Yes, exactly. Rank Math automatically hides sub-sitemaps (like post-sitemap.xml and category-sitemap.xml) from the main sitemap index if there is no published content inside them.
Here is why both are missing and how they will appear:
- Post Sitemap (
post-sitemap.xml): Rank Math will not generate or display this sub-sitemap until you publish at least one post set toIndex. - Category Sitemap (
category-sitemap.xml): Categories only appear in the sitemap once at least one published post is assigned to them. Even if you created categories in WordPress, empty categories are excluded by default to avoid submitting empty pages to search engines.
How to Verify and Fix
- Publish a Test Post:
- Create a dummy post, assign it to a category, and set its status to Published (not Draft or Scheduled).
- Refresh your
sitemap_index.xmlURL in an incognito window or clear your cache.post-sitemap.xmlandcategory-sitemap.xmlwill appear immediately.
- Check Rank Math Settings (If they still don’t show up after publishing):
- Go to Rank Math > Sitemap Settings > Posts. Ensure Include in Sitemap is toggled ON.
- Go to Rank Math > Sitemap Settings > Categories. Ensure Include in Sitemap is toggled ON and Include Empty Terms is enabled if you want empty categories listed.
Jason is an experienced content writer with four years of expertise crafting engaging blogs on AI prompts. Having previously written impactful articles for Prompt Ky, he is currently bringing his specialized knowledge and skills to Promptzify.com.