Complete Guide to XML Sitemaps and How to Submit Them to Google and Bing

An XML sitemap is a powerful tool for boosting your website’s visibility in search engines like Google and Bing. It’s a file that helps search engines understand the structure of your website by listing all the pages you want indexed. If you’re new to website optimization, this might sound complicated, but trust us—it’s easier than it seems, and it can significantly enhance your site’s search engine rankings.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to create an XML sitemap, the differences between an XML sitemap and a regular sitemap, and how to implement them on popular platforms like WordPress and Wix. We’ll also cover how to use SEO plugins like Yoast, RankMath, SEO Framework, and All in One SEO to generate your sitemap.

NOTE: I use WordPress for all my sites so if you are not using WordPress there may be some slight differences, but the basics are consistent. This is written for USA Search Engines. I am unfamiliar with the Operations of Search Engines in other Countries

What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file that lists the pages of your website, helping search engines like Google and Bing to discover and index your site’s content more efficiently. It tells search engines what pages are important and allows them to crawl your site more effectively, especially if your website has a large number of pages or complicated structure.

XML Sitemap vs. Regular Site Map

  • XML Sitemap: Designed for search engines, this file is machine-readable and helps crawlers discover your website’s URLs and understand its structure.
  • Regular Sitemap: Typically designed for human visitors, it’s a navigational tool that allows users to find important pages. This is more of a visual sitemap, like a table of contents on your website, often presented as a page or link for users.

In short, an XML sitemap is meant for search engines to help them understand your site’s structure, whereas a regular sitemap is typically for your website’s users.


How to Create an XML Sitemap

There are several ways to create an XML sitemap, depending on the platform you are using for your website. Let’s look at the various options available:

1. Manual Creation of XML Sitemap

  • XML Editors: You can use XML editors or online tools (such as xml-sitemaps.com) to manually create an XML sitemap. This involves inputting your website URLs and other metadata.
  • Custom Code: For developers, it’s possible to write custom code to generate the sitemap, though this method requires knowledge of XML syntax and could be time-consuming.

2. Using Online Sitemap Generators

  • Websites like Screaming Frog, Yoast SEO, or XML-Sitemaps.com can automatically crawl your site and generate an XML sitemap in just a few clicks. These tools are great for sites that are not running on a content management system (CMS).

3. XML Sitemap Creation in WordPress

WordPress is one of the easiest platforms to set up an XML sitemap. There are plugins available to do this for you with little effort.

Creating XML Sitemaps in WordPress
  • Built-in WordPress Sitemaps: In 2021, WordPress started automatically generating XML sitemaps for all sites running WordPress 5.5 or higher. You can find the sitemap at yourdomain.com/wp-sitemap.xml.

However, for greater control over your sitemap, many WordPress users prefer using plugins.

WordPress Sitemap Plugins
  • Yoast SEO: One of the most popular plugins for SEO, Yoast automatically generates an XML sitemap and allows you to customize which types of content you want included (posts, pages, categories, etc.).
  • RankMath: RankMath also creates XML sitemaps and offers advanced options to control what content is included. It’s great for users who want to add additional SEO customization to their site.
  • The SEO Framework: A simpler plugin with a built-in XML sitemap generator that requires minimal setup.
  • All in One SEO: This plugin offers an XML sitemap feature that’s easy to enable and gives you control over your website’s URL structure.

4. Using Wix to Create an XML Sitemap

Wix is another popular platform for building websites, and it automatically generates an XML sitemap for you. When you publish your Wix website, the platform automatically creates and updates your sitemap in the background.

To find the XML sitemap in Wix:

  1. After publishing your site, go to yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml.
  2. Wix automatically updates the sitemap whenever you add or remove content, ensuring it’s always up to date.

Wix makes it simple, but it offers fewer customization options compared to platforms like WordPress.


Using SEO Plugins to Create an XML Sitemap for WordPress

SEO plugins help streamline the process of generating an XML sitemap, especially for platforms like WordPress. Below is a breakdown of how each of the four popular SEO plugins—Yoast, RankMath, SEO Framework, and All in One SEO—can help you create and manage your XML sitemap.

1. Yoast SEO

  • How to create an XML Sitemap with Yoast SEO:
    1. Install and activate the Yoast SEO plugin.
    2. Go to the SEO menu on your WordPress dashboard and click General.
    3. Click the Features tab, and ensure that the “XML Sitemaps” option is enabled.
    4. Once enabled, Yoast will automatically generate your XML sitemap, which you can view by adding /sitemap_index.xml at the end of your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml).
  • Customization Options: Yoast allows you to exclude certain content types from the sitemap (like tags or categories), giving you full control over what is indexed by search engines.

2. RankMath

  • How to create an XML Sitemap with RankMath:
    1. Install and activate RankMath.
    2. Go to RankMath in your dashboard and click on Sitemap Settings.
    3. Enable the “Sitemap” option and select the content types to include.
    4. RankMath will automatically create the XML sitemap, which can be accessed at yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.
  • Customization Options: RankMath provides more granular control over your sitemap, allowing you to exclude specific post types, taxonomies, and even individual posts.

3. SEO Framework

  • How to create an XML Sitemap with SEO Framework:
    1. Install and activate The SEO Framework.
    2. Go to SEO in the dashboard and click on Sitemaps.
    3. Enable the XML sitemap option, and SEO Framework will automatically generate the sitemap for you.
    4. Access your sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml.
  • Customization Options: The SEO Framework offers basic sitemap settings with some customization options for excluding certain types of content.

