SEO Rules sitemap

This article is part of the guide to SEO Rules in FiboFilters. If you’re new to SEO Rules, start there first.

Once a day, at 3 AM by default, FiboFilters publishes an XML sitemap of every active SEO rule.

In short, a sitemap is a list of URLs that you want search engines (like Google) to index and show in search results. Learn more about sitemaps here.

FiboFilters’ sitemap includes only URLs with filter parameters, for example domain.com/product_category/shoes?color=green. Other URLs are handled by your SEO plugin.

The sitemap section is located in WooCommerce > FiboFilters > SEO Rules:

FiboFilters SEO sitemap information

Make sure the “Generate Sitemap” option is enabled. Otherwise, FiboFilters won’t create a sitemap.

Where to find the sitemap

By default, the sitemap is available at domain.com/fibofilters-sitemap.xml.

If you’re using an SEO plugin that FiboFilters integrates with – Yoast SEO, AIOSEO, Rank Math, or SEOPress – this link will automatically be included in that plugin’s sitemap as well.

What goes into the sitemap

For FiboFilters to include a URL in the sitemap, that URL has to meet the following criteria:

  • It includes parameters for filters set up in FiboFilters settings, e.g. ?color=green. Filter parameters from other plugins are not taken into consideration.
  • An SEO rule for the URL exists and is active (the “Rule is active” toggle is on).
  • The URL outputs at least 5 products. You can change this number with the fibofilters/seo/min_products_per_url hook. Refer to Developer hooks for more information.

Daily limit

FiboFilters indexes only 500 URLs per day. This limit exists because search engines may not handle larger amounts properly. To avoid some URLs being skipped, FiboFilters spreads indexing out over time, adding URLs gradually using Action Scheduler.

The daily limit can be changed with the fibofilters/seo/sitemap/daily_limit hook. Refer to Developer hooks for more information.

Uploading the sitemap to Google Search Console

Although Google may be able to discover the sitemap automatically, it’s best to submit it to Google Search Console manually:

  • Go to the “Sitemaps” menu in Google Search Console.
  • Submit your sitemap URL (see “Where to find the sitemap” above).
  • Wait 7-14 days for Google to process it.
  • Go to Google Search Console > Pages to check whether filtered pages have been indexed.

Troubleshooting

If a URL is missing from the sitemap, here are the most common reasons:

  • The corresponding SEO rule is inactive.
  • The URL produces fewer than 5 products.
  • The daily limit (500 URLs) has been reached.
  • Action Scheduler hasn’t finished adding URLs to the sitemap yet – check back later.