Compare two sitemaps and see which URLs were added, removed or unchanged.
How to use the Sitemap compare
- Enter the old and new sitemap URLs (or two sites).
- Run the comparison.
- Check removed URLs have redirects and new ones are indexable.
When to compare
Before and after a migration or redesign, to make sure no important page silently disappeared.
Reading the comparison
Three numbers: URLs in the second sitemap but not the first (added), URLs in the first but not the second (removed), and URLs in both (unchanged). Switch between the added and removed lists and download either as a text file; each list shows up to 5,000 URLs. URLs are compared exactly as written, so https and http, www and non-www, or a trailing slash all count as different. Both inputs accept a domain, a sitemap or a sitemap index; up to 50 children are read on each side.
Using it in a migration
Save the old sitemap before the switch, or host a copy, so you have something to compare against. After launch, every removed URL should either redirect to its new address or be deliberately retired. Run a few through the redirect checker. If almost every URL shows as removed and added, the domain or URL format changed; that is expected on a domain move, but then every one needs a 301. Big unexpected additions often mean tag or filter pages slipped into the new sitemap.