Choose the right WordPress sitemap submission guide

An SEO (search engine optimization) plugin helps manage a site's search settings. A sitemap is a list of page addresses that can help Google find pages, but submitting one does not guarantee Google will crawl or index them. Use the active plugin list to open the matching Google Search Console guide.

• Outcome: Technical SEO
• Tools: WordPress
• Responsible: People who need to submit a WordPress site's sitemap to Google.
• Estimated time: 5 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• Identify which of four named WordPress SEO plugins is active.
• Open the matching Google Search Console sitemap guide.
• Ask the site manager which tool creates the sitemap when ownership is unclear.

This does not cover:

• Installing, activating, updating, deactivating, or switching plugins.
• Creating, enabling, or troubleshooting a sitemap.
• Submitting the sitemap or checking page indexing in Google Search Console.
• Choosing WordPress's own sitemap or a plugin not covered by one of the four guides.

Requirements

• Access to this site's WordPress dashboard and Installed Plugins list.

Related SOPs

• SOP 031: Submit and check a Rank Math sitemap in Google Search Console
• SOP 033: Submit and check a Yoast sitemap in Google Search Console
• SOP 034: Submit and check an All in One SEO sitemap in Google Search Console
• SOP 035: Submit and check a SEOPress sitemap in Google Search Console

01. Identify the active plugin

Check which plugin is turned on before opening a submission guide.

1. Find the plugin that is turned on.

   • Resource: WordPress guide to the Installed Plugins screen (See how the Active and Inactive filters identify plugins that are currently turned on.)

   1. In the WordPress dashboard, open Plugins > Installed Plugins and select Active. Only read this list; leave plugin settings unchanged.

   2. Look for Rank Math SEO, Yoast SEO, All in One SEO (also called AIOSEO), or SEOPress. A plugin that appears only under Inactive is not turned on.

   3. If a plugin and its own paid add-on appear on separate rows, count them as one plugin. If you cannot tell whether two rows belong to the same plugin, ask the person who manages the site.

2. Use the matching case below to decide what to do next.

   1. If exactly one of the four named plugins is active, and no other active tool might create a sitemap, choose that plugin. For example, if Yoast SEO is the only active sitemap plugin, choose Yoast SEO.

   2. If two or more of the four plugins are active, or another active tool might create the sitemap, ask the person who manages the site: “Which tool should create this site’s sitemap, and is it already turned on?” Wait for their answer before choosing a guide.

   3. If none of the four plugins is active, ask the person who manages the site: “Is WordPress or another tool creating this site’s sitemap, and which guide should I follow?”

02. Open the matching sitemap guide

Use the link for the plugin you identified. Its guide shows how to find that plugin’s sitemap and submit or check it in Google Search Console.

1. Select the linked guide beside the plugin you chose in step 1.2.

   1. When Rank Math SEO is the plugin you chose, open the linked guide.

      • Then follow SOP 031: Submit and check a Rank Math sitemap in Google Search Console

   2. When Yoast SEO is the plugin you chose, open the linked guide.

      • Then follow SOP 033: Submit and check a Yoast sitemap in Google Search Console

   3. When All in One SEO is the plugin you chose, open the linked guide.

      • Then follow SOP 034: Submit and check an All in One SEO sitemap in Google Search Console

   4. When SEOPress is the plugin you chose, open the linked guide.

      • Then follow SOP 035: Submit and check a SEOPress sitemap in Google Search Console