When you create a website, publishing useful pages and articles is only part of the process. You also need to make it easier for search engines to discover the URLs you want them to find.
A website sitemap can help with this task. It provides information about important pages, posts, images, videos, or other content on a website, depending on the sitemap format.
If you are new to website management, the word sitemap might sound technical. However, many website platforms, including WordPress, can generate sitemaps automatically. In many cases, you do not need to create one manually.
In this guide, you will learn how to create a website sitemap step by step, find a sitemap on a WordPress website, check whether it works, and submit it to Google Search Console.
What Is a Website Sitemap?
A website sitemap is a file or page that lists important URLs associated with a website.
Search engines can use sitemaps as additional information when discovering and crawling content. A sitemap is particularly useful when a website has many pages, recently published content, or pages that are not easily discovered through existing links.
For example, a sitemap for YourWebSite.com might help search engines discover:
The home page
Important information pages
Blog articles
Product pages
Category pages
Other useful, indexable URLs
A sitemap does not guarantee that every listed URL will be crawled or indexed. Search engines consider other factors, including whether the content is accessible, useful, and eligible to appear in search results.
Why Is a Sitemap Important?
A sitemap can help you:
Provide search engines with a list of important URLs.
Help search engines discover newly published or updated content.
Communicate which canonical URLs you prefer to appear in search results.
Monitor sitemap processing through tools such as Google Search Console.
Manage content discovery as your website grows.
A sitemap is not a substitute for good navigation, internal links, or useful content. Your important pages should still be reachable through normal links wherever possible.
Types of Website Sitemaps
Before creating a sitemap, understand the two main types you are likely to encounter.
1. XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap is primarily intended for search engines. It lists URLs in a structured format that search engines can process.
A website may have an XML sitemap containing its pages, posts, products, or other content types. Larger websites can use a sitemap index that points to several individual sitemap files.
For example, a sitemap address might look like:
https://YourWebSite.com/sitemap_index.xml
Another website might use:
https://YourWebSite.com/wp-sitemap.xml
These are examples only. The correct address depends on your platform and configuration.
2. HTML Sitemap
An HTML sitemap is a normal web page that lists useful pages on a website for human visitors.
For example, an HTML sitemap on YourWebSite.com might group links under headings such as:
About
Contact
Website Tutorials
Digital Marketing
Recommended Tools
An HTML sitemap can help visitors find content, particularly on a large website. However, it is different from an XML sitemap submitted through Google Search Console.
Which one do you need? For search engine discovery, focus first on your XML sitemap. An HTML sitemap is optional and can be useful if it improves navigation for your visitors.
Step 1: Check Whether Your Website Already Has a Sitemap
Before installing a plugin or creating a file, check whether your website already generates a sitemap.
Many content management systems automatically provide one. WordPress includes built-in XML sitemap functionality, while SEO plugins may provide their own sitemap index.
If you use WordPress, open a new browser tab and try these common paths, replacing YourWebSite.com with your actual domain:
https://YourWebSite.com/wp-sitemap.xml
https://YourWebSite.com/sitemap_index.xml
The first address is commonly associated with WordPress core sitemaps. The second is commonly used by SEO plugins and other sitemap generators.
Not every website will use both addresses. One may work while the other returns an error, redirects, or does not exist.
What Should You See?
If a sitemap exists, you will usually see structured XML content or a sitemap index that links to other sitemap files.
It may not look like a normal web page. That is expected.
If neither address works, do not assume that your website has no sitemap. Check your SEO plugin, hosting documentation, or website platform settings.
Practical task: Open your website’s likely sitemap URL and confirm whether it loads.
Step 2: Find the Sitemap in WordPress
If your website uses WordPress, you may not need to install anything.
Option A: Use the Built-In WordPress Sitemap
WordPress provides a core sitemap endpoint at:
https://YourWebSite.com/wp-sitemap.xml
To check it:
Open your website in a browser.
Add /wp-sitemap.xml to the end of your domain.
