Quick answer
A sitemap is a list of URLs a site makes available to help crawlers discover pages. It can help organize that discovery without guaranteeing that pages are visited or indexed.
Why it may deserve attention
A reachable, recognizable sitemap is a useful technical fact when you want to understand how a site presents its URLs. It does not show that the list is complete, current, or used by Google.
What is observed
TrustyRunner observes reachability, document recognition, basic structure, bounded URL counts, possible <loc>, sitemap indexes, multiple documents, and truncation. Current limits are at most 3 documents, 500 counted URLs, 256 KiB per document, and 512 KiB in total.
How to read the result
Findings
Sitemap not detected, declared sitemap unreachable, and response not recognized are findings limited to the discovered set.
Positive facts and observations
A sitemap can be detected, reachable, recognized, and have observed <loc> values. Fallback discovery, sitemap indexes, multiple documents, no <loc>, and truncation are observations. “Complete within limits” applies only to the narrow measured scope.
Partial and inconclusive
Directive, document, URL, or byte limits; unavailable/truncated robots; and an unavailable check make coverage partial or evidence inconclusive. They do not prove a sitemap error.
What it can help you review
A reachable, recognizable sitemap is a useful technical discovery fact. It does not prove that every page is included, that the document is up to date, or that Google accepts and uses it.
Recommended action
- Sitemap not detected: publish one where appropriate for the site.
- Declared document unreachable: review the specific document URL and its access.
- Response not recognized: review document structure and publication.
- Partial coverage: do not infer completeness; collect new bounded evidence.
What this check cannot conclude
TrustyRunner cannot confirm that every page is included, that a sitemap is complete or up to date, that Google accepts or uses it, or indexing and ranking.
What a new scan can verify
A new scan can inspect again its discovered bounded sitemap set, reachability, recognition, and observable facts within new limits. It cannot certify completeness or indexing.