Google: Duplicate URLs In Sitemaps Files Is Normal

Dec 24, 2012 - 8:56 am 7 by

Google SitemapA Google Webmaster Help thread has one SEO nervous that she has multiple sitemaps file but the files have duplication amongst the URLs listed in them.

So she has one sitemap file that may have the same and more URLs listed in them as another sitemap file. She asked if the redundancy is okay or if this can lead to issues.

Google's John Mueller said not only is it okay, it is "normal." John said he pinged the Sitemaps team who said:

This is apparently normal if you submit Sitemap files with the same URLs listed multiple times. Since submitting the same URLs multiple times doesn't change anything with regards to your site's crawling & indexing, I'd just submit it once if you want the correct counts (alternately, if the count doesn't bother you, you can also just leave it like this.

If you think about it, I know many sites that have multiple owners and authorized users of their Google Webmaster Tools. They may have the developer, design, webmaster, owner and then multiple SEO companies. Some of them may submit different sitemap files.

Duplication, is common and Google handles it in this case.

Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: July 11, 2025

Jul 11, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Helpful Content Recoveries With Core Update, AI Mode Expands, Hidden Ad Terms & Fewer Ad Clicks

Jul 11, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google Maps

Google Local & Business Profiles Drops June 25th - Reporting Glitch?

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google

Google Tests Zoom Effect In On Images Within Search Results

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:41 am
Bing Search

Bing Search Image Box Tests Explore Image & Visual Search Buttons

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:31 am
Bing Search

Microsoft Bing Tests Delivery Truck Icon In Search Ads

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Google Now Shows Your Reservations, Orders & Tickets In Search Results