How do I enable XML sitemaps in Yoast SEO?

Definition: An XML sitemap lists website URLs for search engines, and a sitemap index links to individual sitemap files. As of 17 October 2026, Yoast SEO's activation path in WordPress is Yoast SEO > Settings > Site features > Technical SEO, with XML sitemaps set to On.

Key facts

• Yoast's XML sitemap guide identifies a purple checkmark as the enabled state and provides a View the XML sitemap link.
• Yoast's functional specification places the sitemap index at /sitemap_index.xml and describes separate sitemaps for content types.
• Google's sitemap overview explains that search engines read sitemaps for information about pages, files and their relationships.

Where is the activation switch?

The procedure in Yoast's XML sitemap documentation starts in the WordPress Dashboard:

1. The Yoast SEO menu opens the plugin's controls.
2. Settings opens its settings area.
3. Site features contains the feature switches.
4. Under Technical SEO, the XML sitemaps toggle enables sitemap output when set to On.
5. The View the XML sitemap link opens the sitemap.

A purple checkmark confirms that the feature is enabled. The documented activation procedure uses these settings; the separate code example on the same help page concerns limiting sitemap entries.

Where is the sitemap index?

Yoast's sitemap specification gives this path for the index:

/sitemap_index.xml

The index is the starting point for finding the generated sitemap files. The same specification describes a separate sitemap for each content type and allows large sitemaps to be split into paginated files. Its examples include post-sitemap.xml and post-sitemap2.xml.

Within the index, each sitemap entry contains a loc property referencing the absolute URL of an individual sitemap. Opening that URL leads to the file containing page entries. Each page entry has its own loc property for the page URL. This distinction helps when checking whether the browser shows the index or a content sitemap.

What happens after activation?

Yoast's help guide states that the index and individual sitemaps update automatically when content is added or removed. The same guide says that post types marked noindex, an instruction excluding content from search indexing, are omitted from the sitemap.

Google's overview describes sitemaps as information for crawling. Inclusion in a sitemap leaves crawling and indexing decisions to the search engine.

Related terms

• XML sitemap
• How do I exclude a content type from Yoast sitemaps?
• Why is a page missing from a Yoast sitemap?

FAQ

Do I need to regenerate the sitemap after publishing?

Yoast's documentation says its sitemap index and individual sitemaps update automatically as you add or remove content.

Can the feature be enabled while the sitemap is empty?

Yes. Yoast's specification allows an empty sitemap or index after exclusions. It lists private and password-protected pages among excluded content.

Sources

1. Yoast, "XML sitemaps in the Yoast SEO plugin", updated 24 February 2026
2. Yoast, "Yoast SEO XML Sitemaps: Functional specification", undated
3. Google Search Central, "Learn about sitemaps", updated 10 December 2025

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