Sitemaps - The Secret Roadmap Your Website Can’t Do Without
What on Earth Is a Sitemap (and Why Should You Care)?
A sitemap is essentially a roadmap for search engines – think of it as sending Google a neatly annotated treasure map of your website. The most common type is an XML sitemap: a file (usually called sitemap.xml) that lists your site’s pages, posts, and sometimes images or videos, along with details like when they were last updated. It’s what keeps your content easy to find for those web-crawling robots.
There’s also the HTML sitemap, which is more of a friendly page of links for humans. Nice for visitors, but not what search engines rely on.
Common Sitemap Hurdles—And How to Clear Them
Even the best sites fall foul of sitemap slip-ups. Here are the usual suspects:
Sitemap Not Where Search Engines Expect It
Since WordPress 5.5, an automatic sitemap is generated at /sitemap.xml or /wp-sitemap.xml. If it’s missing, that’s a problem.
Broken Links or 404 Errors
If your sitemap throws error 404 like a sulking teenager, it’s not helping anyone. Often a quick fix is to save your Permalink settings again to refresh the links.
- Sitemap Appears as HTML or a Blank Page
This usually happens when a caching plugin interferes. Exclude XML files from your cache to set things straight.
- URLs Showing Wrong Domain
If your sitemap is spitting out “http://” instead of “https://”, or a staging domain instead of the live one, check your WordPress Address and Site Address in Settings → General.
- Too Many Sitemap Generators
Running multiple SEO plugins all trying to build sitemaps is like inviting three sat-navs into your car. Pick one and stick with it.
WordPress Users: How to View and Edit Your Sitemap
Step 1: View It
In your browser, type https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml (or /wp-sitemap.xml). If you see a neat list of links, you’re in business.
Step 2: Edit or Influence It
You can’t open an auto-generated sitemap and manually tweak it, but you can control it through plugins:
- Yoast SEO, or Rank Math, let you choose which content is included.
- Toggle on/off posts, categories, tags, author archives, and more.
- Want HTTPS links only? Fix your WordPress and Site Address settings, then regenerate.
Submitting Your Sitemap to Search Engines
Here’s where many people stop short—but it’s like baking a cake and forgetting to serve it. Once you have a sitemap, tell the search engines about it:
- Google Search Console: Go to Indexing → Sitemaps, paste your sitemap URL, and click “Submit.”
- Bing Webmaster Tools: Similar process under “Sitemaps.”
This speeds up crawling and highlights any issues directly in your dashboard. Think of it as giving Google a polite tap on the shoulder instead of waiting for it to stumble across your site by accident.
Checking Sitemap Health Regularly
Treat your sitemap like an MOT for your website. Check it:
- After adding a batch of new content.
- Following a plugin change or site migration.
- Whenever you notice strange indexing behaviour.
Tools like Screaming Frog, SEMRush, or Ahrefs can crawl your sitemap and flag issues you might otherwise miss.
When Not to Include Pages
Not every page deserves to be in your sitemap. Exclude:
- Thank-you pages
- Login or staging URLs
- Test or duplicate content pages
This keeps search engines focused on your most valuable content rather than indexing dead ends.
Robots.txt and Sitemaps: A Dream Team
Your sitemap and your robots.txt file work best together. Robots.txt is the polite bouncer at the club door, telling crawlers where they can and can’t go. It can also list your sitemap’s location, making it easier for search engines to discover it.
Example line to add:
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Myth Busting: Sitemaps Edition
- Myth: Having a sitemap guarantees top rankings.
- Truth: A sitemap helps search engines find your content more efficiently, but rankings depend on quality, speed, links, and relevance.
- Myth: The bigger the sitemap, the better.
- Truth: Quality trumps quantity. A lean, accurate sitemap is far more effective than one bloated with irrelevant URLs.
Top Tips & Best Practices
| Tip | Why It Matters |
| Use only one sitemap plugin | Avoids conflicts |
| Flush permalinks after changes | Ensures URLs update correctly |
| Exclude XML files from caching | Prevents sitemap errors |
| Keep URLs consistent (HTTPS, www vs non-www) | Avoids duplication |
| Submit to Google & Bing | Speeds up indexing |
| Reference sitemap in robots.txt | Belt and braces approach |
Help Ironing Out Your Sitemap
Sitemaps might not be the sexiest part of your website, but they’re the unsung heroes of SEO. A clean, accurate sitemap makes it easier for search engines to do their job—and that means more of your content gets seen.
If your sitemap is misbehaving—or if you’d simply like us to give your site a quick health check—get in touch with The Last Hurdle today. We’ll audit, tweak, and straighten things out so search engines (and customers) can find you with ease. Think of us as your digital sat-nav, making sure you never take a wrong turn. Call us on 01604 654545 or email hello@thelasthurdle.co.uk to arrange a chat.
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