WordPress SEO - XML Sitemap Configuration

Along with XML RPC, WordPress can also keep search engines updated every time you update or add a post or page. There is a third party plugin that creates and manages XML Sitemaps. The home page of the plugin creator Arne Brachhold is here. You can download the plugin from his page to get the latest version, but if you are running WordPress version 2 or higher I suggest you grab this version of the XML Sitemap Plugin. We have made a very minor tweak to the plugin that works with the robots.txt function of the plugin. We will keep this version up to date as we use it and only upgrade the XML Sitemap after it has been thoroughly tested. Download the SEO By You version of Google XML Sitemap Plugin.

How To Configure Arne Brachhold’s WordPress XML Sitemap Plugin

After installing the WordPress XML Sitemap Plugin you will need to set it up to automatically create and update your sitemap. The first time you access the sitemap configuration page you will probably be a little overwhelmed with all the options.

WordPress XML Sitemap Plugin - Basic Options

The first thing you will need to look at is if you will require a zipped version of the sitemap. The sitemap can hold up to 10,000 URL’s so if you are just starting out or won’t have a website that will have an enormous amount of content, then uncheck the option for writing a gzipped version and go to the bottom of the page and hit Update Options.

Basic Options - Update Notifications

This is one of the most important parts of the plugin configuration as it is how your sitemap tool will communicate with the major search engines.

XML Sitemap Additional Pages - Post Priority - Location

If you have a static website that you made WordPress a part of, then you may add your other content here. The problem with that is, the XML Sitemap Plugin will not notify search engines or update you sitemap if those pages are changed. We recommend that you keep separate sitemaps for the WordPress system and your static pages.

XML Sitemap Content - Priorities and Change Frequency

the last sections are also very important to the search engines. This is where you will be able to tell Google what to spider and what to ignore. Keep in mind that it is best to use the robots.txt file, XML Plugin and the All In One SEO Pack in conjunction with each other to send the proper configuration of your WordPress system to the search engines.

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