Sitemaps Report in Search Console: Columns, Statuses and Fixes
search console referenceHello my friend. The Sitemaps report in Search Console shows every sitemap you submitted, when Google last read it, how many pages it found, and whether it worked. This guide explains each column, the three statuses in Google’s own words, and what to do for each one.
- every column explained
- three statuses quoted
- fix steps for each
| sitemap | last read | status | pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| /sitemap_index.xml | 9 Nov 2026 | Success | 312 |
| /news-sitemap.xml | 8 Nov 2026 | Has errors | 40 |
| /old-sitemap.xml | none | Couldn’t fetch | 0 |
// example data, simplified from the real report. Chip colors are my own.
What the Sitemaps Report Tells You
It tells you whether Google could fetch and process each sitemap you submitted. It does not tell you whether the pages inside are indexed.
A sitemap is a file listing the pages you want Google to know about. The report lives under Indexing, then Sitemaps. It is where you add new sitemaps and where you check that Google can read them. Google says the report only lists sitemaps submitted through the report or the API, and sitemaps Google found through robots.txt do not appear unless you submit them.
New to the submission part? Read how to submit a sitemap to Google first, then come back here to read the results. To see whether the pages inside got indexed, use the Page indexing report.
The Columns Explained
Each column answers one question. Here they are in Google’s terms.
| Column | What it shows | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Sitemap URL | The exact URL you submitted | Redirects are not followed |
| Type | Sitemap, Sitemap index, RSS, Atom or Unknown | A sitemap index points to other sitemaps |
| Submitted | When it was last submitted through the report | Not the same as last read |
| Last read | When Google last fetched it | Only present if Google could fetch it |
| Status | Success, Has errors or Couldn’t fetch | See the next section |
| Discovered pages | URLs parsed from the sitemap | No guarantee of crawling or indexing |
// based on Search Console Help, Sitemaps report. The “watch for” column mixes Google’s statements with my reading of them.
On that last column, Google is blunt: “There is no guarantee that a page URL discovered in a sitemap has been or will be crawled or indexed by Google.” Discovered pages in the sitemap report is a count of URLs read, not a count of URLs indexed. Mix those up and you will chase the wrong problem.
The Three Statuses, in Google’s Words
Each status has a different fix. Find yours and jump to the matching steps below.
| Status | Google’s definition | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Success | “The sitemap was loaded and processed successfully with no errors.” | All its URLs are queued for crawling |
| Has errors | “The sitemap could be fetched, but has one or more errors.” | Parsable URLs are still queued |
| Couldn’t fetch | “The sitemap could not be fetched for some reason.” | Google could not read the file |
// definitions quoted from Search Console Help, Sitemaps report. “Queued for crawling” summarizes Google’s description.
What to Do for Each Status
Start at the status you see and follow the steps in order.
Success
- Compare discovered pages with the pages you expect.
- If many are missing, fix the sitemap plugin settings.
- Check indexing in the Page indexing report.
Has errors
- Open the sitemap in the report and read the error details.
- Fix the listed problems in the file or the plugin.
- Resubmit and check the status again.
Couldn’t fetch
- Open the exact URL in a browser. Does it load?
- Check for redirects, blocks or server errors.
- Run a live URL inspection to see if Googlebot can reach it.
// a decision aid built from the Help page. Google also points to fetch-error troubleshooting steps for the Couldn’t fetch case.
For the blocking case, see blocked by robots.txt. For single-URL checks, use the URL Inspection tool.
Reading the Report for a Small Site
Let me walk through the example table at the top. The data is invented, so treat it as practice.
The first row is a sitemap index with the status Success and 312 pages. A sitemap index is a file that points to other sitemaps, which is how big sites stay under the 50,000-URL limit. Success is the best case. The only follow-up is to compare 312 with the number of pages you actually publish.
The second row, a news sitemap, shows Has errors with 40 pages. Google says the file could be fetched but has one or more errors, and that parsable URLs are still queued. So this is not an emergency. Open the details, fix the listed problem, and resubmit.
The third row has no last-read date and the status Couldn’t fetch. Google shows the last-read date only when it could fetch the sitemap, so the missing date fits. An old sitemap you stopped maintaining is a classic cause. If you no longer need it, delete it from the report and make sure the file is gone or blocked, because deleting from the report alone does not make Google forget it.
Limits and Rules Worth Knowing
These details come up in nearly every sitemap problem.
- Owner permission. Google says you must have owner permissions on a property to submit a sitemap with the Sitemaps report.
- Property matters. Sitemaps are tied to a property, so http, https, www and non-www versions are separate.
- Report limit. The report can show a maximum of 1,000 submitted requests.
- File size. A single sitemap is limited to 50MB uncompressed or 50,000 URLs. Split larger ones with a sitemap index.
- Hint only. Google treats sitemap submission as a hint, not a command.
Mistakes People Make With This Report
Four habits cause most of the confusion.
Deleting to “reset”
Google says deleting a sitemap only removes it from the report, and Google will not forget the sitemap or its URLs. To stop crawling, use a robots.txt rule, delete the file, or add a noindex response header.
Submitting a redirecting URL
The report shows the exact URL submitted and does not follow redirects. Submit the final address.
Reading Success as indexed
Success means the file was processed with no errors. The pages inside may still sit in statuses like discovered currently not indexed.
Wrong property
A sitemap for https pages inside an http property will not behave. Match the property to the URLs.
How to Check a Fix Worked
Resubmit, wait for the status to refresh, and confirm the “Last read” date is recent.
- Google fetches a submitted sitemap right away, so the status should update soon after you resubmit.
- Confirm the discovered pages count matches your real page count.
- Then watch indexing over the following weeks. See how to check if a website is indexed and how to track SEO results.
If a sitemap keeps failing for reasons you cannot see, my technical SEO work will find them, or an SEO audit will list them all in one go.
Questions People Ask Me
What does Couldn’t fetch mean in the Sitemaps report?
Google defines it as “The sitemap could not be fetched for some reason.” Check that the exact URL loads, is not redirected or blocked, and that Googlebot can reach it.
Does Success mean my pages are indexed?
No. Success means the sitemap was loaded and processed with no errors. Google says there is no guarantee that a discovered URL will be crawled or indexed.
Why is my sitemap missing from the report?
Google says only sitemaps submitted through the report or the API appear. Sitemaps found through robots.txt do not, unless you submit them.
Who can submit a sitemap?
You must have owner permissions on the property. If you do not, list the sitemap in robots.txt instead.
What happens if I delete a sitemap from the report?
It is removed from the report only. Google says it will not forget the sitemap or any URLs listed in it.
Send Me the URL. I’ll Check the File.
A broken sitemap is a small job for a cheap SEO expert who also builds WordPress sites, so I can fix the cause and not just the symptom. One WhatsApp message is enough to start.
Sources and Last Check
- Search Console Help: Sitemaps report (columns, statuses, limits)
- Google Search Central: Build and submit a sitemap
- Google Search Central: Learn about sitemaps
// last checked 11 Nov 2026. The fix steps for each status are my own reading of Google’s descriptions.