Technical fix guide
Sitemap Contains Redirecting URLs
Sitemaps should list final destination URLs, not redirects.
Issue ID: SITEMAP-REDIRECT-001
Severity: medium
Impact: Med
Effort: S
Use this article when
- You need deeper remediation guidance than the issue card can show.
- You want CMS-specific steps before handing the fix to a developer.
- You want a repeatable re-check path after shipping the change.
What this issue is
Sitemaps should list final destination URLs, not redirects.
Why it matters
Sitemaps should list final destination URLs, not redirects. This affects crawlability, rendering, and whether the site can be interpreted correctly by search engines.
How we detect it
- FreeSiteAudit flags this issue when the rule for SITEMAP-REDIRECT-001 fails and the page evidence points to Http headers.
- You can usually confirm this by checking the page source or the relevant page settings inside your CMS.
Evidence examples
Check the affected page source, rendered output, or relevant CMS setting to confirm the missing or incorrect element.
How to fix it
- 1Update sitemap entries to use final destination URLs
- 2Regenerate your sitemap after setting up redirects
- 3Configure CMS to auto-update sitemap entries
How to re-check it
- Check that sitemap URLs resolve without redirects