Lightweight Newscast XML Sitemap For Google News Reviews, Downloads & Maintenance

Lightweight Newscast XML Sitemap For Google News is a lightweight WordPress plugin that generates a Google News compatible XML sitemap for your website. This sitemap helps Google discover and index your news content more efficiently, potentially improving your visibility in Google News search results.

Key Features:

Google News Compatible: Generates XML sitemaps in the exact format required by Google News
SEO Plugin Compatible: Works seamlessly with Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and All in One SEO
Automatic Updates: Sitemap updates automatically when you publish new content
Customizable Settings: Configure post types, categories, publication details, and more
Dual URL Access: Available via pretty permalinks and query parameters
Performance Optimized: Lightweight code that doesn’t slow down your site
Translation Ready: Fully internationalized and ready for translation

Perfect for:
* News websites and blogs
* Magazine and publication sites
* Content creators who want better Google News visibility
* SEO professionals managing news content

This plugin is compatible with:

Yoast SEO: Works alongside Yoast’s XML sitemaps
Rank Math: Compatible with Rank Math’s SEO features
All in One SEO: Works with AIOSEO sitemaps
Other SEO plugins: Designed to avoid conflicts

Support

For support, feature requests, or bug reports, please visit the plugin’s GitHub repository.

Author

This plugin is developed and maintained by Gunjan Jaswaal.

If this plugin has been helpful, consider buying me a coffee to support development!

Installation

Upload the lightweight-newscast-xml-sitemap-for-google-news folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress
Go to Settings > Lightweight Newscast XML Sitemap For Google News to configure the plugin
Your sitemap will be automatically available at /lightweight-newscast-xml-sitemap-for-google-news.xml

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I submit my sitemap to Google News?

Go to Google Search Console
Add your website property and verify ownership
Navigate to Sitemaps section in the left menu
Submit your sitemap URL (http://yoursite.com/lightweight-newscast-xml-sitemap-for-google-news.xml)
Wait for Google to crawl and index your content

Does this work with SEO plugins?

Yes! This plugin is specifically designed to work alongside popular SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and All in One SEO without conflicts.

What if the pretty permalink doesn’t work?

If you encounter issues with the pretty permalink (/lightweight-newscast-xml-sitemap-for-google-news.xml), you can use the alternative query parameter URL (/?news_sitemap_google_news=1).

Can I customize which posts are included?

Yes! You can configure post types, maximum age of posts, categories, and the maximum number of posts to include in the sitemap.

Is this compatible with Google News requirements?

Yes! The plugin generates XML sitemaps in the exact format required by Google News, including proper publication name and language tags with fallback values.

What timezone is used for publication dates?

The plugin uses the timezone configured in your WordPress General Settings (Settings > General > Timezone).

Review feed

No reviews available

Screenshots

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Changelog

1.1.1

Fixed WordPress coding standards: Added proper prefixes to all global functions and variables
Function names now use ‘lnxsfgn_’ prefix for compliance
Improved code quality and WordPress.org plugin check compatibility

1.1.0

Updated for WordPress 6.9 compatibility
Updated minimum PHP requirement to 7.4
Added proper plugin headers (Plugin URI, Domain Path, Requires at least, Requires PHP, Tested up to)
Enhanced WordPress coding standards compliance
Verified compatibility with WordPress 6.9 UTF-8 improvements
Confirmed compatibility with WordPress 6.9 frontend performance enhancements

1.0.0

Initial release with core functionality
Added XML sitemap generation for Google News
Implemented settings page with customization options
Added support for pretty permalinks
Added direct URL interception for SEO plugin compatibility
Improved admin interface with better instructions
Added Google News submission guidelines
Fixed compatibility issues with Yoast SEO and All in One SEO
Fixed empty publication name and language fields
Added fallback values for required fields
Improved error handling and validation
Improved WordPress.org compliance with unique prefixes
Enhanced Google News compatibility descriptions
Added Buy Me Coffee donation support

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