Sitemap validator
Validate XML sitemap: check URLs, format and lastmod.
How this tool works
The sitemap validator loads an XML sitemap, checks reachability, validates XML format, counts URLs and shows sample entries. Both urlset sitemaps and sitemap index files are supported. Issues like oversized sitemaps (>50,000 URLs) or malformed XML syntax are detected.
Typical use cases
- Validate new sitemap after CMS migration
- Check if all URLs in sitemap are correctly formatted
- Check sitemap index for missing sub-sitemaps
- SEO audit: verify sitemap coverage
Frequently asked questions
How large can a sitemap be?
Max 50,000 URLs and max 50 MB (uncompressed). Larger sites must use a sitemap index with multiple sub-sitemaps.
Are gzip-compressed sitemaps supported?
If the server delivers them with correct Content-Encoding, yes. The URL can end in .xml.gz.
What is a sitemap index?
A sitemap index (sitemapindex) references multiple individual sitemap files. Recommended above 50,000 URLs. Our tool detects both formats.
Must lastmod dates be specified?
Not mandatory, but recommended. Google uses lastmod for efficient re-crawling. Incorrect lastmod dates (e.g. always "today") are ignored by Google.
What happens if the sitemap is unreachable?
HTTP status and error message are displayed. Common causes: robots.txt blocks access, wrong URL, or server error.
Does it also check if URLs in the sitemap are reachable?
No — only the sitemap file itself is validated. For URL reachability use the broken link checker or the robots.txt+sitemap tool.
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