Native Sitemap Customizer gives you complete control over the native WordPress XML sitemap (wp-sitemap.xml) without requiring a full SEO plugin.
Native Sitemap Customizer gives you complete control over the native WordPress XML sitemap (wp-sitemap.xml) introduced in WordPress 5.5, without requiring a full SEO plugin.
Features
- Exclude Post Types: Remove any custom post type from the sitemap
- Exclude Taxonomies: Control which taxonomies appear in the sitemap
- User Control: Exclude specific user roles, individual users, or disable the entire users sitemap for single-author sites
- Flexible Exclusions: Exclude posts/pages by ID or by slug patterns
- Performance: Customize the maximum number of URLs per sitemap (1-50,000)
- Conflict Detection: Warns you if SEO plugins are active or indexing is disabled
- Clean Interface: Two-column layout for easy navigation and configuration
Perfect For
- Sites that don’t need a full SEO plugin
- Developers who want granular sitemap control
- Anyone looking to optimize their WordPress native sitemap
- Sites using headless WordPress or custom SEO solutions
Requirements
- WordPress 5.5 or higher (when native sitemaps were introduced)
- PHP 7.4 or higher
- SimpleXML PHP extension
How It Works
Native Sitemap Customizer works by applying filters to WordPress’s built-in sitemap functionality. It doesn’t generate its own sitemap – it simply controls what appears in the native wp-sitemap.xml that WordPress creates.
Important Notes
- If you have an SEO plugin active (Yoast, Rank Math, etc.), you should disable their sitemap functionality to avoid conflicts
- The plugin will warn you if search engine indexing is disabled in WordPress Reading Settings
- Changes take effect immediately – your sitemap is dynamically generated
Support
For support, please visit https://servicios.ayudawp.com
Privacy
This plugin does not collect or store any personal data. It only modifies which URLs appear in your public sitemap.
Screenshots
Native Sitemap settings page
Post types selection options
Taxonomies selection options
User role exclusion options
Post exclusions per ID or Slug options
Term exclusions per ID or Slug options
Advanced settings
Does this plugin create its own sitemap?
No. This plugin manages the native WordPress sitemap (wp-sitemap.xml) that WordPress generates automatically since version 5.5.
Will this conflict with my SEO plugin?
If your SEO plugin generates its own sitemap, there may be a conflict. The plugin will detect popular SEO plugins and warn you. We recommend disabling the sitemap feature in your SEO plugin.
Where is my sitemap located?
Your sitemap is available at: https://yourdomain.com/wp-sitemap.xml
Can I change the sitemap URL?
No, WordPress uses a fixed URL structure for its native sitemap. This is intentional to maintain compatibility and standards.
How do I submit my sitemap to search engines?
Submit your sitemap manually to Google Search Console (https://search.google.com/search-console) and Bing Webmaster Tools (https://www.bing.com/webmasters). Automatic ping services are no longer supported by major search engines as of 2023.
Why are my changes not appearing?
WordPress may cache the sitemap. Try clearing your cache plugin (if any) and test in an incognito browser window. Changes take effect immediately in the WordPress core.
Can I exclude specific posts?
Yes! You can exclude posts by ID (enter one ID per line) or by slug patterns (any post containing that text in its slug will be excluded).
Can I exclude specific taxonomy terms?
Yes! You can exclude taxonomy terms by ID (enter one ID per line) or by slug patterns (any taxonomy term containing that text in its slug will be excluded).
What’s the recommended maximum URLs setting?
The default of 1,000 URLs per sitemap is recommended for most sites. Lower values can improve performance on large sites. The maximum allowed by the sitemap protocol is 50,000.
ChangeLog
1.2.0
- New: Exclude taxonomy terms (categories, tags, etc.) by ID
- New: Exclude taxonomy terms containing specific text in their slug
- Fixed: Use wp_safe_redirect() instead of wp_redirect() for improved security
- Renamed exclusion sections for clarity (Post Exclusions / Term Exclusions)
1.1.0
- New: Override third-party plugin sitemap exclusions (e.g., Sensei LMS lessons now appear in sitemap by default)
- Post types blocked by other plugins are now automatically re-included unless user explicitly excludes them
1.0.1
- Tested up to WordPress 6.9
1.0.0
- Initial release
- Exclude post types from sitemap
- Exclude taxonomies from sitemap
- Exclude user roles and specific users
- Exclude entire users sitemap for single-author sites
- Exclude posts by ID and slug patterns
- Customize maximum URLs per sitemap (1-50,000)
- Detection of SEO plugin conflicts
- Detection of disabled indexing
- Reset to defaults functionality
- Clean two-column admin interface
