Websites change constantly—new pages launch, old content gets removed, URLs get restructured. Your sitemap reflects these changes, but how do you know exactly what changed between versions? Comparing sitemaps reveals added pages, removed URLs, and potential SEO issues before they cause problems. Track changes, plan redirects, and validate migrations with sitemap comparison.
TL;DR
- Open TinyUtils Sitemap Delta
- Enter your old and new sitemap URLs
- Click Compare
- See added/removed URLs
- Export redirect rules
Understanding Sitemaps
What is a Sitemap?
A sitemap is an XML file that lists all the pages on your website that you want search engines to discover. Located typically at /sitemap.xml, it tells Google, Bing, and other crawlers which URLs exist and should be indexed. Sitemaps can include additional metadata: last modification date, change frequency, and priority.
Modern websites often use sitemap indexes—a master sitemap that references multiple child sitemaps. Large e-commerce sites might have separate sitemaps for products, categories, and blog posts, all linked from a single index.
Why Sitemaps Change
Sitemaps evolve as your site changes:
- New content: Blog posts, products, landing pages get added
- Removed content: Outdated pages, discontinued products get deleted
- URL restructuring: Migrations change URL patterns
- CMS updates: Platform changes may alter URL structures
- Content consolidation: Multiple pages merged into one
Each change affects SEO. Removed URLs without redirects cause 404 errors. Changed URLs lose accumulated search rankings unless properly redirected. Comparing sitemap versions catches these issues.
Why Compare Sitemaps?
1. Site Migration Validation
The most critical use case. When migrating from one CMS to another, one domain to another, or restructuring URLs, you must ensure every old URL has a corresponding new URL or redirect. Comparing pre-migration and post-migration sitemaps identifies every URL that needs attention.
2. Content Audit
Track what content was added or removed over time. Compare last month's sitemap to this month's to see exactly what changed. Useful for editorial oversight and content strategy.
3. SEO Monitoring
Accidental deindexing happens. A configuration change might exclude pages that should be indexed. Comparing sitemaps catches these issues before they affect search rankings.
4. Staging Validation
Before deploying to production, compare staging and production sitemaps. Verify that expected changes are present and no unexpected changes occurred.
5. Redirect Planning
For removed URLs, you need 301 redirects to preserve SEO value. Sitemap comparison identifies which URLs need redirects and can generate the actual redirect rules.
6. Competitor Analysis
Track competitor sitemap changes over time. See when they add new sections, remove content, or restructure their site. Most sitemaps are publicly accessible.
How to Compare Sitemaps
Using TinyUtils Sitemap Delta
- Navigate to TinyUtils Sitemap Delta
- Enter the "before" sitemap URL (e.g., archived version or production)
- Enter the "after" sitemap URL (e.g., current version or staging)
- Click Compare
- Review the categorized results
- Export as needed (CSV, JSON, or redirect rules)
The tool fetches both sitemaps, parses all URLs (including sitemap indexes), deduplicates entries, and identifies differences.
What You Get from Comparison
Added URLs
Pages present in the "after" sitemap but not in the "before" sitemap. These are new pages that were created since the baseline. Review to ensure they're intentionally published and properly set up.
Removed URLs
Pages present in the "before" sitemap but missing from the "after" sitemap. These need attention:
- If intentionally removed, set up 301 redirects to relevant pages
- If accidentally removed, investigate and restore
- If consolidated, redirect to the new combined page
URL Counts
Total page counts for each sitemap version. A significant drop may indicate a problem; a significant increase should align with known content additions.
Export Options
Results can be exported in multiple formats:
- CSV: For spreadsheet analysis and manual review
- JSON: For programmatic processing
- nginx rules: Ready-to-use redirect configuration
- Apache .htaccess: Ready-to-use redirect configuration
Generating Redirect Rules
For every removed URL, you typically need a redirect. Sitemap Delta can export redirect rules in server-specific formats:
nginx Format
rewrite ^/old-page/$ /new-page/ permanent;
rewrite ^/removed-product/$ /category/ permanent;Apache .htaccess Format
Redirect 301 /old-page/ /new-page/
Redirect 301 /removed-product/ /category/You'll need to specify destination URLs for each removed page. The tool provides the list of removed URLs; you map them to appropriate destinations based on your site structure.
