SEO Suite Guide
Sitemaps and Indexing
Sitemaps and indexing controls help search engines discover the right content and avoid pages that should not appear in search.
What this is
This guide covers sitemap output, noindex basics, robots visibility, and indexation risk checks.
Why it matters
A site can have good content and still struggle if important pages are excluded or unimportant pages are exposed.
Who needs this
FreeBasic sitemap and visibility checks.
ProDeeper cleanup for real content sites.
AgencyRepeatable checks across many installs.
Before you start
- Know which content should be public in search.
- Know whether the site is live, staging, or private.
- Check WordPress visibility settings before blaming sitemap output.
Step by step
- Open the sitemap settings or sitemap module.
- Confirm sitemap output is enabled if the site is public.
- Review post types/taxonomies included in the sitemap.
- Check indexing/noindex behavior for archives and low-value pages.
- Run Indexation Risk or SEO Audit if pages are not appearing as expected.
- After changes, re-check the sitemap URL and important pages.
Rule of thumb: public valuable pages should be discoverable; thin internal utility pages usually should not be the star of your sitemap.
What this affects
- Search discovery.
- Indexability of key pages.
- Audit/indexation risk results.
Common mistakes
- Leaving “discourage search engines” enabled on a live site.
- Including every archive without thinking.
- Noindexing an important page and then wondering why it is invisible.
Quick checklist
- Sitemap enabled for public site.
- Important content included.
- Low-value pages reviewed.
- Indexation risk checked.
