A listed address redirects
In the reportSitemap URL redirects
sitemap_url_redirects · Review item
This appears when an address listed in your sitemap redirects before its final answer, which may be an error or no answer at all. A sitemap should list the addresses you want in search, not ones that forward elsewhere. Check where it ends: if the destination works, list it instead and update links that still use the old address; if it fails, repair it first.
Severity: Medium. Review it in your next round of site changes. It is Low when there is a single redirect and the final answer is below 400.
Why it matters
A sitemap tells Google which URLs you prefer to show in search, and Google crawls them exactly as listed. A listed address that redirects sends crawlers through an extra step, and Google follows up to ten redirects.
What to do
- Review the listed address, its sitemap file, the observed redirect steps and the final address or status in the evidence.
- Check the destination first. If it works, list its direct address instead, usually by changing the page address in your website editor or SEO plugin. If it fails, repair or replace it before updating the sitemap.
- Find internal links that still use the old address and update them where practical; this check does not supply a list of those links.
When to leave it as it is: if the redirect is part of a move in progress, a listed address that forwards to its new home can stay for a while; switch the sitemap to the final addresses once the move is settled.
What we read
We read retained sitemap membership and the crawl response requested at each listed address. Every admitted requested address keeps its own observation, even when several addresses end on the same page. A listed address the crawl never fetched remains unchecked.
At least one observed HTTP redirect is enough to report the listed address, even if the walk later fails. One step is Low unless the final status is 400 or above; two or more steps are Medium. Loops and walks stopped by the redirect limit belong to the redirect-loop check. Meta refresh and JavaScript redirects are not followed.
A partial sitemap can prove that a retained address is listed, but cannot prove that an absent address is not listed. Redirect steps come from the existing shared crawl; this check makes no separate requests.
Example & evidence
Illustrative example — one listed address, not a live audit.
https://bakery.example/sitemap.xml lists an old HTTPS address:
<url><loc>https://bakery.example/old-about</loc></url>GET https://bakery.example/old-about
HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://bakery.example/about
GET https://bakery.example/about
HTTP/1.1 200 OKOne redirect ends on a working page, so the address is reported as Low. A second redirect, for example to /about/, would make it Medium.
A possible correction: list https://bakery.example/about, which answers 200 OK with no redirect.
Confirm & check again
Check for yourself: open the address from your sitemap and see whether the browser's address bar changes, or use a redirect checker to list the steps.
Check again: Full audit — Run a new audit. The same listed address needs a complete response and redirect observation showing no redirects, together with complete sitemap collection, to confirm this finding fixed. A remaining redirect fires again; a missing or incomplete observation cannot confirm a fix. Removing an entry alone is not proof: closure after removal requires the existing complete recheck of the previous affected address and sitemap membership.
Limits & sources
This is a review item about sitemap discovery, not proof of lost rankings. Permanent and temporary redirects count alike. Unfetched listed addresses remain unknown; sitemap and transport gaps can prevent a confirmed fix. Internal link references are not included.
Confidence: High because each redirect is followed and recorded.
Sources
- Google, Build and submit a sitemap — says Google shows canonical URLs, which you can influence with sitemaps, and crawls your URLs exactly as listed. Checked 25 September 2026.
- Google, How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers — describes how Google treats permanent and temporary redirects, and that it follows up to ten. Checked 25 September 2026.
Editorial review: 4 November 2026