XML Sitemap & Google News

by Rolf Allard van Hagen

View on WordPress.org

83 Quality Score

Active Installs

23/30

With 100,000 active installs it has solid reach among WordPress users, earning a strong popularity score.

Update Freshness

25/25

Updated on 2026-06-10 and tested against WordPress 7.0, showing the developer is actively maintaining it.

User Rating

13/15

Scoring 88 out of 100 from 84 ratings indicates users are largely satisfied, though the sample size is modest.

Support Health

8/15

Only 6 support threads with 4 resolved gives a 66.7% resolution rate, which is acceptable but the low volume makes the support picture uncertain.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Tested with WordPress 7.0 and requiring only PHP 5.6 and WordPress 4.4, it offers very wide compatibility.

Scores higher than 91% of indexed plugins

About

Take control of your WordPress core XML Sitemap and add a Google News Sitemap.

Active Installs 100k+

Rating ★★★★ 4.4/5

Last Updated 2026-06-10 2:23pm GMT

Requires WordPress 4.4+

Tested Up To 7.0.4

Requires PHP 5.6+

Security History

1 known vulnerability, all patched

1 High

Most recent: May 7, 2024

View details ▸

What It Does

XML Sitemap & Google News takes over WordPress's built-in XML sitemap functionality, giving site owners finer control over what gets included and excluded, while also generating a dedicated Google News sitemap. This is particularly useful for publishers who need fast indexing of breaking stories and structured news feeds for Google's news surfaces.

Who It's For

This plugin is built for news publishers, magazines, and content-heavy editorial sites that need Google News visibility and tighter control over their core sitemaps. Multi-author newsrooms, local outlets, and niche publications will benefit most from its Google News feed generation and sitemap fine-tuning options.

Who Should Skip It

If you run a standard blog, business site, or portfolio with no need for Google News inclusion, this plugin adds unnecessary complexity on top of WordPress's default sitemap. Sites without publishing velocity or news-oriented content will see little benefit.

The Bottom Line

XML Sitemap & Google News is a well-maintained, widely used plugin that delivers exactly what its name promises: tighter control over WordPress sitemaps plus a Google News feed. It earns an overall quality score of 83.09 out of 100, making it a reliable choice for publishers who genuinely need news indexing. The small support thread pool is a minor flag, but the active maintenance and solid rating offset that concern.

Pick this if you need to bulk import content from XML or CSV feeds rather than generate sitemaps.

VK All in One Expansion Unit 82/100

Choose this Swiss Army knife plugin if you want sitemap controls bundled with dozens of other site management features.

Page-list 82/100

Pick this if your primary need is listing pages or posts on the front end rather than managing sitemap output.

Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 82/100

Choose this if your goal is presentation layouts for news-style content rather than search engine sitemap optimization.

GN Publisher: Google News Compatible RSS Feeds 81/100

Pick this lighter alternative if you only need Google News RSS feeds and do not require broader sitemap customization.