SEO

How To Remove a Sitemap from Google Search Console

Akshay Krishnan
|
January 12, 2025
How To Remove a Sitemap from Google Search Console

Contents

Understanding how to manage your sitemaps in Google Search Console is essential for maintaining an optimal website structure and ensuring efficient crawling by search engines. Whether you're facing issues with outdated sitemaps, site migration, or simply optimizing your crawl budget, knowing how to remove a sitemap can be crucial.

This tutorial will walk you through the process of removing a sitemap from Google Search Console in a step-by-step manner.

Step-by-Step Tutorial on How To Remove a Sitemap from Google Search Console

1. Select your property from the drop-down.

1 Click on "tripledart.comDomain property".
  • Start by logging into your Google Search Console account. From the dashboard, click on the drop-down menu to select the property (website) for which you want to remove the sitemap.

2. Next, navigate to the 'Sitemaps' section.

2 Click on "Sitemaps".
  • In the left sidebar, locate and click on the 'Sitemaps' under the 'Indexing' section.

3. Then, identify the sitemap with a 'Couldn't fetch' status.

3 Click on "Couldn't fetch".
  • Review the list of submitted sitemaps and find the one with a 'Couldn't fetch' status or the one you wish to remove.

4. Now, click 'More options' for that specific sitemap.

4 Afterwards, click on "".
  • Click on the three vertical dots (More options) next to the sitemap you intend to delete.

5. Select 'Remove sitemap' from the menu.

5 Once that's done, click on "Remove sitemap".
  • From the drop-down menu, select 'Remove sitemap' to initiate the process.

6. Lastly, confirm your action by clicking 'Remove'.

6 After that, click on "Remove".
  • Confirm the removal by clicking 'Remove' in the confirmation dialog box. This action will tell Google to no longer reference this sitemap for crawling and indexing.

Conclusion

Managing your sitemaps properly ensures that search engines crawl and index the most relevant pages efficiently. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can easily remove unnecessary or outdated sitemaps from Google Search Console, optimizing your site’s crawl budget and ensuring that Google focuses on the most important content.

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Frequently asked Questions

Why should I remove a sitemap from Google Search Console?

Removing a sitemap can be necessary if it's outdated, during site migration, or when optimizing crawl budget. It ensures that Google focuses on the most relevant and updated content on your site.

Will removing a sitemap stop Google from crawling my site?

No, removing a sitemap doesn't prevent crawling. Google can still crawl your site through other means. The sitemap simply helps Google crawl more efficiently.

Can I resubmit a sitemap after removing it?

Yes, you can always resubmit a sitemap if you believe it contains updated or necessary information for Google to crawl. Simply follow the submission process in Google Search Console.

How long does it take for Google to stop referencing a removed sitemap?

After removal, Google will eventually stop referencing the sitemap, but this could take some time as Google adjusts to changes in your sitemap submissions.

What happens if I don’t replace a removed sitemap?

Without a sitemap, Google may not efficiently crawl all pages, especially if your site is large or complex. It's recommended to replace outdated sitemaps with updated ones to maintain optimal crawl efficiency.

Akshay Krishnan
How To Remove a Sitemap from Google Search Console
Akshay is a B2B SaaS SEO specialist with 4 years of experience helping startups and scaleups in the SaaS industry grow their online presence. At TripleDart, he oversees SEO and content operations for his clients, making sure that every strategy is well-executed and aligned with business goals.

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