How To Refresh Your Sitemap In Yoast: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re looking to improve your website’s SEO and increase your website traffic, updating your sitemap in Yoast is a crucial step. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of refreshing your sitemap in Yoast, as well as provide some tips for optimizing your sitemap for better results.
Why Updating Your Sitemap Is Important
- Sitemaps are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the structure of your website and its content.
- By updating your sitemap, you ensure that all of your website’s pages are indexed and easily accessible to search engines.
- Updating your sitemap also helps to improve the user experience, as it makes it easier for visitors to navigate your website and find the information they are looking for.
Step 1: Access Your Yoast Dashboard
The first step to updating your sitemap in Yoast is to access your Yoast dashboard. This can be done by logging into your WordPress website and clicking on the “SEO” tab in the left-hand menu.
Step 2: Go to the “General” Tab
Once you’re in the Yoast dashboard, click on the “General” tab. This will take you to the general settings page for Yoast.
Step 3: Click on the “Features” Tab
In the “Features” tab, you will see a section called “XML sitemaps”. Make sure that this feature is enabled by clicking on the toggle button. This will ensure that your sitemap is automatically updated whenever you make changes to your website.
Step 4: Update Your Sitemap
Once the XML sitemap feature is enabled, you can update your sitemap by clicking on the “XML sitemaps” link in the left-hand menu. This will take you to the sitemaps page, where you can click on the “Refresh sitemap” button to update your sitemap.
Tips for Optimizing Your Sitemap
- Make sure that all of your website’s pages are included in your sitemap. If you have pages that are not included, you can add them manually by going to the “Post Types” tab in the Yoast dashboard and selecting the pages you want to include.
- Include relevant keywords in your sitemap’s title and description. This will help search engines understand the content of your website and improve your SEO.
- Regularly update your sitemap to ensure that it reflects the most recent changes to your website.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How often should I update my sitemap? | It’s recommended to update your sitemap whenever you make significant changes to your website, such as adding new pages or updating existing content. You can also set up automatic updates in Yoast for added convenience. |
| Do I need to manually submit my sitemap to search engines? | No, Yoast automatically submits your sitemap to search engines when you update it. However, you can also manually submit your sitemap through Google Search Console for added visibility. |
| Can I customize my sitemap? | Yes, you can customize your sitemap by selecting which pages and post types you want to include. You can also add custom titles and descriptions for better SEO. |
| Is it necessary to have a sitemap for my website? | While it’s not mandatory, having a sitemap can greatly improve your website’s SEO and user experience. It also makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your website. |
| How can I check if my sitemap is up-to-date? | You can check the last modified date of your sitemap in the “XML sitemaps” section of the Yoast dashboard. If it’s been a while since your sitemap was last updated, it may be time to refresh it. |