Sitemap Element
The Sitemap Element lists the published content of your whole site on one page. Every public content type, such as pages, posts or products, gets its own heading with a list of links below it, and pages keep their parent and child structure as nested lists.
An HTML sitemap helps visitors who cannot find something through the menu, and it gives search engines and AI crawlers a simple map of how the site is organized. The list updates itself: new content appears as soon as it is published.
In this article: How To Use · Element Options · Tips · Related Elements
How To Use The Sitemap Element
Add the Sitemap Element to a page, usually one called Sitemap that you link from the footer. There is nothing to enter: the element finds every public content type and lists its published items, ordered by their menu order and then by title.
Choose the Section Heading Tag for the heading above each content type. When a content type has an archive page, its heading links to that archive. Use Exclude Additional Post Types to leave out types you do not want listed; enter their slugs separated by commas.
FAQ entries are always left out, because they are shown inside other pages rather than as pages of their own. A page whose parent is not published is listed at the top level, so it never disappears from the sitemap.
Element Options
The tables below list every option of the element, grouped by the tabs you see when you edit it in the Builder. Many options depend on others, so the edit screen only shows the options that apply to your current choices.
General
| Heading | Description |
|---|---|
| Section Heading Tag | Controls this setting. |
| Exclude Additional Post Types | Comma-separated post type slugs to exclude, in addition to FAQs (always excluded). |
| Element Visibility | Controls this setting. |
| CSS Class | Controls this setting. |
| CSS ID | Controls this setting. |
Tips
- Tirenoa can create a sitemap page with this element for you: see Enable HTML Sitemap and Sitemap Page Slug under Tirenoa > Options > SEO.
- Pick the Section Heading Tag to fit the page: H2 when the sitemap is the main content under the page title, H3 or H4 when it sits below other headings.
- Only published content is listed; drafts and private items do not appear. Password-protected pages are listed, but their content stays protected.
- On a large site the list can become long. Exclude content types that visitors do not need to browse, such as internal or technical ones.
- This element is a page for people. The XML sitemap for search engines is created by WordPress separately and does not depend on it.