Press Enter.
Review the result.
Open the sitemap links to see the URL groups included.
If the sitemap loads correctly, WordPress is already providing a basic XML sitemap.
Option B: Check Your SEO Plugin
Some SEO plugins generate their own sitemap index and may provide additional configuration options.
If you use an SEO plugin:
Log in to the WordPress dashboard.
Open the plugin’s settings.
Find the section related to sitemaps.
Check whether XML sitemaps are enabled.
Open the sitemap link provided by the plugin.
Review which types of content are included.
Avoid enabling multiple sitemap generators without understanding how they interact. Multiple sitemap files are not inherently a problem, but you should know which sitemap you intend to maintain and submit.
Which Sitemap Should You Use?
For a straightforward WordPress website, the built-in sitemap may be sufficient. An SEO plugin may be useful if you need more control over which content types are included.
Choose a reliable setup and avoid adding unnecessary plugins just to create a sitemap.
Step 3: Decide Which URLs Should Be Included
A sitemap should focus on the URLs you want search engines to discover and potentially show in search results.
Depending on your website, appropriate URLs may include:
The home page
Important published pages
Published blog articles
Useful category or archive pages
Product pages that should be discoverable
Other canonical, indexable content
For example, YourWebSite.com might publish tutorials about website creation, digital marketing, and online business. Its sitemap should help search engines discover the important published articles within those sections.
Which URLs Should You Exclude?
Review whether the following types of URLs should be included:
Private or restricted pages
Administrative URLs
Internal search-result pages
Duplicate URLs that point to the same content
Pages intentionally marked as noindex
Unfinished or irrelevant content
URLs that redirect to another address
Error pages
The correct treatment depends on the page and your site’s configuration. Do not automatically exclude every category, tag, or archive page. Include them when they provide useful, distinct content and are intended to be indexed.
Important: A sitemap does not override a noindex directive or guarantee indexing. Keep your sitemap consistent with your preferred canonical URLs and indexing settings.
Step 4: Create a Sitemap Automatically
For most beginners, automatic sitemap generation is the simplest approach.
A website platform or a reputable SEO plugin can generate the XML file and update it when you publish, update, or remove content.
Automatic Sitemap Setup in WordPress
Follow these general steps:
Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Check whether your existing setup already generates a sitemap.
If you need additional control, choose a maintained SEO plugin that supports XML sitemaps.
Install and activate the plugin according to its official instructions.
Open its sitemap settings.
Enable XML sitemap functionality if required.
Choose the appropriate content types and taxonomies.
Save the settings.
Open the sitemap URL provided by the plugin.
Confirm that the sitemap loads correctly.
The exact menu names differ between plugins and versions, so follow the documentation for your chosen tool.
Why Automatic Generation Is Usually Better
Automatic generation reduces manual work. When you publish a new article on YourWebSite.com, the sitemap can be updated by the platform or plugin without requiring you to edit an XML file yourself.
It also helps reduce the risk of leaving old URLs in the sitemap after your website changes.
For a website with many articles or products, this approach is easier to maintain than manually updating a list.
Step 5: Understand the Basic XML Sitemap Format
You generally do not need to write XML yourself if your platform generates a sitemap. However, understanding the structure can help you recognise a valid file.
This is a simplified example for illustration. Replace the example URLs with real, canonical URLs from your website if you ever create a sitemap manually.
The <loc> element contains the full URL of a page. A sitemap can contain additional supported elements, but you do not need to add every optional field.
For example, the <lastmod> element can communicate when a page was significantly updated. Only include accurate modification dates; do not update them simply to make a page appear fresh.
Google ignores the <priority> and <changefreq> values in XML sitemaps, so you do not need to add them for Google.
Recommendation: If you use WordPress, prefer its built-in sitemap or a maintained plugin instead of manually editing XML.
Step 6: Check That the Sitemap Is Accessible
After generating the sitemap, verify that it is publicly accessible and formatted correctly.
