In short. Enable Images in Sitemaps and Include Featured Images under Rank Math SEO > Sitemap Settings > General, then save the settings.
Definition: As of October 2026, Rank Math includes images through the Images in Sitemaps setting in its XML sitemap, a file listing content for search engines. Include Featured Images controls whether posts' featured images appear there.
Key facts
- Rank Math's sitemap settings guide documents separate switches for image inclusion and featured images.
- Rank Math's Advanced Mode guide says Easy Mode exposes only Links Per Sitemap and Include Featured Images in the General section.
- Google's image sitemap documentation, updated 10 December 2025, accepts image tags within an existing sitemap or a separate image sitemap.
Which settings enable image inclusion?
Rank Math's configuration guide places the image controls under Rank Math SEO > Sitemap Settings > General. Images in Sitemaps enables image inclusion. Include Featured Images adds posts' featured images, including cases where the featured image is absent from the displayed post.
For inclusion of both kinds of images, the configuration is:
Rank Math SEO > Sitemap Settings > General
Images in Sitemaps: ON
Include Featured Images: ON
The guide directs administrators to save settings with the Save Changes button at the bottom right.
Why is the image switch missing?
Rank Math has Easy Mode and Advanced Mode, which determine which settings appear. Its Advanced Mode documentation explains that Easy Mode limits the General sitemap section to Links Per Sitemap and Include Featured Images. Advanced Mode exposes the full set of options.
The documented route for changing mode is WordPress Dashboard > Rank Math SEO > Dashboard. The Advanced Mode control appears in the top-right corner. This is the relevant visibility setting when the General section shows the featured-image switch but omits the broader image switch.
How can the resulting image entries be checked?
Google's image sitemap reference identifies the required tags: image:image encloses information about an image, and image:loc contains its URL. A URL is the address of a page or file. Google's example contains this image entry:
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://example.com/image.jpg</image:loc>
</image:image>
These tags provide concrete strings to search for in the sitemap's XML source. The address above is Google's example; the corresponding entry on a website contains that website's image address.
The same documentation requires that robots.txt, the file containing crawler access rules, allow crawling of content intended for indexing. For images hosted on another domain, Google calls for verification of both domains in Search Console, its website monitoring service. Sitemap errors can also be investigated through Search Console.
Related terms
- XML sitemap
- How do I enable a sitemap in Rank Math?
- How do I exclude individual posts from Rank Math sitemaps?
- Googlebot-Image
FAQ
Can a featured image appear in the sitemap when it is absent from the displayed post?
Yes. Rank Math's sitemap guide describes Include Featured Images as the control for this situation. You can enable it to include posts' featured images.
Do I need a separate image sitemap?
Google's image sitemap documentation accepts either approach. You can include image tags in an existing sitemap or supply a separate image sitemap.
Sources
- Rank Math, "How to Configure Sitemaps in Rank Math", undated
- Rank Math, "Rank Math’s Advanced Mode", undated
- Google Search Central, "Image sitemaps", 10 December 2025
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