How to Analyze a Website Sitemap

Sitemap.xml is one of the foundations of technical SEO. But how do you check if all URLs in the sitemap are correct? How can you quickly review titles and meta descriptions for hundreds of pages? In this article, I’ll show you how to analyze a sitemap and export the data to a spreadsheet.

Why Analyze a Sitemap?

Sitemap.xml analysis helps detect:

• Broken URLs - pages returning 404 or redirects
• Missing meta tags - pages without title or description
• Duplicate content - identical titles on different URLs
• Titles too long/short - SERP snippet issues
• Outdated pages - content to remove or update

Traditional Analysis Methods

Screaming Frog

Popular desktop crawler, but:

• Requires installation (Windows/Mac)
• Free version limited to 500 URLs
• Crawls the entire site, not just the sitemap

Google Search Console

Shows indexing status, but:

• No full data export
• Limited meta tag information
• Delayed data

Manual Analysis

You can open sitemap.xml and check URLs one by one. With 50 pages, it takes an hour. With 500 - a whole day.

Sitemap Analyzer in UPER SEO Auditor

The UPER SEO Auditor extension includes a built-in sitemap analyzer that:

• Fetches all URLs from sitemap.xml
• Checks the title and meta description of each page
• Shows character counts
• Exports results to CSV

How to Run the Analysis?

1. Open a page - navigate to any page of the website you want to analyze
2. Launch the panel - click the extension icon
3. Go to the menu - click the hamburger icon (☰)
4. Select Sitemap Analyzer

Automatic Sitemap Detection

The extension automatically detects the sitemap URL from:

1. robots.txt - looks for the Sitemap: directive
2. Default location - checks /sitemap.xml

You can also enter a custom URL, e.g., /sitemap_index.xml or /news-sitemap.xml.

Analysis Process

After clicking “Analyze,” the extension:

1. Fetches sitemap.xml - parses XML and extracts all URLs
2. Handles sitemap index - if the sitemap contains links to other sitemaps, fetches them recursively
3. Checks each URL - batch processing with rate limiting (5 concurrent requests)
4. Extracts meta data - title, description, HTTP status

Rate Limiting

To avoid overloading the server, the analyzer:

• Sends max 5 requests simultaneously
• Waits 200ms between batches
• Allows stopping the analysis at any time

Analysis Results

After completion, you’ll see a table with all URLs:

Column	Description
URL	Full page address
Title	Page title (from <title>)
Title Length	Title character count
Description	Meta description
Desc Length	Description character count

Sorting and Filtering

Click a column header to sort results:

• Title Length - find titles too short/long
• Desc Length - check pages without descriptions (length = 0)

Export to CSV

The most important feature - exporting data to a spreadsheet.

Column Selection

Before exporting, you can choose which columns to include:

• ✅ URL
• ✅ Title
• ✅ Title Length
• ✅ Description
• ✅ Description Length

CSV Format

The exported CSV file can be opened in:

• Google Sheets
• Microsoft Excel
• LibreOffice Calc
• Numbers (Mac)

URL,Title,Title Length,Description,Description Length
https://example.com/,Example Site - Home,22,Welcome to Example Site,24
https://example.com/about/,About Us | Example,19,Learn about our company,24
https://example.com/contact/,Contact - Example Site,22,,0

Practical Applications

1. SEO Title Audit

Optimal title length is 50-60 characters. Export data to a spreadsheet and use:

=IF(C2<30,"Too short",IF(C2>60,"Too long","OK"))

2. Finding Pages Without Description

Filter the “Desc Length” column by value 0. These pages need meta description.

3. Detecting Duplicates

In the spreadsheet, use conditional formatting to highlight duplicate titles:

1. Select the Title column
2. Format → Conditional Formatting
3. Rule: “Custom formula” → =COUNTIF(B:B,B1)>1

4. URL Structure Analysis

Exported URLs can be split into segments and analyzed:

• Which categories have the most pages?
• How deep is the URL structure?
• Are there unexpected paths?

5. Comparison with Google Index

Compare sitemap URLs with Google Search Console data:

1. Export URLs from Sitemap Analyzer
2. Export indexed pages from GSC
3. Find differences (URLs in sitemap but not in index)

Handling Large Sitemaps

Sitemap Analyzer handles large websites:

• Sitemap index - automatically fetches all sub-sitemaps
• Safety limit - max 100,000 URLs
• Stop option - Stop button available at any time
• Partial results - you can export data even after interruption

Tips for Large Websites

1. Test on a smaller sitemap - e.g., /blog-sitemap.xml instead of index
2. Analyze in parts - divide analysis by categories
3. Export regularly - save results before continuing

Integration with Site Essentials

In the Meta/Overview tab, you’ll find the Site Essentials section that shows:

• Whether sitemap.xml exists
• Sitemap URL (from robots.txt)
• “Analyze” button for quick launch

Common Issues

Sitemap Returns 404

• Check URL correctness
• Make sure the sitemap is publicly accessible
• Check robots.txt - it might block access

CORS Errors

Some servers block cross-origin requests. The extension bypasses this through background script, but if problems persist:

• Check if the sitemap requires authorization
• Try opening the sitemap directly in the browser

Missing Titles/Descriptions

If Title/Description are empty:

• The page might be JavaScript-rendered (SPA)
• The page returns an error (check HTTP status)
• Meta tags are generated dynamically

Summary

Sitemap Analyzer in UPER SEO Auditor is a quick way to:

• Review all URLs in the sitemap
• Audit meta tags - titles and descriptions
• Export to CSV - further analysis in spreadsheet
• Detect issues - missing data, duplicates

Instead of manually checking hundreds of pages, you get a full report in minutes.

Try UPER SEO Auditor and analyze your website’s sitemap.

Sources

1. Google - Build and submit a sitemap https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap

2. Sitemaps.org Protocol https://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.html

3. Google Search Console - Sitemap report https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7451001