Introducing BotsMap a lightweight plugin to let you take control of your WordPress sitemaps.

Your sitemap is the roadmap search engines use to discover and index your content. But what if you don’t want everything indexed? What if you need to hide certain sections — like user profiles, tags, or specific post types — from your sitemap?

That’s where the BotsMap plugin comes in. Designed for WordPress administrators who want precise control over their XML sitemap, this plugin offers a secure, lightweight, and intuitive way to manage sitemap visibility — without relying on bulky SEO suites.

What Is the BotsMap Plugin?

The BotsMap is a sitemap visibility management plugin. It is a WordPress admin tool that allows you to toggle the visibility of key sitemap sections:

  • Posts
  • Pages
  • Users
  • Categories
  • Tags

It integrates directly with WordPress’s native sitemap functionality (introduced in version 5.5), giving you granular control over what gets indexed — and what stays hidden.

Download BotsMap Plugin from WordPress

BotsMap Key Features

  1. Toggle Sitemap Sections with a Modern UI
    The plugin adds a clean settings page under Settings → BotsMap. Each sitemap section has a toggle switch. These switches use responsive CSS to look like standard UI elements, making the interface easy to use and accessible.
  2. Secure Admin-Only Access
    Only users with the manage_options capability, which typically includes administrators, can access the settings page or submit changes. This ensures that only trusted users can modify sitemap visibility.
  3. Nonce Verification and Input Sanitization
    Security is built in. The plugin uses WordPress’s wp_nonce_field() and wp_verify_nonce() to prevent CSRF attacks. It sanitizes all input using sanitize_text_field() and checks it against a list of allowed options.
  4. Real-Time Sitemap Filtering
    The plugin works with WordPress’s sitemap filters:
    • wp_sitemaps_add_provider
    • wp_sitemaps_post_types
    • wp_sitemaps_taxonomies
    This ensures that disabled sections are removed from the sitemap immediately; there’s no need to regenerate or clear caches manually.
  5. Lightweight and Conflict-Free
    With no external dependencies and a small footprint, the plugin avoids conflicts with other SEO tools. It doesn’t override or duplicate sitemap generation; it simply filters what’s already there.
  6. WooCommerce Crawler Optimization
    When running a WooCommerce store, search engine bots often waste time crawling products that aren’t actually available for sale. This dilutes your Crawl Budget. Our plugin adds specialized “Crawl Guards” to ensure only your best, buyable content is indexed.
    Feature Breakdown
    • Prune Hidden Products
      What it does: Automatically removes products from your XML Sitemap that have Catalog Visibility set to Hidden.
      The Benefit: If you have private products, member-only items, or upsell-only products that should not appear in Google Search, this toggle ensures bots never see them.
      SEO Impact: Prevents Thin Content warnings in Search Console.
    • Out of Stock Management
      What it does: Filters out products from the sitemap as soon as their inventory hits zero (based on WooCommerce _stock_status).
      The Benefit: Prevents customers from landing on product pages that are out of Stock from a search result, which usually leads to high bounce rates.
      SEO Impact: Keeps your search presence focused on items that generate revenue right now.

 Why Control Sitemap Visibility?

Here are some common use cases:

  • Private Content: Hide thank-you pages, gated content, or internal documentation.
  • User Privacy: Prevent contributor profiles from being indexed.
  • SEO Strategy: Exclude tags or categories that dilute keyword focus or create duplicate content.
  • Performance: Reduce sitemap size to improve crawl efficiency for large sites.

Installation and Setup

  1. Install and activate it via the WordPress Plugins screen
  2. Go to Settings → BotsMap
  3. Toggle the sections you want to hide
  4. Save changes — done!

No additional configuration or setup is required.

Security Architecture

Here’s how the plugin protects your site:

  • Nonce Verification: Every form submission includes a nonce () that’s verified before processing.
  • Capability Check: Only users with can access or submit the form.
  • Sanitization: All inputs are sanitized and validated before saving to the database.
  • Safe Defaults: If no options are selected, the plugin defaults to showing all sitemap sections.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this BotsMap Plugin

This plugin is designed to give developers granular control over the generation and output of their website’s XML sitemaps, allowing for dynamic content inclusion, exclusion of specific URLs, and custom priority/frequency settings.

Is this plugin free to use?

Yes, It is free to use.

How do I install the BotsMap Plugin?

Installation steps typically involve downloading zip file from WordPress and upload it to plugin directory.

Will hiding “Out of Stock” items hurt my rankings?

Generally, no. For stores with high turnover, it is better to have Google crawl your available stock more frequently than wasting time on items that might not return for months.

Does this work for Variable Products?

Yes. If the parent product is marked as “Out of Stock,” it will be removed from the sitemap.

How It Works Behind the Scenes?

The plugin uses WordPress’s native filters to intercept sitemap generation:

Posts and Pages: Filtered via wp_sitemaps_post_types

Users: Removed via wp_sitemaps_add_provider

Categories and Tags: Filtered via wp_sitemaps_taxonomies

This modular approach ensures compatibility with future WordPress updates and other plugins that rely on the same filters.