Top Features of the Bing XML Sitemap Plugin for SEOA well-structured sitemap is one of the foundational elements of technical SEO. The Bing XML Sitemap Plugin helps site owners create, manage, and submit XML sitemaps specifically tailored for Bing (while also being useful for other search engines). This article covers the plugin’s top features, explains why they matter for SEO, and offers practical tips for configuration and troubleshooting.
What an XML sitemap does for SEO
An XML sitemap is a machine-readable file that lists a website’s URLs and metadata (last modified date, change frequency, priority). Search engines use sitemaps to discover pages and understand which content to crawl and index first. While search engines like Google, Bing, and others can discover pages through links, sitemaps are especially important for:
- New websites with few backlinks
- Large sites with deep architecture
- Pages that are not well-linked internally
- Sites that regularly publish or update content
1. Easy sitemap generation and automatic updates
One of the core features of the Bing XML Sitemap Plugin is automated sitemap generation. After installation the plugin scans your site and builds a correctly formatted XML sitemap. As you add, update, or delete content, the plugin updates the sitemap automatically, ensuring search engines see the most current structure.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Ensures search engines receive up-to-date signals about new or changed content.
- Reduces the risk of stale or incorrect URLs being crawled or indexed.
Practical tip:
- Verify that the plugin’s update frequency aligns with how often you publish new content (daily for blogs, less frequently for static sites).
2. Custom inclusion/exclusion rules
The plugin typically allows fine-grained control over which content types, taxonomies, or individual URLs are included in the sitemap. For example, you can choose to include posts and pages but exclude certain categories, tags, or private drafts.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Prevents low-value or duplicate content from being crawled and wasting crawl budget.
- Helps prioritize pages you want indexed and surfaced in search results.
Practical tip:
- Exclude archive pages, admin pages, and thin-content pages. Include canonical landing pages and cornerstone content.
3. Priority and change frequency settings
Many sitemap plugins let you assign priority values and suggested change frequency (e.g., daily, weekly) per content type or even per page. While search engines treat these as hints rather than directives, they can help guide crawlers.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Communicates which pages are most important.
- Provides additional context about update cadence.
Practical tip:
- Use priority sparingly; reserve high priority for critical pages (home, category hubs, top-performing content).
4. Support for large sites and sitemap indexing
For very large websites, a single sitemap file may exceed the size or URL limits set by search engines. The Bing XML Sitemap Plugin often supports splitting sitemaps and creating a sitemap index file (which references multiple sitemap files) so that very large sites remain compliant and crawlable.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Ensures complete coverage of large URL sets without exceeding sitemap limits.
- Simplifies management by grouping sitemaps (e.g., by content type or date).
Practical tip:
- Split sitemaps by content type (posts, pages, media) or by date ranges for very large blogs or e-commerce sites.
5. Automatic submission to Bing Webmaster Tools
A convenient feature is automatic submission of the generated sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools (now often integrated with Microsoft tools). The plugin can notify Bing when the sitemap changes or directly submit it using the Webmaster Tools API or ping mechanism.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Speeds up discovery and indexing by notifying Bing quickly after content updates.
- Provides a straightforward path to get sitemaps into Bing’s indexing queue without manual steps.
Practical tip:
- Connect or verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools to unlock more indexing and diagnostic data after submitting the sitemap.
6. Compatibility with other SEO plugins and standards
A reliable sitemap plugin will adhere to XML sitemap protocols and be compatible with other popular SEO plugins or CMS features. That prevents conflicts, duplicate sitemaps, or broken metadata (like incorrect canonical URLs).
Why it matters for SEO:
- Ensures consistent signals across tools (canonical tags, robots directives, meta settings).
- Avoids generating multiple conflicting sitemaps which can confuse crawlers.
Practical tip:
- If you use another SEO plugin (e.g., for metadata), check for integration settings or disable duplicate sitemap generation.
7. Timestamped lastmod and media support
Including accurate lastmod timestamps helps search engines know when content has changed. Some plugins also support including media (images, video) metadata in the sitemap, which can help surface rich media in search results.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Improves freshness signals for frequently updated pages.
- Enhances discoverability of images and videos through specialized indexing.
Practical tip:
- Ensure lastmod is updated on meaningful content changes (not minor edits) to avoid unnecessary re-crawls.
8. Multilingual and multi-domain support
For sites using hreflang or multiple domains/subdomains, the plugin may support generating hreflang-aware sitemaps or separate sitemaps per language/region. This helps search engines serve the correct regional/language version to users.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Reduces duplicate content issues across language versions.
- Improves the accuracy of international search results.
Practical tip:
- Use hreflang attributes in sitemaps where possible and ensure each language URL is listed correctly in its sitemap section.
9. Error reporting and logging
Good sitemap plugins include logs or reports showing submission status, last ping time, and any errors (broken URLs, inaccessible pages). Some integrate with Bing Webmaster Tools to surface crawl errors or indexing issues.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Speeds troubleshooting when pages aren’t being indexed.
- Helps identify server issues or permissions problems blocking crawlers.
Practical tip:
- Regularly check logs and webmaster tools for 4xx/5xx errors and fix them promptly.
10. Performance-friendly implementation
A well-coded plugin minimizes database queries and uses caching to generate sitemaps efficiently. This is especially important for high-traffic sites where sitemap generation could otherwise add server load.
Why it matters for SEO:
- Prevents performance degradation that could hurt crawlability and user experience.
- Keeps generation fast so sitemaps are updated promptly when content changes.
Practical tip:
- Enable caching if available and schedule sitemap regeneration during low-traffic windows if your plugin supports it.
Final checklist for configuring the Bing XML Sitemap Plugin
- Verify site ownership in Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Configure inclusion/exclusion rules to avoid low-value pages.
- Enable automatic updates and pings to Bing on content changes.
- Use sitemap indexing for very large sites.
- Include media metadata if you want images/videos indexed.
- Monitor logs and webmaster tools for errors and fix them quickly.
- Ensure compatibility with other SEO plugins to avoid duplicate sitemaps.
A properly configured Bing XML Sitemap Plugin reduces the guesswork for search engines, helps prioritize important content, and speeds up the discovery of updates. For both small blogs and large enterprise sites, using the plugin’s advanced features—priority control, sitemap indexing, automated submissions, and detailed logging—improves the chances that Bing will crawl and index the right pages at the right time.
Leave a Reply