WordPress and Wix: defaults that hide your site

Website builders and CMSs make decisions for you. Most of them are fine. This guide is about the two or three that quietly cost people their visibility, on WordPress and Wix.

WordPress

Since version 5.5, WordPress core creates XML sitemaps by default, with the index at /wp-sitemap.xml. They cover public post types and taxonomies, author archives and the homepage, and WordPress references the index in the robots.txt it serves.

The setting to know about is the Site Visibility option that discourages search engines from indexing the site. The WordPress core announcement states that enabling it also disables the sitemaps. It's meant for sites under construction and gets left on after launch more often than anyone admits. Check it first if a new site isn't showing anywhere.

Other things worth checking: the core sitemap includes author archives by default, so decide whether you want those listed. Developers can remove providers or post types with the filters the announcement documents. If you also run a plugin that generates sitemaps, open robots.txt and see which one it points to.

Wix

Wix's help article says the default robots.txt allows search engine bots to access all of your pages, though they can't reach password-protected or members-only pages or pages you've set to block indexing. Editing the file is described as an advanced feature, and Wix Customer Care says it can't help with changes you make to it.

The practical rule is the same as everywhere: don't open the robots.txt editor unless you know which rule you're trying to add. If you only want to keep a specific page out of results, look in that page's own settings for an option to keep it out of search. That's the noindex approach Google recommends over blocking in robots.txt, and Wix's article mentions pages you've set to block indexing.

Whichever platform you use

Squarespace and the other builders weren't part of this research, so this guide doesn't make claims about them. The checks in the table apply anywhere.

Questions people ask

Why did my new WordPress site disappear from search?

Check Settings, Reading. The WordPress core announcement says that the option discouraging search engines from indexing the site also disables the XML sitemaps. It's meant for sites under construction and is often left on.

Do I need an SEO plugin?

Core WordPress already creates a sitemap and references it in robots.txt. A plugin can add control over titles, descriptions and markup, but it can also create a second sitemap or duplicate markup, so check what it outputs.

Can I edit robots.txt on Wix?

Yes, through the Robots.txt Editor in the SEO tools. Wix calls it an advanced feature and says Customer Care can't help with changes you make. The default allows search bots to access all pages.

What should I never change?

Anything you don't understand in robots.txt. The most common mistakes are leaving 'discourage search engines' on after launch and a stray Disallow: /.

What to do this week

• Check the visibility setting on your platform.
• Open /robots.txt and the sitemap and read them.
• Make sure staging and test pages aren't indexable.
• If you added an SEO plugin, compare page source before and after.

Sources

• WordPress Core: New XML sitemaps functionality in WordPress 5.5: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/22/new-xml-sitemaps-functionality-in-wordpress-5-5
• Wix Help Center: Editing your site's robots.txt file: https://support.wix.com/en/article/editing-your-sites-robotstxt-file
• Google Search Central: Introduction to robots.txt: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/intro
• Google Search Central: Block Search indexing with noindex: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing
• Google Search Central: Sitemaps overview: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/overview