Here’s a clear, step-by-step guide to add a sitemap for a WordPress website in Google Search Console (GSC) 👇
Step 1: Find or Create Your Sitemap in WordPress
Most WordPress sites already have a sitemap.
✅ If you use a plugin (most common)
Yoast SEO
- Sitemap URL:
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml - Make sure it’s enabled:
WordPress Dashboard → Yoast → Settings → Site features → XML sitemaps
Rank Math
- Sitemap URL:
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml - Enable it:
Rank Math → Sitemap Settings
All in One SEO
- Sitemap URL:
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml
✅ No plugin?
WordPress has a default sitemap:
https://yourwebsite.com/wp-sitemap.xml
👉 Open the sitemap URL in your browser to confirm it loads.
Step 2: Open Google Search Console
- Go to Google Search Console
- Select your website property
(make sure the site is already verified)
Step 3: Submit the Sitemap
- In the left menu, click Sitemaps
- Under “Add a new sitemap”
- Enter only the sitemap filename, for example:
sitemap_index.xml - Click Submit
✅ You should see a “Success” message.
Step 4: Check Sitemap Status
- Wait a few minutes
- Refresh the page
- Status should show “Success”
- Google will start discovering your pages automatically
Common Issues & Fixes
❌ “Couldn’t fetch”
- Sitemap URL is wrong
- Sitemap blocked by robots.txt
- Site not verified correctly
❌ “Submitted URL not found (404)”
- Plugin sitemap is disabled
- Wrong sitemap name
Best Practices
- Submit only one sitemap index (not individual post sitemaps)
- Don’t resubmit repeatedly—Google updates automatically
- Check Pages → Indexing in GSC after a few days
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