Hello!
We get questions about this often. In the next update, I’ll more clearly highlight that categories are not part of the optimized sitemap. They shouldn’t be, and even though they aren’t part of the sitemap, they can still be indexed. The sitemap is only used to speed up indexing; it doesn’t improve ranking.
You can learn more about why we exclude them at:
1. https://tsf.fyi/kb/why-arent-archives-listed-in-the-sitemap/.
2. https://tsf.fyi/kb/sitemap.
Still, if you still wish categories to be part of the sitemap, you can deactivate the “optimized” sitemap at “SEO Settings > Sitemap Settings > General > Sitemap Output.”
After saving, WordPress will then output for you a different sitemap, which TSF augments with lastmod
and indexability support. Under that setting, a different link will appear that leads to that sitemap.
I hope this clears that up. Have a lovely day!