Documentation → User Guides
Getting Started
Install Developer Sitemap and have your XML sitemap running in minutes.
Requirements
Before installing Developer Sitemap, ensure your environment meets these minimum requirements:
| Requirement | Minimum Version |
|---|---|
| WordPress | 6.0 or higher |
| PHP | 7.4 or higher |
| WooCommerce (optional) | 3.0 or higher |
The plugin is designed to work on shared hosting environments and has minimal resource requirements. No special server configuration is needed.
Installation
Method 1: WordPress Admin (Recommended)
The easiest way to install Developer Sitemap:
- Navigate to Plugins → Add New in your WordPress admin
- Search for “Developer Sitemap”
- Click Install Now on the plugin card
- Click Activate once installation completes
Method 2: Upload Plugin ZIP
If you have the plugin ZIP file:
- Navigate to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Click Choose File and select the ZIP file
- Click Install Now
- Click Activate Plugin
Method 3: FTP/SFTP Upload
For manual installation via file transfer:
- Extract the plugin ZIP file on your computer
- Connect to your server via FTP/SFTP
- Upload the
developer-sitemapfolder to/wp-content/plugins/ - Navigate to Plugins in WordPress admin
- Find “Developer Sitemap” and click Activate
First Steps After Activation
Developer Sitemap works immediately after activation with sensible defaults. Your sitemap is instantly available at:
https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xmlStep 1: Verify Your Sitemap
Open your sitemap URL in a browser to confirm it’s working. You should see an XML document with a styled display showing your sitemap index and links to individual sitemaps.
Step 2: Access the Dashboard
Look for Sitemap in your WordPress admin sidebar. Click it to open the Dashboard, which shows:
- Sitemap status (enabled/disabled)
- Your sitemap URL with a quick copy button
- Total URL count across all sitemaps
- Content breakdown by type
- Quick links to search engine submission
Step 3: Review Content Types
Navigate to Sitemap → Settings to review which content types are included:
| Content Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Posts | Enabled | Standard blog posts |
| Pages | Enabled | Static pages |
| Products | Enabled* | WooCommerce products (*when WooCommerce active) |
| Taxonomies | Disabled | Category and tag archives |
| Authors | Disabled | Author archive pages |
Understanding Your Sitemap
Sitemap Index Structure
Your main sitemap at /sitemap.xml is actually a sitemap index that links to individual sitemaps for each content type:
| Sitemap | URL | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Index | /sitemap.xml | Links to all sitemaps below |
| Posts | /sitemap-post.xml | All published posts |
| Pages | /sitemap-page.xml | All published pages |
| Products | /sitemap-product.xml | WooCommerce products |
| Taxonomies | /sitemap-taxonomy.xml | Categories and tags |
| Authors | /sitemap-author.xml | Author archives |
URL Entry Elements
Each URL in your sitemap includes these elements:
| Element | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
<loc> | The full URL of the page | https://yoursite.com/hello-world/ |
<lastmod> | When the content was last modified | 2026-01-09T10:30:00+00:00 |
<changefreq> | How often the content typically changes | weekly |
<priority> | Relative importance (0.0 to 1.0) | 0.6 |
Next Steps
Now that your sitemap is running, here’s what to do next:
Submit to Search Engines
Tell Google and Bing about your sitemap to accelerate indexing.
Configure Settings
Fine-tune priorities, frequencies, and content type options.
WooCommerce Setup
Running a store? Learn how to configure product sitemaps.
Troubleshooting
Having issues? Check common problems and solutions.