Verify XML Sitemap Exists and in Robotstxt

Task Library

Confirms a current XML sitemap exists, is referenced in robots.txt, and is submitted to Google Search Console so every page can be found and indexed.

Category: Website QA Audit

Use this when running Layer 1 (Digital Plumbing Checks) of the Website QA Audit – Google can't rank pages it never discovers.

Inputs

  • Site URL and WordPress admin access (RankMath handles the sitemap on standard builds)
  • Google Search Console access for the verified property
  • The audit report/spreadsheet for logging results

Steps

  1. Fetch the sitemap directly in a browser – try /sitemap_index.xml (RankMath default) and /sitemap.xml – and confirm it returns valid XML, not a 404.
  2. Open the sitemap and spot-check that it lists the live posts and pages, with no deleted URLs, staging URLs, or noindexed pages included.
  3. Fetch /robots.txt and confirm it contains a Sitemap: line pointing at the exact sitemap URL from step 1.
  4. In Google Search Console → Sitemaps, confirm the sitemap is submitted with status Success and a recent "last read" date.
  5. Compare the sitemap URL count against the site's real page count; flag big gaps (sections missing) or bloat (tag/archive junk).
  6. Log sitemap URL, robots.txt line, GSC status, and URL counts in the audit report.

Definition of done (QA checklist)

  • Sitemap loads with valid XML and lists current live URLs only
  • robots.txt contains a correct Sitemap: reference and GSC shows status Success
  • URL count sanity-checked and results logged, linked back to /website-qa-audit

Example(s)

  • Example needed – run the Meta-Article Prompt after first real run.

File in the zip: skills/website-qa-audit/verify-xml-sitemap-exists-and-in-robotstxt.md. Download the Task Library zip.

Index: Task Library. Article guidelines.

Scroll to Top