Checks / Links, canonical and speed
Sitemap lists a page that is not indexable
The sitemap asks crawlers to index a page that says noindex or canonicalises elsewhere: a mixed signal.
noindex_in_sitemap · Links, canonical and speed · Warning
What triggers it
A URL listed in your sitemap is noindex, or names another address as its canonical.
What to change
Remove noindex and canonicalised pages from the sitemap.
How to confirm the fix
- Open https://example.com/sitemap.xml and search for the page's address: it is no longer listed
- Run a new crawl: every address in the sitemap is indexable and names itself as canonical
How common it is
We have not measured how common this is on a sample of sites. Counts appear here when a study covers it.
About this check
| Check ID | noindex_in_sitemap |
|---|---|
| Report section | Links, canonical and speed |
| Severity | Warning |
| How it is decided | Measured: read directly from the page or the server's response. |
| Added | Before 19 Oct 2026 (versions 1 and 2), or a site-wide check with no version date yet |
| Status | Measured in every report |
| Report gives the code | No, the fix is described in words |
Related checks
- Links send readers to a page in another language
- Mixed content (HTTP resources on an HTTPS page)
- Orphan pages
- Links to pages that no longer exist
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