Sitemap URLs Returning 404 or 5xx Errors (“Submitted URL Has Crawl Issue”)
Short answer: some URLs in your XML sitemap don’t load. They return a 4xx error (404, 410, 403, 401) or a 5xx server error. Google doesn’t index 4xx URLs, and keeps failing 5xx URLs only for a while. Find which URLs fail and why. Then fix real pages, redirect moved ones, and remove dead ones from the sitemap, so it lists only URLs that return 200.
Where to find these URLs today
In the old Index Coverage report, this showed up as “Submitted URL has crawl issue”, “Submitted URL not found (404)” and similar. The current Page indexing report names the exact cause instead. To see only URLs from your sitemap:
- Open Indexing → Pages in Search Console.
- Set the dropdown above the chart to All submitted pages, or pick one sitemap.
- Look at the reasons in the table below.
| Reason in the report | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Not found (404) | The URL returns 404. | Redirect it if the page moved; otherwise remove it from the sitemap. |
| Server error (5xx) | Your server failed when Google asked for the URL. | Fix the server problem; keep the URL if the page is real. |
| Blocked due to access forbidden (403) / unauthorized request (401) | The server refused Googlebot or asked for a login. | Let verified Googlebot in, or remove private URLs from the sitemap. |
| Blocked due to other 4xx issue | A 4xx code that no other reason covers. | Remove it from the sitemap, or restore the page. |
| Soft 404 | The URL returns 200 but looks like an error or empty page. | Return a real 404, or give the page real content. |
| Redirect error | A redirect loop, a chain that is too long, or a redirect to a bad URL. | Fix the redirect; list only final URLs in the sitemap. |
The Sitemaps report (Indexing → Sitemaps) can also show “URLs not accessible” when Google hits an error crawling a URL from your sitemap.
Why it matters
Google’s docs are clear on what happens to these URLs. URLs that return 4xx aren’t indexed, and indexed ones get removed. Server errors make Google slow its crawling, and URLs that keep failing are eventually dropped. A sitemap is meant to list the pages you want indexed. Every dead URL in it is a crawl spent on nothing, and it buries the real problems in your reports.
Step 1: get the full list
Search Console shows up to 1,000 example URLs per reason. To test your whole sitemap yourself, pull the URLs and request each one:
curl -s https://example.com/sitemap.xml | grep -o '<loc>[^<]*' | sed 's/<loc>//' \
| while read -r u; do
echo "$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' "$u") $u"
done | grep -v '^200 'That prints every URL that doesn’t answer 200. A redirect (301, 302, 308) is not an error, but it doesn’t belong in a sitemap either. For a quick sample, the free sitemap checker tests 30 URLs from your sitemap and reports 404s, redirects, server errors, noindex and canonical problems.
Step 2: fix each group
Pages that moved
Add a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one, and replace the old URL with the new one in the sitemap.
Pages that are gone
Let them return 404 or 410 and remove them from the sitemap. A 404 for a deleted page is normal; listing it in the sitemap is the mistake.
Pages that should work but fail
A 5xx means your server or app broke; a 403 or 401 usually means a firewall, bot protection or password protection blocked Googlebot. See Server error (5xx) and Blocked (403 / 401).
Step 3: stop it coming back
Dead URLs pile up in sitemaps that are built separately from the site: a file uploaded once, or a plugin that lists deleted or draft content. Build the sitemap from the same data that builds your pages, so a deleted page leaves the sitemap at the same moment. Then check after every deploy that changes URLs. Finally, resubmit the sitemap and use Validate fix on each reason in the Page indexing report.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to "Submitted URL has crawl issue"?
It was a catch-all error in the old Index Coverage report. Today’s Page indexing report names the exact problem instead, such as Not found (404), Server error (5xx), Soft 404 or Redirect error. Filter it to "All submitted pages" to see the ones from your sitemap.
Do 404s in my sitemap hurt my rankings?
Google does not index URLs that return 4xx, so those URLs simply drop out. The real cost is a sitemap Google can trust less and crawls spent on dead pages. Remove them or redirect them.
Should I redirect or delete a 404 URL in the sitemap?
If the page moved, 301-redirect it and put the new URL in the sitemap. If it is gone for good, let it return 404 or 410 and remove it from the sitemap. Never keep a dead or redirected URL in the sitemap.
The URL works in my browser. Why does Google see an error?
The error may have been temporary, or only Googlebot gets it: firewalls, bot protection and rate limits can treat crawlers differently. Run a live test in URL Inspection to see what Google gets right now.
How often should I check my sitemap for broken URLs?
After every deploy that changes URLs, and at least monthly on an active site. A sitemap built from the same data as your pages avoids most of these errors.