Use this checklist:
Open the sitemap URL in your browser.
Confirm that the page or XML file loads.
Check that the sitemap contains the expected URL groups.
Open a few listed URLs to ensure they work.
Confirm that URLs use the correct HTTPS domain.
Check for obvious duplicates, redirects, and error pages.
Make sure the sitemap does not list pages that should be excluded from search results.
If your sitemap index links to several child sitemaps, open each relevant child sitemap and review it too.
A sitemap may load correctly while still containing unsuitable URLs. Checking the contents is just as important as confirming that the file exists.
Step 7: Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
Google Search Console provides a report that lets you submit a sitemap and monitor its processing.
Submitting a sitemap is a discovery hint, not a guarantee that Google will crawl every URL or include it in search results.
Before You Begin
You should have:
Access to your website.
A working sitemap URL.
A verified property in Google Search Console with suitable permissions.
How to Submit the Sitemap
Open Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/about
Select the correct website property.
Open the Sitemaps report.
Locate the field for adding a new sitemap.
Enter the sitemap path, such as sitemap_index.xml or wp-sitemap.xml, depending on the sitemap your website actually uses.
Submit it.
Review the resulting status and any reported errors.
Do not copy a sample sitemap address blindly. Use the exact path that works on your website.
What Happens After Submission?
Google may process the sitemap and use it to discover URLs. Processing times can vary.
Check the Sitemaps report for information about whether Google could fetch the file and whether it detected processing problems.
A successful sitemap submission does not mean every URL is indexed. To investigate individual pages, use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.
Step 8: Make Sure Your Important Pages Can Be Crawled
A sitemap helps with discovery, but your site should also have a logical internal-link structure.
For example, an article on YourWebSite.com should ideally be reachable through a relevant category page, navigation menu, or links from related articles.
Check the following:
Important pages are linked from other discoverable pages.
Internal links point to the preferred HTTPS URLs.
Pages intended for search results are not accidentally marked noindex.
Important content is not blocked from crawling by a mistaken robots.txt rule.
Canonical tags are consistent with the URLs listed in your sitemap.
The website does not rely entirely on the sitemap for discovering important pages.
Do not change robots.txt or canonical settings without understanding their effect. A configuration mistake can make important content harder for search engines to access or interpret.
Step 9: Add Your Sitemap to robots.txt if Appropriate
The robots.txt file provides crawling instructions and can include a reference to your sitemap.
This is an illustration only, not a universal robots.txt configuration. Your actual file may contain other directives, and you should not replace existing rules without reviewing them.
If your site uses a sitemap index generated by an SEO plugin, use the correct sitemap index URL instead.
Search engines can discover the sitemap reference when they fetch robots.txt. You can also submit the sitemap through Search Console.
Important:robots.txt is not a privacy or access-control mechanism. Do not use it as a substitute for authentication or permissions on private information.
Step 10: Maintain Your Sitemap as Your Website Grows
You should not need to rebuild an automatically generated sitemap every time you publish an article. However, it is sensible to review your sitemap periodically.
Check it when you:
Publish a new section of your website.
Change your permalink structure.
Delete or redirect important pages.
Move your website to a new domain.
Change SEO plugins or sitemap settings.
Add an online store or another content type.
Notice sitemap errors in Search Console.
When a page is permanently removed, decide whether it should return a suitable status code, redirect to a relevant replacement, or be handled another way based on the circumstances. Do not leave obsolete URLs in the sitemap simply because they were listed there previously.
For a larger website, a sitemap file is limited to 50 MB uncompressed or 50,000 URLs. Sites exceeding those limits need multiple sitemap files and can use a sitemap index.
Most small websites will not approach these limits, but it is useful to know that the format supports larger sites through this structure.
Common Website Sitemap Mistakes to Avoid
1. Creating a Sitemap When One Already Exists
Installing another plugin without checking your existing setup can create unnecessary complexity. Check the current sitemap first.