Sitemap Indexes
Many websites use sitemap indexes—a master sitemap that references multiple child sitemaps:
<sitemapindex>
<sitemap>
<loc>https://example.com/sitemap-products.xml</loc>
</sitemap>
<sitemap>
<loc>https://example.com/sitemap-blog.xml</loc>
</sitemap>
</sitemapindex>Sitemap Delta automatically detects sitemap indexes and processes all child sitemaps, giving you a complete picture of the entire site structure.
Common Use Cases
CMS Migration
Migrating from WordPress to Webflow? Drupal to Shopify? Compare the old platform's sitemap (save a copy before migration) with the new platform's sitemap. Identify every URL that changed or disappeared. Plan redirects accordingly.
Domain Change
Moving from olddomain.com to newdomain.com? Compare sitemaps to ensure all pages exist on the new domain. Set up 301 redirects from old domain URLs to their new domain equivalents.
URL Restructure
Changing from /blog/2024/01/post-title/ to /insights/post-title/? Compare before and after sitemaps. Generate redirects for every changed URL pattern.
Weekly Monitoring
Archive your sitemap weekly. Compare each week's version to the previous. Catch accidental changes, track content velocity, and maintain awareness of site evolution.
Launch Validation
Before launching a redesigned site, compare staging and production sitemaps. Ensure all expected pages exist and no pages were accidentally omitted.
Content Pruning
Intentionally removing low-performing content? Compare before and after sitemaps to verify only intended pages were removed. Set up redirects for any pages with external links or search traffic.
Best Practices for Sitemap Changes
Always Archive Before Changes
Save a copy of your current sitemap before any major site change. Having the original makes comparison possible.
Use 301 Redirects for Removed URLs
Never simply delete pages with search traffic or external links. 301 redirects preserve SEO value and maintain user experience.
Monitor Search Console
After implementing changes, monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors. Sitemap comparison catches issues early; Search Console confirms search engine behavior.
Test Redirects
After implementing redirect rules, test them. Visit old URLs and confirm they redirect to appropriate new pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I compare local sitemap files?
Currently, the tool works with URLs. For local files, host them temporarily (even with a local server) and provide the URL. Alternatively, many teams use archived URLs from the Wayback Machine for historical comparisons.
Does it handle sitemap indexes?
Yes. Sitemap indexes are automatically detected and expanded. All child sitemaps are fetched and processed, giving you complete URL coverage.
What about compressed sitemaps?
Gzip-compressed sitemaps (sitemap.xml.gz) are fully supported. The tool handles decompression automatically.
How large can sitemaps be?
The tool handles sitemaps with tens of thousands of URLs. Very large sitemaps (100,000+ URLs) may take longer to process but are supported.
Can I compare different domains?
Yes. You can compare sitemaps from different domains—useful for domain migrations or analyzing competitor changes.
What about lastmod and priority?
The comparison focuses on URL presence. Metadata changes (lastmod, priority, changefreq) within the same URL aren't flagged—only URL additions and removals.
Migration Checklist Using Sitemap Comparison
- Archive current sitemap before any changes
- Complete migration or site changes
- Generate new sitemap
- Compare old and new sitemaps
- Create redirect rules for all removed URLs
- Implement redirects on server
- Test sample redirects
- Monitor Search Console for crawl errors
- Verify no 404 errors for important pages
Why Use an Online Comparison Tool?
While you could download sitemaps and compare them manually in a spreadsheet, an online tool provides:
- Automatic fetching: No need to download files manually
- Index expansion: Sitemap indexes are processed automatically
- Decompression: Gzip files handled transparently
- Instant results: Comparison in seconds
- Export formats: Ready-to-use redirect rules
- No installation: Works from any browser
Ready to Compare Your Sitemaps?
Whether you're planning a migration, auditing content changes, or validating a site launch, sitemap comparison reveals exactly what changed. Open TinyUtils Sitemap Delta, enter your sitemap URLs, and see the differences instantly.
Need to find broken links on your site? Check out our Dead Link Finder to identify 404 errors and broken references. For recovering removed pages, see our Wayback Machine Link Fixer.