Audit rules
Invalid Sitemap
A sitemap the site declares (or /sitemap.xml) is missing, answers with an error or is not a sitemap XML file. In a QuikSEO audit, a failure of this rule has warning severity and is left out of the score. Below are the exact condition, its exceptions and the sources behind it, followed by the other rules of the same group.
site.sitemap_invalidWarning01 — Definition
How This Rule Is Checked
The rule is a pure function of the fetched page: no extra requests, no account settings. The same input always gives the same result.
Rule Severity and Score
- Rule id
site.sitemap_invalid- Group
- Site (Crawl)
- Severity of a failure
- Warning
- Counts in the score
- No, the site rules of a crawl are left out of the score
- Required for a score
- No
Condition and Exceptions
- Condition
- A declared sitemap, or /sitemap.xml when none is declared, answers with an error or has no <urlset> or <sitemapindex> root → fail on the site
- Exceptions
- No sitemap declared and /sitemap.xml answers 404 → reported once as a missing sitemap
Sources
- Sources
- Build and Submit a Sitemap (Google Search Central, Q04)
Learn about sitemaps (Google Search Central, Q37)
02 — Site (Crawl)
Other Rules in This Group
The other checks of the same group, each with its own condition and sources.
- Duplicate Titlesite.duplicate_title
- Duplicate Meta Descriptionsite.duplicate_meta_description
- Internal Link to an Error Pagesite.broken_internal_link
- Internal Link Through a Redirectsite.redirect_internal_link
- Sitemap URL Not Indexablesite.sitemap_url_not_indexable
- Hreflang Without Return Linksite.hreflang_not_reciprocal
- Orphan Pagesite.orphan_page
- Deep Pagesite.click_depth