TaxoMap Category Sitemap

Description

TaxoMap Category Sitemap publishes a standards-compliant XML sitemap listing your taxonomy term archive
pages (categories, tags, and any custom taxonomy you choose) at:

https://yourdomain.com/category-sitemap.xml

Each <url> entry includes:

  • <loc> — the term’s permalink, generated with get_term_link(), so it automatically respects custom
    permalink structures registered for a taxonomy (including nested/custom rewrite patterns).
  • <lastmod> — the publish/modification time (ISO 8601, site timezone) of the most recently modified
    published post assigned to that term.
  • <changefreq> and <priority> — configurable from the admin settings screen.

Features

  • Works out of the box with the built-in category taxonomy.
  • Admin screen (Settings > Category Sitemap) to check/uncheck any registered public taxonomy
    (built-in or custom), plus a free-text field to add non-public custom taxonomy slugs.
  • The full sitemap XML is cached with wp_cache_set()/wp_cache_get(), and the winning post ID for
    each term’s “last modified” lookup is also cached, so repeat requests avoid re-running the
    underlying WP_Query.
  • One-click “Flush Sitemap Cache” button for after bulk content changes.
  • taxomapcs_sitemap_urls filter for further customizing the URL list before output.

Installation

  1. Upload the taxomap-category-sitemap folder to /wp-content/plugins/.
  2. Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” screen in WordPress.
  3. Visit Settings > Category Sitemap to choose which taxonomies to include.
  4. Visit /category-sitemap.xml on your site to confirm it renders.

If the sitemap URL returns a 404, go to Settings > Permalinks and click “Save Changes” once to flush
rewrite rules.

FAQ

Can I include a custom taxonomy?

Yes. Any taxonomy registered with public => true will appear as a checkbox on the settings screen.
Non-public custom taxonomies can be added by slug in the “Additional Custom Taxonomies” field.

How is lastmod calculated?

For each term, the plugin queries the single most recently modified published post assigned to that
term and uses its modified date.

Reviews

Ogwomwenda (Mutunda) 18, 2026
A very good and focused plugin for generating taxonomy/category XML sitemaps without adding unnecessary complexity. What I particularly like is the database-friendly approach. The sitemap output is cached, and the lookup for the latest modified post for each taxonomy term is also cached, which helps avoid running the same queries repeatedly. This is especially important for large WordPress websites with a high number of categories and taxonomy terms. The plugin is lightweight, easy to configure, supports custom taxonomies, and provides a simple option to flush the sitemap cache when required. I also like that it focuses specifically on taxonomy sitemaps instead of introducing a lot of unnecessary SEO functionality. For high-traffic or content-heavy WordPress websites where database performance matters, this is a very clean and practical solution. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a lightweight, performance-conscious taxonomy sitemap plugin.
Ogwomwenda (Mutunda) 18, 2026
TaxoMap Category Sitemap is a great solution for generating XML sitemaps for category, tag, and custom taxonomy archive pages. The setup is straightforward, and I particularly like the flexibility to choose which taxonomies should be included in the sitemap. The caching implementation is also a strong point. Caching the generated sitemap and the last-modified post lookup helps avoid unnecessary database queries, which is especially important for sites with a large number of taxonomy terms. The configurable changefreq and priority values, support for custom taxonomies, and the cache flush option make it practical for production WordPress sites. Overall, it’s a focused plugin that does exactly what it is supposed to do without adding unnecessary complexity. Definitely worth trying if you need a dedicated taxonomy sitemap solution.
Read all 2 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“TaxoMap Category Sitemap” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Changelog

1.0.0

  • Initial release.