Auditing your website or researching a competitor’s can often require knowing the total number of pages on a site. This information can be valuable for analysis and strategic planning.
How to find out how many pages a website has
There are 4 methods to check how many pages a website has which I’ll detail below:
Method 1: XML Sitemap
One of the simplest ways to determine the number of pages on a website is by accessing its XML sitemap. To do this, type the website’s URL followed by /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml.
For example:
https://chankangtheslashie.com/sitemap.xml
Replace my website URL with your target website’s.
This method works particularly well for websites built with WordPress that use popular SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math.
These plugins automatically generate sitemaps, which often include a count of all indexed URLs on the site.
Google Search Console is an effective tool for determining the number of indexed pages on your website. After verifying ownership of your site, navigate to the “Indexing” then “Pages” section within the platform. Here, you’ll find detailed information about the total number of URLs indexed by Google, along with insights into which pages might be excluded or have errors.
However, it’s important to note that this method is only applicable to websites you own or manage. To use Google Search Console, you must verify your ownership of the site by adding a meta tag, uploading a verification file, or linking it to your Google Analytics account. Alternatively, you can request access from the site owner if you don’t have direct control.
Since this tool requires ownership verification, it cannot be used to check a competitor’s website.
Method 3: Search Engine Query with Microsoft Bing
A straightforward way to estimate the number of pages on a website is by using a Bing search query. Simply open Bing, type site:sitename.com (replacing sitename.com with the actual website), and press Enter. Bing will display the number of indexed pages directly on the results page.
While this method is not the most accurate, as factors like uncrawled pages, robots.txt restrictions, or other technical issues can lead to discrepancies, it still offers a general estimate of the website’s size. It’s a quick and easy approach that requires minimal technical knowledge, making it suitable for beginners or those less familiar with SEO tools.
Further Reading: siteefy (This method, learned from NJ)
Method 4: With Paid SEO Tools
Some SEO tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush Site Audit, and Sitechecker Pro Page Counter can efficiently determine the number of pages on a website. These tools provide detailed insights by crawling the entire site and listing all URLs.
In addition to page counts, they often highlight issues like broken links, duplicate content, or missing metadata, offering extra value beyond just the page total. While these tools require a subscription, they are suitable for more comprehensive website analysis.