WordPress 5.5 now merged new XML sitemaps functionality as core WordPress default sitemaps feature.
It means, if you update WordPress to 5.5 or above version, then WordPress default sitemap feature automatically available in your site or blog.
Now, existing and new WordPress users definitely have some queries and problems regarding this new feature.
Here in this page, you will find WordPress default sitemaps solutions and answers for sitemap URL, requirements, disable sitemap filter, sitemaps list, configuration and more.
Table of Contents
What is WordPress default sitemap URL?
WordPress new default sitemap xml index location URL is /wp-sitemap.xml. If your WordPress site base URL is example.com, then your site sitemap index url will be exampple.com/wp-sitemap.xml.
Which Sitemaps exist in WordPress wp-sitemap.xml?
New default sitemap in WordPress includes posts, taxonomies and users sitemaps in main wp-sitemap.xml file. Currently it not includes page and category sitemaps.
If you want to remove certain sitemaps or want to make other changes, then you need to make change in sitemaps configuration.
What are the requirements for WordPress sitemaps?
New sitemap feature available as core part in WordPress and not required any plugins. If you check for technical requirements, then this new sitemap features required SimpleXML PHP extension.
If SimpleXML PHP extension not available, then error message shown with 501 (Not implemented) status, instead of sitemaps. You can add this extension from hosting cPanel or hosting account dashboard PHP section, if not available.
Is image, video and news included in WordPress sitemaps?
Sitemap extensions like video, news and image sitemaps are currently not included in this feature. Currently WordPress supports core sitemaps format which defined on sitemaps.org.
Main reason to not include such extension is usefulness, which is limited to small number of websites. It may be possible that WordPress add filters and hooks to enable such functionality in future versions.
How to disable sitemaps in WordPress?
If you are currently using an SEO plugin or Sitemaps plugin in your WordPress site, then you don’t need to do anything. Plugins like this (Yoast SEO, All in One SEO, …) will automatically disable the default WordPress XML sitemaps.
But, if your plugin not handle this or due to other reasons you want to disable this feature, then following is solution for you.
Add following line of code in functions file to disable default sitemaps in WordPress.
add_filter( 'wp_sitemaps_enabled', '__return_false' );
Note: This change will not remove the rewrite rules used for the sitemaps, because, they are needed in order to send appropriate responses when sitemaps are disabled.
How to Configuring sitemaps behavior?
Suppose you want to use WordPress default sitemap and extend some features based on your requirements. Because of, default sitemaps limited features and functionalities. In that case, you can check WordPress sitemap configuration change codes here.
Sitemaps configuration changes includes adding custom sitemaps, remove certain sitemaps, add additional tags to sitemap entries, exclude specific post from sitemap and more.
Hope, you will find your answers from WordPress default sitemaps solutions list. If you have any suggestions, queries or any special case regarding WordPress sitemap, you can add in post comment section. Your comment definitely helps other users for related case.