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How to Check Sitemap vs Indexation Mismatch (and Fix It Fast)

How to Check Sitemap vs Indexation Mismatch (and Fix It Fast)

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Date Published

October 24, 2025

Table of contents

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To check for sitemap vs indexation mismatch, compare the number of URLs in your XML sitemap with the number of indexed pages in Google Search Console. Discrepancies can indicate crawlability or indexing issues that may hurt your SEO performance.

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Key Takaways

A mismatch between sitemap and indexed URLs can limit your site's visibility in search results.
Google Search Console (GSC) is the most reliable tool to analyze sitemap and index coverage.
You should regularly audit XML sitemaps to ensure they only contain indexable, unique, and valuable URLs.
Large gaps in sitemap vs indexed pages may signal problems like noindex tags, canonical errors, or crawl blocks.
Fixing mismatches improves crawl efficiency, indexation rates, and rankings.
Ongoing monitoring helps maintain SEO health and prevents organic traffic loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my sitemap URL not indexed?

Perform checks monthly or after major site updates. Regular monitoring ensures you catch and fix issues early.

How often should I check sitemap vs indexed pages?

Perform checks monthly or after major site updates. Regular monitoring ensures you catch and fix issues early.

Can Google index pages not in sitemap?

Yes. Google can discover and index pages via internal links, backlinks, or other sources, even if they aren’t in your sitemap.

Should I remove non-indexable pages from my sitemap?

Absolutely. Only include URLs that are indexable, relevant, and add SEO value.

What’s an ideal sitemap to index ratio?

Aim for 90%+ of sitemap URLs being indexed. Minor gaps are normal, but large discrepancies require action.

Step by Step Plan

01

Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

Navigate to GSC > Indexing > Sitemaps, enter the sitemap URL, and submit. This allows Google to crawl and report on indexed pages from your sitemap.

02

Check Sitemap Coverage Report

In GSC > Pages > Filter by Sitemap, view 'Indexed' stats vs 'Not Indexed'. Note the total submitted vs total indexed URLs.

03

Compare Index Count vs Sitemap Count

If your sitemap reports 1,200 URLs but only 900 are indexed, investigate the 300 excluded URLs.

04

Compare Index Count vs Sitemap Count

Look for common causes like 'Crawled – currently not indexed', 'Duplicate without user-selected canonical', or 'Blocked by robots.txt'.

05

Fix and Resubmit Problematic Pages

Remove non-indexable pages from your sitemap, resolve crawl barriers, and ensure each page is valuable and crawl-eligible before resubmitting.

Comparison Table

Sitemap URLs
Indexed URLs
Submitted manually via GSC
URLs actually stored in Google’s index
Contains all intended crawlable URLs
Result from Google’s crawl evaluation
Often includes non-indexable pages by mistake
Excludes pages with crawling or quality issues
Visible in your domain’s /sitemap.xml
Reported in GSC Index > Pages report
Helps guide Google’s crawl activity
Determines what appears in search results

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Sources

Google Search Central: Sitemaps Overview
Moz: What is an XML Sitemap?
Ahrefs: How to Check if a Page Is Indexed by Google

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