XML Sitemaps
The XML Sitemaps plugin for WordPress will automatically generate XML Sitemaps for your site and notify search engines when they’re updated.
Consider an alternative
XML Sitemaps shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 2K+ sites, is rated 4.5/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
- No update in 8 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.7 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where XML Sitemaps stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| >100 | |
| google sitemap | >100 |
| sitemaps | >100 |
| xml sitemap | >100 |
| xml sitemaps | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 from 13 reviews
About XML Sitemaps
From the official readme · v3.0.1Description
The XML Sitemaps plugin for WordPress will automatically generate XML Sitemaps for your site and notify search engines when they’re updated.
Contrary to other plugins that generate sitemap files, this one will add a rewrite rule and store your cached sitemaps in the wp-content/sitemaps folder.
The XML Sitemaps plugin automatically assigns the rate of updates and the weight based on statistics collected on your site.
Pings occur automatically, on an hourly basis, if the sitemap file is updated.
Lastly, and contrary to the zillions of plugins that try to do the same as this one, this plugin will use the WP internals to determine the number of blog, category and tag pages on your site. This means it’ll play well with the likes of custom query string or Semiologic SEO.
Configuration
Starting with version 2.0 there is now the ability to control the inclusion or exclusion of date archives (years and months), author, category and tags pages in your sitemap.
Additionally specific pages can also be excluded by entering their page IDs.
Go to Settings->XML Sitemaps to update settings.
Help Me!
The Plugin’s Forum is the best place to report issues.
Installation
- Upload the plugin folder to the
/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- The plugin will then guide you through the installation process if any manual steps are necessary
Changelog
3.0.1
- PHP 7.x compat
3.0
- Custom Posts now included in the sitemap w/ Setting to exclude
- Individual posts can be excluded now. Previously only pages could be
- Update urls for Google and Bing sitemap pinging
- WP 4.7.x compat
2.5
- Removed extra blank lines in stylesheet file that was causing issues on a few sites.
- WP 4.3 compat
- Tested against PHP 5.6
2.4
- Fixed settings being reset upon plugin activation message.
- WordPress 4.2 compat.
2.3.1
- Settings were not being preserved in some cases. Should be resolved now.
2.3
- New option to include author page in sitemap if they haven’t published a page or post.
- WordPress 4.1 compat.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best XML Sitemaps alternatives
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FAQ
XML Sitemaps: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 3, 2026
Is XML Sitemaps free?
Yes. XML Sitemaps is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is XML Sitemaps safe to use in 2026?
XML Sitemaps shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 2K+ sites, is rated 4.5/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
How many websites use XML Sitemaps?
XML Sitemaps is active on 2K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 228,057 times since it launched in January 2009. It was downloaded 293 times in the last 30 days.
Does XML Sitemaps work with WordPress 7.1?
XML Sitemaps is officially tested up to WordPress 4.7.37, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was XML Sitemaps last updated?
The latest version, 3.0.1, was released on November 28, 2017 (9 years ago).
Who makes XML Sitemaps?
XML Sitemaps is developed and maintained by Denis de Bernardy.
What are the best alternatives to XML Sitemaps?
The most popular alternatives to XML Sitemaps are Site Kit by Google (5M+ installs), Google for WooCommerce (800K+ installs) and GA Google Analytics (400K+ installs).
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