2. Submitting the Wrong URL
A WordPress core sitemap and an SEO plugin sitemap may use different paths. Submit the URL that actually exists on your website.
3. Including Redirecting or Broken URLs
Review your sitemap for URLs that redirect, return errors, or no longer represent useful content.
4. Including Pages That Should Not Be Indexed
Your sitemap should reflect your preferred canonical, indexable URLs. Review private pages, duplicate content, and pages marked noindex.
5. Assuming Submission Guarantees Rankings
A sitemap helps with discovery. It does not guarantee crawling, indexing, ranking, or traffic.
6. Relying Only on a Sitemap for Navigation
Visitors and search engines should be able to discover important content through useful internal links as well.
7. Manually Editing an Automatically Generated Sitemap
Manual changes may be overwritten by your platform or plugin. Use the relevant settings to manage the generated sitemap.
8. Ignoring Search Console Errors
If Search Console reports a fetch or processing problem, investigate the exact error and the affected sitemap before making changes.
Website Sitemap Checklist
Before considering your sitemap setup complete, use this checklist:
Checked whether the website already has an XML sitemap.
Located the correct sitemap URL.
Confirmed the sitemap loads successfully.
Reviewed the listed URLs.
Confirmed important pages use the preferred HTTPS URLs.
Checked for broken or redirecting URLs.
Reviewed whether excluded or noindex pages appear.
Confirmed important pages are internally linked.
Submitted the sitemap in Google Search Console, if appropriate.
Reviewed the sitemap status and any errors.
Planned to check the report again after changes to the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an XML sitemap and an HTML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a structured file primarily used by search engines. An HTML sitemap is a normal web page that helps visitors find pages on a website. You may use both, but an HTML sitemap is not a replacement for an XML sitemap submission.
Does WordPress automatically create a sitemap?
WordPress includes built-in XML sitemap functionality. Many SEO plugins also generate sitemap indexes and offer additional controls. Check which sitemap your site actually uses before installing anything else.
Where is my WordPress sitemap located?
A common WordPress core sitemap URL is https://YourWebSite.com/wp-sitemap.xml. Some SEO plugins use a sitemap index such as https://YourWebSite.com/sitemap_index.xml. Replace the example domain with your own and check which address works.
Do I need a sitemap for a small website?
A very small website may be discoverable through its internal links, but a sitemap can still provide a useful way to tell search engines about its important URLs. If your platform generates one automatically, there is generally little reason to disable it without a specific need.
Does a sitemap improve Google rankings?
A sitemap does not directly guarantee better rankings. It can help Google discover URLs, but ranking depends on many other factors, including content quality, relevance, accessibility, and competition.
How often should I update a sitemap?
If your platform generates it automatically, it should generally update as content changes. Review the sitemap after major site changes and monitor Search Console for errors.
Should I include category pages in my sitemap?
Include category pages when they provide useful, distinct content and are intended to appear in search results. Exclude or handle pages differently when they are duplicates, unhelpful, or intentionally not indexable.
Can I submit multiple sitemaps to Google?
Yes. Google supports submitting multiple sitemap files and sitemap index files. This can be useful for larger websites or when different types of content have separate sitemaps.
How long does Google take to process a sitemap?
There is no guaranteed processing time. Google may process a sitemap at different speeds depending on the site and other circumstances. Submission does not guarantee that every listed URL will be crawled or indexed.
Conclusion
Creating a website sitemap is an important part of managing a website, but the process is often simpler than beginners expect. Many platforms, including WordPress, generate XML sitemaps automatically.
Start by checking whether your sitemap already exists. Review the URLs it contains, confirm that it loads correctly, and submit the appropriate sitemap through Google Search Console if needed. Keep your sitemap consistent with your preferred canonical URLs and ensure that important pages are also accessible through internal links.
For YourWebSite.com, a correctly configured sitemap can make it easier for search engines to discover important content as the website grows. Treat it as one part of a broader SEO approach that includes useful content, clear navigation, technical accessibility, and regular maintenance.
