When it comes to technical SEO, few elements are as essential yet frequently overlooked as the XML sitemap. Itโs a small file with a big responsibility: guiding search engines through your site so they can efficiently crawl, index, and rank your content. But if your sitemap is broken, outdated, or misconfigured, youโre unknowingly limiting your siteโs potential.
Fortunately, XML sitemap issues are usually easy to fixโand the payoff in search performance can be significant.
In this article, we’ll walk you through:
- What XML sitemap issues look like
- How they hurt SEO
- How to audit and fix them
- Best practices for keeping your sitemap optimized over time
- Let’s dive in and get your sitemapโand your SEOโback on track.
What Is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the significant URLs on your website you want search engines like Google and Bing to crawl and index. It’s a map for crawlers, especially on large or complex websites.
Each URL listing on the XML sitemap may include:
- The canonical URL of the page
- The last modified date (<lastmod>)
- The change frequency
- Priority (optional)
The sitemap helps enhance crawlability, especially for:
- New or updated pages
- Pages not linked internally
- Deeply nested or dynamic URLs
But if there is an issue with your sitemap, it can result in lost opportunity, slowed indexation, or loss of ranking.
Why XML Sitemap Issues Matter for SEO
Search engines have a limited crawl budget, especially for larger websites. If your sitemap is pointing to broken, redirected, or non-canonical pagesโor is not reflecting your site structureโyou could be wasting that crawl budget on irrelevant or non-existent pages.
XML Sitemap issues can:
โ Prevent new pages from being indexed
โ Waste crawl budget on unnecessary URLs
โ Signal poor site hygiene to search engines
โ Slow down visibility of new content updates
โ Lead to irregular rankings or missing traffic
In short: if search engines are unable to crawl or trust your sitemap, they will be unable to crawl or trust your site effectively either.
Common XML Sitemap Issues to Be Aware Of
To fix your sitemap, you first need to know what is wrong. Below are the most common XML sitemap issues:
1. Broken or Redirected URLs
URLs that return 404 errors or direct crawlers to another page must never be included in your sitemap. They mislead crawlers and dilute trust.
2. Noindex Pages
Having noindex tagged pages defies the purpose of a sitemap and wastes crawl budget.
3. Canonical Mismatches
If the URL in your sitemap points to a page, which points to some other canonical URL, it leads to confusion and weakens your SEO signals.
4. Incorrect Format
Sitemaps must be well-formed XML documents, or search engines will not accept them. That is, the file must be well-formed, UTF-8 encoded, and schema compliant.
5. Too Many URLs
We suggest 50,000 URLs or fewer per sitemap, or 50MB or fewer per file. Large sites must use sitemap index files to manage many sitemaps.
6. Outdated Pages
A sitemap containing old, removed, or unpublished pages can hurt credibility with crawlers.
7. Incomplete Lastmod Dates
Though not required, <lastmod> tags assist search engines in recognizing new content to recrawlโincreasing your likelihood of ranking updates.
How to Audit Your XML Sitemap
The most effective way to detect and fix XML sitemap problems is with a complete audit. Here’s an easy step-by-step checklist:
Step 1: Find and Open Your Sitemap
Typically found at:
- https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml Or via your SEO plugin (e.g., Yoast, Rank Math) or CMS.
Step 2: Validate the File Format
Utilize a tool such as XML Sitemap Validator or Google Search Console to check that the file is correctly formatted and readable.
Step 3: Cross-Check URLs
Check for:
- Status codes (check for 200 OK only)
- Redirects (301/302)
- Broken links (404)
- Duplicates
Canonical mismatches Tools such as Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs Site Audit are ideal for this.
Step 4: Exclude Problematic URLs
Exclude:
- Redirects and 404s
- Noindex-tagged pages
- Test or staging pages
- Paginated content (unless necessary for SEO)
Step 5: Structure Large Sites with Index Files
Divide content by type:
- Blog posts: /sitemap-posts.xml
- Pages: /sitemap-pages.xml
- Products: /sitemap-products.xml Connect them all together with a sitemap index file.
Step 6: Verify Google Search Console
Go to Sitemaps in GSC and:
- Submit your sitemap if you haven’t
- Check submitted vs. indexed page count
- Look for errors or warnings under Coverage
- How to Fix XML Sitemap Issues (Speedily)
This is how to respond based on what you find when you run your audit:
Remove or Update Broken Links
Delete 404s or redirected links from your sitemap file or update them to link to the destination.
Exclude Noindex Pages
Use your CMS or SEO plugin settings to automatically exclude noindex-tagged pages.
Rebuild or Regenerate the Sitemap
Most modern plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math will update sitemaps automatically when you publish. Otherwise, manually regenerate or flush the cache.
Resubmit Your Updated Sitemap
Go to Google Search Console and resubmit the correct sitemap URL. Monitor crawl errors and observe whether your indexed pages increase over time.
XML Sitemap Best Practices Moving Forward
To prevent future problems and keep your sitemap an ally, not a foe, embrace these continuous best practices:
โ Keep it tidy and updated regularly
โ Have only indexable, useful pages
โ Use lastmod tags to send freshness signals
โ Split into logical buckets for big sites
โ Tie sitemap strategy with canonical and robots.txt configurations
โ Quarterly or after significant content update auditing
Last Thoughts: A Healthy Sitemap = Better SEO
Fixing your XML sitemap isn’t a technical effortโit’s a decisive step towards better crawling, quicker indexing, and stronger organic visibility. When search engines can easily understand your site structure, they reward you with quicker updates, higher indexation rates, and healthier SEO returns.
Here at Select Mat, we are technical SEO audit and sitemap optimization experts who can keep your website in the optimum state for search engines at all times. Whether you have a dirty old sitemap that requires tidying up or need to implement a scalable sitemap on a large enterprise website, we can assist.
Reach out to speak with a expert for more information.