’t want appearing in search results.