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Sitemap, IndexNow, custom robots.txt and redirects

What it is

In Standalone mode (no SEO plugin active) AISA adds indexing tools under Settings → Sitemap. With a SEO plugin active, the sitemap and indexing are handled by that plugin instead.

  • Sitemap XML — AISA enhances the native WordPress sitemap with lastmod, so Google re-reads changed content first. Register it once in Google Search Console (and Bing Webmaster Tools); there are direct links in the tab, with the site pre-filled.
  • IndexNow — notifies Bing, Yandex and other engines the moment you publish or update. There is an automatic daily submission when something new is queued, plus an "Send now" button. Bing's index also feeds ChatGPT and Copilot, so this helps AI discovery too.
  • Custom robots.txt — WordPress serves a virtual robots.txt (with the sitemap referenced); AISA adds the reference to your /llms.txt automatically. You can append your own rules (block a bot or a folder) without editing files, and there is an "Auto-configure with AI" option that proposes rules — including which AI crawlers to allow for GEO.
  • Redirects & 404 — under Settings → Redirect & 404 (this one works with ANY SEO plugin, not only Standalone). You create 301/302 redirects that fire only when a URL would actually 404, so there are zero conflicts with existing pages. A real-404 log shows what visitors are looking for and missing, with one-click "Create redirect".

Honesty note built into the UI: the old daily "ping" to Google was retired in January 2024, so AISA does not pretend to force a Google refresh — it relies on the registered sitemap + lastmod for Google, and on IndexNow for the engines that support it.

Questions people ask

Why is the Sitemap tab missing? It only appears in Standalone mode. If Yoast/Rank Math/SEOPress/AIOSEO is active, that plugin owns the sitemap.

Do redirects only work without a SEO plugin? No. Redirect & 404 works with any setup, because the redirect only applies on a genuine 404.

Does IndexNow submit to Google? Google does not use IndexNow. IndexNow covers Bing, Yandex and similar — and because Bing feeds ChatGPT/Copilot, it still helps AI visibility.

Related

  • Standalone mode (no SEO plugin)
  • SEO-plugin adapters: Yoast, Rank Math, SEOPress, AIOSEO

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