An XML sitemap is a list of the pages a website wants search engines to find. It is also a goldmine for research. With all of a site's URLs in one list, you can audit your own pages, plan redirects for a migration or study how a competitor organises content. The problem is that sitemaps are written in XML, which is hard to read, and large sites split them into many smaller files. A sitemap extractor does the boring work for you.
What our extractor does
The Sitemap URL Extractor reads sitemaps and gives you a clean list:
- Accepts a sitemap URL, such as example.com/sitemap.xml
- Accepts just a domain and tries to find the sitemap automatically, including from robots.txt
- Accepts pasted XML if you have the file already
- Follows sitemap index files to child sitemaps
- Shows the total number of URLs
- Lets you copy or download the full list
How to use it
- Open the Sitemap URL Extractor.
- Enter a sitemap URL, a domain or paste the XML.
- Click Extract URLs.
- Copy the list or download it as a text file.
Practical uses
- Audit your own site. Check that every important page is in your sitemap and that no unwanted pages are.
- Plan a website migration. Use the list to build a redirect map from old URLs to new ones.
- Find broken pages. Run important URLs through the HTTP Status Code Checker.
- Check indexability. Test key URLs with the Indexability Checker.
- Study competitors. See how many pages they have, how they name URLs and which sections they focus on.
- Plan content. Spot topics competitors cover that you do not.
What a healthy sitemap looks like
A good sitemap only lists pages you want in Google. Every URL should return a 200 status, be indexable and be the canonical version. It should not include redirected pages, error pages, admin pages, search result pages or thin tag pages. If your sitemap includes these, clean it up. You can create a fresh one with our XML Sitemap Generator.
Large websites
Big sites split sitemaps into an index file that links to many smaller sitemaps, often by type, such as posts, pages and products. The extractor follows these links for you. For very large stores with tens of thousands of products, extraction may take a little longer.
A real example
An electronics retailer in Karachi was moving from an old custom website to Shopify. They used the extractor to pull all 2,400 product and category URLs from the old sitemap, then matched each to its new Shopify URL in a spreadsheet. After launch, the redirects carried the old rankings to the new pages, and organic traffic stayed steady instead of crashing like it often does after migrations.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting to submit your sitemap in Google Search Console.
- Listing noindex pages in the sitemap, which sends mixed signals.
- Never updating the sitemap after deleting or moving pages.
Compare sitemap and real pages
A useful check is to compare the URLs in your sitemap with the pages Google actually shows for your site in Search Console. Pages in the sitemap but not indexed may be thin, duplicate or blocked. Pages indexed but missing from the sitemap may be old pages you forgot about. Both lists together give you a clear cleanup plan for a healthier site.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find a website's sitemap
Common locations are /sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml. Many sites also list it in robots.txt. Our tool checks these for you.
Is it okay to extract a competitor's sitemap
Yes. Sitemaps are public files intended for search engines and visitors to read.
Why are some URLs missing
The site may not list every page in its sitemap, or some child sitemaps could not be reached.
Extract sitemap URLs now with the free Sitemap URL Extractor.