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Troubleshooting Empty or Missing Links in Your XML Sitemap

38 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Xml sitemap generator for google

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If you've installed the 'XML Sitemap Generator for Google' plugin and found your sitemap is empty, missing posts, or only showing a single link, you're not alone. This is a common issue with a variety of potential causes. This guide will walk you through the most frequent reasons and their solutions.

Why is My Sitemap Empty or Incomplete?

An empty sitemap typically indicates the plugin is unable to find or process your site's content to generate links. Based on community reports, this can happen for several reasons:

  • Plugin or Theme Conflicts: Another plugin or your theme might be interfering with the sitemap generation process.
  • Caching Issues: A caching plugin or server-side cache could be serving an old, stale version of your sitemap.
  • Incorrect Sitemap URL: The address you are checking might not be the correct one generated by the plugin.
  • Recent Update Glitch: A plugin update may have introduced a temporary bug, as was seen in some Multisite installations.
  • Server Configuration: Server settings, like low memory limits, can cause a 500 error when generating more complex sitemaps (like tag sitemaps).

How to Fix an Empty Sitemap

Follow these steps to identify and resolve the problem.

Step 1: Find Your Correct Sitemap URL

First, confirm you are looking at the right file. Within your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Settings > XML Sitemap. The plugin settings page should display a direct link labeled "You can find your XML sitemap here." Click this link to view the correct sitemap.

Step 2: Conduct a Conflict Test

This is the most effective way to identify the root cause.

  1. Disable Caching: Temporarily deactivate any caching plugins (e.g., WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache) and clear your server cache if possible. Then, check your sitemap again. If it works, you know the cache was the issue. You will need to reconfigure your cache to exclude the sitemap XML files.
  2. Disable Other Plugins: If caching isn't the problem, deactivate all other plugins except 'XML Sitemap Generator for Google'. If your sitemap now populates correctly, reactivate your plugins one-by-one, checking the sitemap after each, to find the conflicting one.
  3. Switch Themes: If the problem persists with all plugins disabled, temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four). If this fixes the issue, your theme is likely the source of the conflict.

Step 3: Check for a Known Bug and Update

As seen in one thread, a specific version of the plugin caused empty sitemaps on Multisite subsites. The 'XML Sitemap Generator for Google' team resolved this in a subsequent update. Ensure your plugin is updated to the latest version to benefit from any recent bug fixes.

Step 4: Investigate Server Errors

If specific parts of your sitemap (like sitemap-tax-post_tag.xml) return a 500 Internal Server Error, the cause is often a server memory limit that is too low for the operation. Contact your web hosting provider and ask them to check the server's error logs for the exact time you tried to access the sitemap. You can also ask them to temporarily increase the PHP memory limit for WordPress to see if it resolves the issue.

Step 5: Rebuild the Sitemap

After making any changes (like updating or disabling a conflicting plugin), you may need to force the plugin to rebuild the sitemap. Within the plugin's settings, look for an option to "Rebuild sitemap" or "Update sitemap" and click it.

What If My Posts Are Still Missing?

If your sitemap generates but is missing specific posts or custom post types:

  • Go to Settings > XML Sitemap and click the "Post Types" tab. Ensure the checkbox for your specific post type (e.g., 'Products', 'Posts') is enabled.
  • Verify that the individual post is published and set to be visible to search engines in its WordPress editor settings.

Conclusion

An empty sitemap is almost always solvable by systematically working through the points above. The most common culprits are caching and plugin conflicts. By disabling other plugins and caches temporarily, you can isolate the problem and get your sitemap working correctly, ensuring search engines can properly discover your content.

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