How to Find Unindexed Pages in Your Sitemap
To find unindexed pages in your sitemap, compare your sitemap URLs to the indexed pages in Google Search Console or use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or custom scripts with Google Search API to identify which URLs aren’t indexed, then optimize accordingly.
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Key Takaways
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are some sitemap pages not indexed?
Perform sitemap-to-index comparisons quarterly, or monthly for large or frequently updated sites.
How often should I check for unindexed pages?
Perform sitemap-to-index comparisons quarterly, or monthly for large or frequently updated sites.
Can I force Google to index my sitemap URLs?
No, but you can request indexing of individual pages in Google Search Console after fixing quality or technical issues.
Does a URL in my sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. Sitemaps guide search engines, but indexing is based on quality, usefulness, and crawlability of your content.
What tools help automate sitemap audits?
Tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, JetOctopus, or Google’s URL Inspection API can automate sitemap and index comparisons.
Step by Step Plan
Export Sitemap URLs
Download all URLs contained in your sitemap.xml file using a crawler like Screaming Frog or access it directly from your CMS if available.
Extract Indexed URLs from Google Search Console
Use the ‘Pages’ Indexing Report in GSC to export all currently indexed pages for comparison.
Match Sitemap vs Indexed URLs
Compare both sets of data in a spreadsheet using a VLOOKUP or conditional formatting to highlight sitemap URLs missing from the index.
Match Sitemap vs Indexed URLs
Use tools like the URL Inspection Tool to check why each URL isn’t being indexed—look for noindex tags, crawl errors, or duplicate content.
Fix Issues and Request Indexing
Resolve the causes—optimize content, fix errors, or adjust tagging—and use GSC to request indexing for high-priority pages.
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