How does The SEO Framework advertise translated sitemaps in robots.txt?

Definition: The SEO Framework (TSF) advertises its optimized sitemap URLs in robots.txt, including language-specific sitemap URLs when a supported translation setup is active. The output depends on a dynamically generated robots response: a custom robots.txt file in the site root prevents TSF from adding those URLs.

Key facts

• With the optimized sitemap enabled, TSF lists /sitemap.xml and can list extra language sitemaps for WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress. The SEO Framework's sitemap documentation gives the conditions for each integration.
• TSF's translation compatibility documentation says that WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress receive a unique optimized sitemap per language, while WordPress Core sitemaps do not receive these per-language extras. The translation compatibility documentation shows the URL forms.
• A robots file is hosted in the top-level directory of a site, and Google's example uses a Sitemap: field to declare a sitemap URL. Google's robots.txt specification documents both details.

What does TSF put in the robots.txt response?

TSF's optimized sitemap uses /sitemap.xml as its base endpoint. When WPML or Polylang uses a subdirectory, parameter, or Polylang “from content” URL format, TSF also lists each extra language sitemap. TranslatePress adds a sitemap for every language that has a language directory. If WordPress Core sitemaps are selected, the output lists the Core index at /wp-sitemap.xml instead. TSF places the setting under SEO Settings → Sitemap Settings, in the General and Robots.txt tabs.

The resulting lines follow the Sitemap: form documented by Google. The paths below match the examples and URL forms in TSF's documentation:

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Sitemap: https://example.com/es/sitemap.xml

Which translation URL formats receive extra entries?

TSF's compatibility documentation says that the optimized sitemap is unique for each language. Its examples are:

example.com/sitemap.xml (default language)
example.com/es/sitemap.xml (subdirectory)
example.com/sitemap.xml?lang=es (query parameter)
es.example.com/sitemap.xml (subdomain)

For WPML and Polylang, the advertised list includes the base sitemap and each extra language sitemap for subdirectory, parameter, and Polylang “from content” formats. A default-language directory URL such as /en/sitemap.xml can resolve when that slug is shown, but TSF does not list that alias in robots.txt.

Subdomains are handled per host. Each host has its own /sitemap.xml, so the main site's robots.txt does not list the other hosts. With TranslatePress, each published language that has a language directory gets its own sitemap, while the language served without a directory is excluded from the list.

Why does the robots output need to remain dynamic?

TSF states that it can add sitemap URLs only when there is no custom robots.txt file in the website's root folder. This means a physical root file takes precedence over the output that TSF would otherwise generate. The optimized sitemap must also be enabled, and the relevant control is under SEO Settings → Sitemap Settings.

The distinction matters because the language list depends on the active translation integration and its URL format. The translated sitemap links are available in View translated sitemaps in the same settings area. TSF's sitemap documentation says that WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress use that list for their advertised URLs.

How can you check the advertised URLs?

Open SEO Settings → Sitemap Settings and inspect View translated sitemaps. Compare those URLs with the sitemap fields returned by the site's root robots.txt. Google states that crawlers fetch robots.txt from the site's top-level directory, so the check belongs at /robots.txt, not in a subdirectory. If the file is custom, the TSF-generated entries are not the response to inspect.

Related terms

• robots.txt
• robots.txt Sitemap field
• XML sitemap
• How do I change WordPress's virtual robots.txt output?

FAQ

Does TSF list /en/sitemap.xml for a default-language directory?

TSF documents that a default-language directory URL can resolve when that slug is shown, but robots.txt does not list the alias. The advertised list uses the base sitemap and the extra language sitemaps.

What happens when WordPress Core sitemaps are selected?

TSF lists the Core index, /wp-sitemap.xml, in robots.txt instead of the optimized sitemap entry. The translation compatibility documentation says Core sitemaps do not receive TSF's per-language extras.

Can a custom root robots.txt contain TSF's translated entries automatically?

No automatic TSF addition occurs when a custom robots.txt file exists in the root folder. The TSF-generated response is available when that custom file is absent and the optimized sitemap is enabled.

Sources

1. The SEO Framework, "All you must know about sitemaps", 13 October 2026
2. The SEO Framework, "Translation Plugin Compatibility", 13 October 2026
3. Google Search Central, "How Google interprets the robots.txt specification", undated

---

Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer