What I Learned From Analyzing 100 Sitemaps
When I started building TrackMySitemap, I had one big question:
Are sitemap.xml files actually helping SEO — or quietly hurting it?
To find out, I scanned 100 real websites using an early version of our tool. The goal was simple: detect broken URLs, robots.txt conflicts, and indexation problems hiding in plain sight.
🔍 1. 42% of Sitemaps Contain Broken URLs
Almost half the sites included URLs in their sitemap that returned 404 errors or permanent redirects. Some even referenced entire sections that no longer existed.
This hurts trust with search engines — and wastes crawl budget.
🚫 1 in 4 Sites Are Blocking Their Own Pages
Shockingly, 26% of sites listed URLs in their sitemap that were blocked in robots.txt. That’s like asking Google to index a page... and then slamming the door shut.
❌ 18% Fail Basic XML Validation
Some sitemaps were missing required elements. Others used the wrong namespaces. These small issues go unnoticed — but can slow down or block crawling entirely.
⚠️ 35% Are Missing Core Pages
Many sitemaps simply forgot to include homepages, product pages, or category hubs. If it’s not in your sitemap, Google may not prioritize crawling it.
💡 Key Takeaway
- Keep your sitemap clean, current, and valid
- Ensure consistency with robots.txt
- Don’t rely on default CMS generation blindly
🛠️ How TrackMySitemap Helps
We built TrackMySitemap to automatically scan your sitemap, detect issues, and show you what to fix — fast. No login required. Clear reports. Instant results.
Let’s fix what hurts your SEO — and grow your site the smart way.