Quick answer
URLs in sitemap should return 200.
Sitemap 404 URLs
URLs in sitemap should return 200. 404s waste crawl budget and can hurt trust.
Common causes
- Deleted pages still in sitemap.
- Wrong URLs.
How to fix
- Remove 404 URLs or fix redirects.
- Audit sitemap regularly.
FAQ
- 404 in sitemap bad?
- Yes.
- Redirect?
- Prefer 301; update sitemap.
Fix it now
Try in validator (prefill this example)