XML Sitemaps Configuration
Complete guide to configuring and optimizing XML sitemaps in ProRank SEO
What are XML Sitemaps?
XML sitemaps are machine-readable files that list all important URLs on your website. They help search engines discover and crawl your content more efficiently, especially for large sites or pages that aren't well-linked internally.
ProRank SEO automatically generates XML sitemaps that comply with the latest search engine requirements, including Google's 2025 image sitemap specifications and support for hreflang tags for multilingual sites.
Configuration Settings
XML Sitemap Tab Settings
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable XML Sitemaps | On | Master toggle for XML sitemap generation |
| Maximum entries per sitemap | 1000 | Number of URLs per sitemap file (max: 50,000) |
| Exclude noindex pages | Yes | Automatically exclude pages marked as noindex |
| Ping search engines | Yes | Notify Google and Bing when sitemaps update |
| Sitemap index filename | sitemap_index.xml | Customize the main sitemap filename (expert mode) |
Content Types Configuration
Post Types
Select which post types to include in your XML sitemaps. ProRank SEO automatically detects all public post types.
| Post Type | Slug | Default Status | Sitemap URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posts | post | Included | /post-sitemap.xml |
| Pages | page | Included | /page-sitemap.xml |
| Products | product | Optional | /product-sitemap.xml |
| Custom Post Types | various | Optional | /[slug]-sitemap.xml |
Taxonomies
Choose which taxonomies (categories, tags, etc.) to include in your sitemaps.
| Taxonomy | Slug | Default Status | Sitemap URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | category | Included | /category-sitemap.xml |
| Tags | post_tag | Included | /tag-sitemap.xml |
| Product Categories | product_cat | Optional | /product_cat-sitemap.xml |
| Custom Taxonomies | various | Optional | /[slug]-sitemap.xml |
Image Sitemaps
2025 Google Update Compliance
ProRank SEO's image sitemaps are fully compliant with Google's 2025 requirements. As of January 2025, Google no longer supports image title and caption properties in sitemaps.
Author Sitemaps (Core+ Feature)
Author sitemaps are available with Core+ license and above.
Author sitemaps help search engines discover content organized by author, which is particularly useful for multi-author blogs and publications.
Configuration Options:
- • Enable/disable author archive sitemaps
- • Select which user roles to include (Administrator, Editor, Author, etc.)
- • Automatically excludes authors with no published content
- • Available at:
/author-sitemap.xml
Exclusion Rules
Automatic Exclusions
ProRank SEO automatically excludes the following from XML sitemaps:
- ✗Pages marked with noindex meta tag
- ✗Password-protected posts and pages
- ✗Draft, private, and trashed content
- ✗Empty taxonomy terms (when "Exclude empty terms" is enabled)
- ✗Attachment pages
Manual Exclusions
You can manually exclude specific content using comma-separated IDs:
Exclude Posts: 123, 456, 789
Exclude Terms: 10, 20, 30Find IDs in WordPress admin by hovering over edit links or checking the URL when editing.
Search Engine Pinging
ProRank SEO automatically notifies search engines when your sitemaps are updated. This feature:
- Pings Google and Bing when content is published or updated
- Rate-limited to once per hour to prevent over-pinging
- Only triggers for content types included in sitemaps
- Can be disabled in settings if needed
Sitemap Pagination
Large sites with thousands of URLs benefit from paginated sitemaps. ProRank SEO automatically splits sitemaps when they exceed your configured limit.
How Pagination Works:
- • First sitemap:
/post-sitemap.xml - • Second sitemap:
/post-sitemap2.xml - • Third sitemap:
/post-sitemap3.xml - • And so on...
Google's limits: Maximum 50,000 URLs per sitemap, 50MB uncompressed size
Expert Mode Settings
Expert mode settings are only visible when Expert Mode is enabled in user preferences. These settings can impact SEO if misconfigured.
Custom Sitemap Index Filename
Change the default sitemap index filename from sitemap_index.xmlto a custom name. This requires updating:
- • Your robots.txt file
- • Google Search Console sitemap submission
- • Bing Webmaster Tools sitemap submission
- • Any external services referencing your sitemap
Submitting to Search Engines
Google Search Console
- Log in to Google Search Console
- Select your property
- Go to "Sitemaps" in the left sidebar
- Enter your sitemap URL:
sitemap_index.xml - Click "Submit"
Bing Webmaster Tools
- Log in to Bing Webmaster Tools
- Select your site
- Go to "Sitemaps" in the left menu
- Click "Submit sitemap"
- Enter your full sitemap URL
- Click "Submit"
Best Practices
Do's
- ✓ Keep sitemaps under 1000-5000 URLs for optimal crawling
- ✓ Include only canonical URLs
- ✓ Exclude thin or duplicate content
- ✓ Monitor sitemap coverage in Search Console
- ✓ Update sitemaps automatically on content changes
Don'ts
- ✗ Don't include noindex pages
- ✗ Don't exceed 50,000 URLs per sitemap
- ✗ Don't include redirect URLs
- ✗ Don't manually edit generated sitemaps
- ✗ Don't forget to verify sitemap in Search Console
Monitoring & Maintenance
Regular Checks
- 1.Weekly: Check Google Search Console for indexing issues
- 2.Monthly: Review sitemap coverage reports
- 3.Quarterly: Audit excluded content for accuracy
- 4.Annually: Review and optimize sitemap structure