XML Sitemaps: Setup & Configuration Guide

What Are XML Sitemaps?

A sitemap is a file that lists all the URLs on your site that you want search engines to find. Think of it as a table of contents for search engine crawlers.

Your sitemap URL: yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml

SEObolt automatically generates and maintains your sitemaps. When you publish or update content, the sitemap updates and search engines are notified.

Sitemap Types

SEObolt generates multiple specialized sitemaps:

Setup & Configuration

Step 1: Enable Sitemaps

Go to SEObolt > Settings > Sitemap:

Step 2: Choose Content Types

Select which content appears in your sitemap:

Step 3: Configure Advanced Settings

Step 4: Submit to Google Search Console

After enabling sitemaps:

Excluding Content from Sitemaps

Exclude Individual Posts/Pages

1. Edit the post or page
2. Open the SEObolt panel > Advanced tab
3. Check "Exclude from Sitemap"
4. Save

Exclude by Post Type

1. Go to SEObolt > Settings > Sitemap
2. Toggle OFF the post type you want to exclude

Automatic Exclusions

SEObolt automatically excludes:

• Pages marked with noindex robots meta
• Draft, private, and password-protected content
• Trashed posts

Video Sitemap (Starter Tier)

SEObolt detects embedded videos and creates a dedicated video sitemap.

Supported embeds:

• YouTube
• Vimeo
• Self-hosted videos (HTML5 <video> tag)

What it includes: Video title, description, thumbnail URL, duration, upload date.

News Sitemap (Pro Tier)

For Google News publishers:

• Only includes articles from the last 2 days (Google's requirement)
• Includes publication name, language, and article keywords
• Auto-updates as articles age out of the 2-day window

Requirements:

1. Register your site in Google News Publisher Center
2. Content must meet Google News content policies
3. Enable News Sitemap in SEObolt > Settings > Sitemap

Search Engine Pinging

When you publish or update content, SEObolt pings:

This tells search engines "come re-crawl" -- speeding up indexing for new content.

Troubleshooting

Sitemap Returns 404

Most common fix: Flush permalinks.

Still 404? Check these additional items:

1. Check sitemaps enabled -- SEObolt > Settings > Sitemap > Enable must be ON
2. Check for plugin conflicts -- Another SEO plugin may be registering the same URL. Deactivate other SEO plugins.
3. Check .htaccess -- Server rewrite rules may block /sitemap*.xml. Contact your host.
4. Check permalink structure -- Sitemaps require pretty permalinks (not "Plain" setting)

Sitemap Missing Posts/Pages

1. Check post type is included -- SEObolt > Settings > Sitemap > toggle for that type
2. Check noindex -- Posts set to noindex are automatically excluded
3. Check status -- Only published posts appear (not drafts, private, or trashed)
4. Check exclusion -- Post may be manually excluded via the Advanced tab
5. Check pagination -- Large sitemaps split across multiple files. Check /sitemap-posts-2.xml, etc.

"Sitemap contains errors" in Google Search Console

1. Open the sitemap URL in your browser -- Verify it loads valid XML
2. Check for blank pages -- A PHP error may output blank content
3. Check encoding -- Sitemap must be valid UTF-8 XML
4. Re-submit -- Delete and re-submit the sitemap in GSC

WordPress Core Sitemaps Conflicting

If you see two sets of sitemaps (/sitemap_index.xml and /wp-sitemap.xml):

1. Go to SEObolt > Settings > Sitemap
2. Enable "Override WP Core Sitemaps"
3. This disables the default WordPress sitemap in favor of SEObolt's optimized version

Sitemap Not Updating After Publishing

1. Clear cache -- Page caching plugins may cache the sitemap XML
2. Exclude sitemap from cache -- Add sitemap*.xml to your cache plugin's exclusion list
3. Check wp-cron -- Sitemap regeneration uses WordPress cron. If cron is disabled, set up a server cron.

Best Practices

1. Submit your sitemap index to GSC -- Don't just rely on auto-discovery
2. Keep it lean -- Exclude low-value content (tags, author archives, empty categories)
3. Monitor GSC coverage -- Check the Index Coverage report monthly for sitemap-related issues
4. Include images -- Image sitemaps help your images rank in Google Image Search
5. Don't include noindex pages -- SEObolt handles this automatically, but verify if you're unsure
6. One sitemap source -- Disable sitemaps from other plugins and WordPress core

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Guides

• Instant Indexing Guide — Push new content to Google instantly via IndexNow
• Breadcrumbs Guide — Improve site structure alongside sitemaps
• Image SEO Guide — Image sitemaps and alt text optimization
• Meta Tags & Social Guide — Ensure all pages have proper meta tags