Common sitemap errors include incorrect or missing URLs, URLs blocked by robots.txt or tagged with noindex, syntax and format errors, and file size or compression issues. Avoiding these errors improves search engine crawling and indexing, thus enhancing SEO.
Key common sitemap errors and how to avoid them:
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Incorrect or Missing URLs
- URLs that no longer exist, have typos, or use wrong formats (e.g., http instead of https) confuse search engines.
- How to avoid: Regularly audit your sitemap to ensure all URLs are live and correctly formatted. Use tools like Google Search Console to detect crawl errors.
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Including Pages Blocked by robots.txt or Noindex
- Pages blocked from crawling or marked noindex should not be in the sitemap, as this sends conflicting signals to search engines.
- How to avoid: Ensure your sitemap excludes URLs disallowed by robots.txt or tagged with noindex.
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Syntax and Format Errors
- Invalid tag or attribute values (e.g., wrong hreflang codes), improperly formatted dates in
<lastmod>, or invalid URLs cause parsing errors. - How to avoid: Use sitemap generators that handle XML tags correctly, validate your sitemap with tools, and follow W3C datetime format (YYYY-MM-DD) for dates.
- Invalid tag or attribute values (e.g., wrong hreflang codes), improperly formatted dates in
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Sitemap File Size and URL Limits
- Sitemaps larger than 50MB or containing more than 50,000 URLs must be split into multiple sitemaps and referenced in a sitemap index file.
- How to avoid: Break large sitemaps into smaller ones and use a sitemap index file to list them.
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Compression Errors
- Improperly compressed sitemaps can prevent search engines from accessing URLs.
- How to avoid: Use standard compression tools like GZIP, upload the compressed sitemap correctly, and remove old versions.
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Sitemap Not Found or Wrong URL
- Submitting a sitemap URL that returns a 404 error or is not accessible causes indexing issues.
- How to avoid: Verify sitemap URLs by visiting them in a browser and ensure they are submitted correctly in Google Search Console or equivalent tools.
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Caching Issues Affecting Sitemap Updates
- Cache plugins may serve outdated sitemap versions, causing errors like "Couldn't fetch."
- How to avoid: Exclude sitemap URLs from caching plugins and clear cache after updates.
Additional best practices:
- Include your sitemap location in your robots.txt file to improve crawling efficiency.
- Submit sitemaps via official tools like Google Search Console to monitor errors and indexing status.
By regularly auditing your sitemap, validating its syntax, ensuring URLs are correct and accessible, and following size and format guidelines, you can avoid common sitemap errors and improve your website’s SEO performance.
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