Sitemap

What is a Sitemap?

One Sitemap is a file that contains a list of all relevant pages on your website. It helps search engines like Google efficiently understand and crawl your website's structure. By providing a sitemap, you increase the likelihood that all important pages will be indexed and displayed in search results.

Why is a sitemap important?

• Improved indexing: Search engines find and index your content faster.
• Better SEO: A well-structured sitemap can improve your ranking in search results.
• user friendliness: Helps with navigation, especially on large websites with complex structures.

Creating a sitemap with WordPress plugins

1st Rank Math

Steps to create a sitemap with Rank Math:

1. installation: Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Install. Search for “Rank Math” and install the plugin.
2. activation: Activate the plugin after installation.
3. Furnishings: Follow the Rank Math setup wizard.
4. Activate sitemap: Go to Rank Math > Sitemap Settings and make sure the XML sitemap is enabled.
5. Adjustment: Select which content types (posts, pages, categories) should be included in the sitemap.
6. Access to the sitemap: Your sitemap is now under YourDomain.de/sitemap_index.xml available.

2. Yoast SEO

Steps to create a sitemap with Yoast SEO:

1. installation: Navigate to Plugins > Install and search for "Yoast SEO." Install and activate the plugin.
2. Activate sitemap: Go to SEO > General > Features and make sure that the XML sitemaps are activated.
3. Adjustment: Under SEO > Search display you can specify which content should appear in the sitemap.
4. Access to the sitemap: You can find your sitemap at YourDomain.de/sitemap_index.xml.

3. SEOPress

Steps to create a sitemap with SEOPress:

1. installation: Go to Plugins > Install, search for “SEOPress” and install the plugin.
2. activation: Activate SEOPress after installation.
3. Activate sitemap: Navigate to SEO > XML / HTML sitemap and activate the XML sitemap.
4. Adjustment: Select the content types to include in the sitemap.
5. Access to the sitemap: The sitemap is under YourDomain.com/sitemap.xml available.

Submitting the sitemap to Google

After you have created your sitemap, you should submit it to Google to speed up indexing.

Steps to submit the sitemap:

1. Google Search Console: Register with the Google Search Console If you don't have an account yet, create one and add your website.
2. Select property: In Search Console, select your website.
3. Sitemaps menu: Click on the left menu Sitemaps.
4. Add sitemap: Enter in the field Add new sitemap the URL path of your sitemap (e.g. sitemap_index.xml or sitemap.xml).
5. Send: Click on Sendto submit the sitemap.

Conclusion

A sitemap is an essential tool for an effective SEO strategy. With plugins like Rank Math, Yoast SEO and SEOPress Creating a sitemap is straightforward. Don't forget to submit your sitemap to Google to maximize your website's visibility.