Do you need a sitemap for WordPress? Absolutely

I get a lot of questions asking whether you need a sitemap for WordPress and my answer is always, yes definitely.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

What is a sitemap?

Before we start talking about why you’d need a sitemap for WordPress, let’s talk about what a sitemap actually is.

A sitemap is basically a file that lists all the pages of your website to tell search engines how it’s structured. The clue is in the name really – it’s a map of your site. Search engine crawlers like the googlebots use it to help them crawl your site.

Sitemaps tell search engines which pages are the most important pages on your site as well as how often you update it. They can also include information about your pictures, videos and categories.

Do you need a Sitemap?

Google says you don’t actually NEED a sitemap but Yoast think that every site should have one. It definitely won’t harm your search rankings to create one and submit it to search engines. sitemaps.org say that a sitemap won’t guarantee that search engines will find your content but it does help search engines crawl your site.

Google recommend that you submit an XML sitemap if you have a large site, a site with large archives, a new site that doesn’t have many backlinks or a site with a lot of media content.

Even if your site doesn’t fit into any of these categories there are still some positives to submitting a sitemap for Google:

1. They point search engines to all of your content. Depending on your site structure and links there may be some pages that otherwise it might not find.
   
2. They let webcrawlers crawl your site in a more efficient way. The sitemap will tell them which pages have changed since the last crawl so it means they don’t waste time crawling content they don’t need to.
   
3. Search engines give you the option to submit sitemaps for a reason. Trust me, software companies don’t invest time and money adding features if they’re not going to offer a benefit either to themselves or their users.

Are you embarrassed to send people to your website? Have you been putting off getting a site built because you don’t know where to start?

Are you a service based mum boss, ready to uplevel your business with a website that looks good and gets you clients? If this sounds like you then I can help.

Book a discovery call to say and let’s get building the online home your business deserves.

How do I create an XML sitemap in WordPress?

If you have Yoast SEO for WordPress installed (if you don’t you should) it’s really easy to create a sitemap. In fact Yoast pretty much does it all for you.

1. Go to the SEO menu option on the left side of your screen and click ‘General’.
   
2. At the top of the screen there should be 3 tabs, click the one called ‘Features’ and scroll down to the XML Sitemaps option.
   
3. If this option is set to off, set it to on.
   
4. Click the ? icon above this option and click ‘See the XML Sitemap’.
   
5. This will open a new window or tab with the content of your sitemap.

That’s all there is to creating an XML Sitemap using Yoast SEO.

How do I add my Sitemap to the different Search Engines?

Google

To add a sitemap to Google you need to have a Google Search Console account set up. Even if you don’t plan to submit a sitemap, registering your site with webmaster tools is a good idea. It gives you loads of great info on things like where your pages rank within Google search results and more.

Adding a sitemap to Google’s search console is really easy.

First of all, head into your account and select your property from the top left hand corner.

Then select Sitemaps from the left hand menu.

Then add the URL of your sitemap for Google just below where it says add a new sitemap and hit submit.

Bing / Yahoo

Bing and Yahoo share the same webmaster tools so you only have to register and submit your sitemap once – yay!

Check out my video below to see how to register and submit your site to Bing Webmaster tools.

When should you re-submit a sitemap?

If ever you make big changes to the structure of your website or blog, for example changing your permalink structure, then you should re-submit a sitemap to Google.

We submit sitemaps to help Google’s little Googlebots crawl our sites, so if we make drastic changes then I would say that you should let them know. It’s only polite, right?

Do you need a sitemap for WordPress? – verdict

So even though sitemaps aren’t directly linked to search rankings they can help by making your site easier for search engines to navigate.

Google recommend that if your site is big or is quite new you should submit a sitemap.

Personally, even if your site doesn’t fall into these categories, I think you should submit a sitemap for Google and the other search engines. It won’t harm your search ranking and might even help. It’s a 20 minute job tops and anything that helps webcrawlers crawl your site has to be worth it right?

SEO: Simplified Workshop

Totally confused when it comes to search engine optimisation?

Wondering what it even is and how it can benefit you and your business?

Check out the SEO: Simplified Workshop which will talk you through everything you need to know to start attracting dream clients from search engines.

While you’re here check out these related posts:

9 important ways to use Google Search Console for SEO

The Google Search Console dashboard – all you need to know

Google Search Console vs Google Analytics – do you need them?