How to Enable Yoast XML Sitemaps and Find the URL

On a WordPress site, Yoast SEO can create an XML sitemap: a machine-readable file that lists URLs search engines can discover. The sitemap index is the main sitemap page; it links to smaller sitemaps for types of content on the site.

To enable the feature, turn on XML sitemaps in Yoast SEO settings, then open the sitemap from the dashboard or visit yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml, replacing yourdomain.com with your site’s domain. To confirm that the sitemap is active, load that URL and check that it displays the sitemap index.

Turn on XML sitemaps in Yoast SEO

In the WordPress dashboard, go to Yoast SEO → Settings → Site features. Under Technical SEO, switch XML sitemaps on, then select View the XML sitemap. Yoast’s sitemap instructions document this dashboard path.

Yoast’s menu labels can vary across plugin versions. If you do not see Site features, check the Yoast settings for the XML sitemap feature, then use its View the XML sitemap link. That link opens the sitemap Yoast serves for your site.

Find and check the sitemap index URL

The standard Yoast sitemap index URL is:

https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml

Use your site’s domain and its web address protocol, HTTP or HTTPS. For example, a site at https://example.com uses https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml. You can also copy the URL from the dashboard’s View the XML sitemap link. The Yoast sitemap documentation describes that link, and Yoast sitemap examples show the index URL format.

Open the URL in a browser after enabling the setting. A working sitemap index displays XML content and links to the individual sitemaps Yoast generates. This confirms that the sitemap loads in your browser. It does not confirm that search engines have added the listed pages to their search results. Yoast updates its sitemaps as you add or remove content.

Troubleshoot a missing sitemap

If the URL returns a 404 error, meaning the page was not found, first confirm that XML sitemaps are enabled. Then open Settings → Permalinks in WordPress and select Save Changes. Saving the permalink settings can refresh WordPress’s URL rules; a Yoast sitemap troubleshooting report describes this remedy.

Also check whether another plugin generates a sitemap or a sitemap file is stored on your site at the same address. Those sources can conflict with Yoast’s sitemap. Yoast recommends disabling competing sitemap plugins and removing a conflicting physical file before relying on its generated sitemap, as described in its sitemap guidance. A URL such as /sitemap.xml may belong to another source; check the exact /sitemap_index.xml address when validating Yoast.

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