Should I include "Noindex" pages in my XML sitemap to help Google find them faster?

All answers to this question.

The general rule for 2023 and beyond is to keep your sitemap clean. Only include canonical URLs that you want to see in the search results. Including "noindex" pages in a sitemap is contradictory because the sitemap is essentially a list of "suggested pages for indexing." If you want Google to drop a page from the index quickly after adding a noindex tag, you can temporarily include it in the sitemap to invite a crawl, but once it's gone from the SERPs, remove it. Keeping it there long-term is a waste of crawl budget and creates "noise" in your Search Console reports.

   Answered 2024-11-10 by Melissa Stevens

If you have a massive amount of these pages, have you considered using the "Removals" tool in Search Console instead of waiting for a natural crawl? It's much faster for urgent deletions.

   Answered 2024-11-12 by Christopher Lee

• Christopher, the Removals tool is only a temporary fix for 6 months. To actually keep them out, the "noindex" tag is the way to go. Regarding the sitemap, I've seen some experts suggest that if you have a massive site migration, a "temporary sitemap" of old URLs with noindex/301 tags can actually speed up the transition. But for a healthy, static site, I agree with Melissa—keep it limited to your high-value, indexable content only.

     Commented 2024-11-14 by Thomas Wilson

Avoid including them. A sitemap should be your "Golden List." If you point Google to pages you don't want indexed, you're just confusing the algorithm about your site's quality.

   Answered 2024-11-16 by Kimberly Clark

• Spot on, Kimberly. Precision is key in technical SEO. Providing a sitemap full of noindex pages is like giving a traveler a map where half the roads are closed.

     Commented 2024-11-18 by David Harrison