This is actually a complete SEO FRAMEWORK Configuration video. Sitemap starts at 4:47

4. All in One SEO

  • How to create an XML Sitemap with All in One SEO:
    1. Install and activate All in One SEO.
    2. Go to All in One SEO in the WordPress dashboard and click on Sitemaps.
    3. Enable the XML sitemap feature, and All in One SEO will automatically generate the sitemap.
    4. You can access your sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml.
  • Customization Options: All in One SEO lets you exclude specific pages, posts, or taxonomies from the sitemap. It’s easy to configure for beginners.

Conclusion (Please Scroll Down for “How to Submit to Google and Bing)

An XML sitemap is essential for any website looking to improve its search engine visibility, and setting one up can be done relatively easily with tools like Yoast SEO, RankMath, SEO Framework, and All in One SEO. Whether you’re using WordPress, Wix, or another platform, generating an XML sitemap is a key step in SEO, helping search engines crawl and index your site more effectively.

Benefits of XML Sitemaps

  • Improved search engine crawlability.
  • Helps search engines discover new or updated pages.
  • Better visibility for large websites with complex structures.

Remember:

While XML sitemaps help search engines understand your site, they’re only one part of the puzzle. Quality content, user experience, and on-page SEO are all essential for improving your rankings.

If you’re just getting started, don’t be discouraged by the technical aspects—XML sitemaps are a crucial SEO tool, and with the help of plugins or website platforms like WordPress and Wix, creating and managing them has never been easier.

How to Submit Your XML Sitemap to Google and Bing

Now that you’ve created your XML sitemap, the next critical step is to submit it to search engines like Google and Bing. Submitting your sitemap helps search engines crawl and index your site more efficiently, improving your chances of ranking higher.

Let’s break down the steps for Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.


Submitting Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool provided by Google that helps you monitor and optimize your website’s presence in Google Search. Submitting your sitemap ensures that Google can efficiently crawl your site and index its content.

Step-by-Step Process for Google Search Console

  1. Sign in to Google Search Console:
  2. Add Your Website (If Not Already Added):
    • If you haven’t already added your website, click on the “Add Property” button and enter your website’s domain. You’ll need to verify ownership of the site by following Google’s verification instructions.
  3. Navigate to the Sitemaps Section:
    • Once your site is verified, go to the “Sitemaps” section under the Index menu on the left side of the dashboard.
  4. Enter Your Sitemap URL:
    • In the “Add a New Sitemap” section, type in the URL of your sitemap. Typically, it will be https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml or for WordPress sites with Yoast, https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.
    • Click “Submit”.
  5. Check Sitemap Status:
    • After submitting, Google will attempt to crawl and index your sitemap. You’ll see the status of the sitemap, including how many URLs were discovered and any potential errors. It may take a few hours to a couple of days for Google to fully process and crawl the sitemap.

Submitting Your Sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster Tools is a free service provided by Microsoft that allows you to monitor your website’s performance in Bing’s search engine. Like Google Search Console, submitting your sitemap to Bing helps search engines crawl and index your site.

Step-by-Step Process for Bing Webmaster Tools

  1. Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools:
  2. Add Your Website (If Not Already Added):
    • If you haven’t added your site to Bing, click on the “Add a Site” button and enter your website’s URL. You’ll need to verify ownership by adding a provided XML file or meta tag to your site’s header.
  3. Navigate to the Sitemaps Section:
    • Once your site is verified, go to the “Sitemaps” tab under the “Configure My Site” section.
  4. Submit Your Sitemap:
    • In the “Submit a Sitemap” field, enter the URL of your XML sitemap (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
    • Click “Submit”.
  5. Check Sitemap Status:
    • Bing will begin crawling your sitemap and will show you the status of your submission. If there are any issues, Bing will report errors or warnings, so you can correct them.

Why Should You Submit Your Sitemap to Google and Bing?

Submitting your XML sitemap is important for several reasons:

  • Faster Indexing: Search engines can crawl and index your pages faster, especially if your site has a lot of pages or if it’s newly launched.
  • SEO Benefits: When search engines can crawl your site more efficiently, your pages are more likely to appear in search results. This increases your chances of ranking higher for targeted keywords.
  • Error Monitoring: Both Google and Bing provide valuable feedback, letting you know if there are any issues with your sitemap or pages that could prevent them from being indexed properly.

Conclusion

Submitting an XML sitemap to Google and Bing is a simple yet crucial step in ensuring that your website is indexed and ranked effectively. By following these steps for both platforms, you ensure that your content is discovered faster, leading to better SEO results.

Remember, just having an XML sitemap isn’t enough. Regularly monitor your sitemap’s performance in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to ensure that your site continues to be indexed and crawled properly.

You typically do not need to submit your sitemap to DuckDuckGo directly.

Here’s why:

DuckDuckGo and Search Engine Submission

DuckDuckGo primarily relies on third-party search engines (such as Google, Bing, and others) for its search results. It does not have its own search crawling or indexing infrastructure like Google or Bing. Instead, DuckDuckGo aggregates search results from other search engines, primarily using Bing’s search index.

This means that if your site is properly indexed by Google and Bing, it will automatically appear in DuckDuckGo’s search results without any extra effort on your part. DuckDuckGo simply pulls in the results from Bing and other data sources.

What Should You Do Instead?

To maximize visibility in DuckDuckGo:

  • Focus on Google and Bing SEO: Submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools is sufficient. This will ensure your site is indexed by Bing, which, in turn, will ensure your content appears on DuckDuckGo.
  • Optimize for User Privacy: DuckDuckGo prioritizes privacy, so if you’re looking to increase your chances of being found on this platform, make sure your content is well-optimized for SEO and your site is privacy-friendly. DuckDuckGo tends to favor sites that offer a better user experience and respect privacy standards.

Conclusion

So, in short, no, you don’t need to submit your sitemap to DuckDuckGo. If you’re properly indexed by Google and Bing, you’re already covered. Just focus on ensuring your site is well-optimized and appears in those search engines, and DuckDuckGo will follow suit.