Common Sitemap Errors and How to Fix Them

Common sitemap errors fall mainly into URL errors and format errors, with additional issues related to file size, compression, and sitemap location. Here are the key errors and how to fix them:

1. URL Errors

   • Denied URLs / URL not under Sitemap path: URLs in the sitemap must match the domain and path where the sitemap is submitted. For example, if the sitemap is submitted at https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml, all URLs must start with https://www.example.com. Mismatched URLs cause errors.
     • Fix: Edit URLs to match the sitemap path or resubmit the sitemap from the correct location.
   • Duplicate URLs: Multiple versions of the same page (e.g., www vs. non-www, trailing slash vs. no trailing slash) confuse search engines.
     • Fix: Use canonical URLs and clean duplicates from the sitemap.
   • Non-canonical URLs: URLs that are not the preferred version should be removed or canonicalised.
   • 404 or restricted pages: Remove non-existent (404) or restricted (401) pages from the sitemap or set up redirects.

2. Format Errors

   • Invalid XML syntax or missing tags: Sitemaps must follow the XML sitemap protocol strictly, including correct namespaces and tags.
     • Fix: Validate the sitemap with tools like XML Sitemap Validator and correct syntax errors or missing tags.
   • Invalid date format: The <lastmod> tag must use W3C Datetime format (YYYY-MM-DD).
     • Fix: Correct date formats manually or configure the sitemap generator to output valid dates.
   • Namespace issues: Ensure the correct XML namespace is declared to avoid parsing errors.

3. File Size and Structure Errors

   • Sitemap too large: A sitemap file must not exceed 50MB uncompressed or contain more than 50,000 URLs.
     • Fix: Split large sitemaps into multiple files and use a sitemap index file to list them.
   • Empty sitemap: Submitting an empty sitemap causes errors.
     • Fix: Ensure the sitemap contains valid URLs before submission.

4. Compression Errors

   • Incorrectly compressed sitemaps can prevent search engines from accessing URLs.
     • Fix: Use proper compression tools like GZIP, remove old versions, and re-upload the sitemap.

5. Sitemap Location and Robots.txt

   • Sitemap should ideally be placed at the root directory of the website.
   • The sitemap URL should be included in the robots.txt file to improve crawling efficiency.
     • Fix: Add sitemap location to robots.txt and place sitemap at root or ensure URLs match the sitemap path.

6. Other Best Practices

   • Use consistent URL formatting throughout the sitemap.
   • Regularly audit the sitemap with SEO tools to detect and fix errors promptly.

By addressing these common sitemap errors—URL mismatches, format issues, size limits, compression, and sitemap location—you can improve search engine crawling and indexing efficiency, enhancing SEO performance.