I use SEO press plugin. It generated my sitemaps which include post-sitemap1.xml, page-sitemap1.xml, category-sitemap1.xml, post_tag-sitemap1.xml.
I have 55 pages which are displayed in the page-sitemap1.xml file and I want to start creating blog posts for my business.
I have submitted these sitemaps to GSC.
When I start creating blog posts, will they be automatically added to the post-sitemap1.xml file and will google automatically update the sitemap to include the new post (if nothing is preventing it from being indexed) ?
My home page is also displayed in the post-sitemap1.xml file, is this correct? I thought my home page was a page (not post) and should be in the page sitemap file.
Should I keep an eye out for how many URLs are in each sitemap file or is the 50,000 URL limit that google specifies relevant to ALL URLs under my domain?
Anything else I should know? Thank you.
Hi!
Here’s a brief overview regarding your questions about sitemaps using the SEOPress plugin:
– Automatic Updates for New Blog Posts: Yes, when you start creating new blog posts, SEOPress will automatically add them to the `post-sitemap1.xml` file. Google will also automatically update and crawl the new posts, assuming there are no indexing restrictions (like noindex tags).
– Homepage in the Post Sitemap: Your homepage typically should be listed in the `page-sitemap1.xml` file, not the post sitemap. You might want to check your SEOPress settings to ensure the homepage is categorized correctly.
– Monitoring Sitemap URLs: While it’s good practice to keep an eye on the number of URLs in each sitemap, Google’s 50,000 URL limit applies to individual sitemaps, not the total across all sitemaps for your domain. So, you’re well within limits unless you expect to exceed 50,000 URLs in a single sitemap.
– General Advice: Regularly monitor your sitemaps in Google Search Console to ensure all pages are being indexed correctly. Keep your sitemaps clean and update them whenever significant changes are made to your site structure.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Yes the sitemap files are updated automatically and Google will periodically scan them before indexing the pages/posts. Once you upload the parent sitemap url into GSC, it’s set and forget.