Free XML Sitemap Validator
Enter a sitemap URL (or just your domain) to validate its structure, URLs and lastmod dates, and check that the first pages listed actually load.
Checks the live page · free, no sign-up
How to use the free XML sitemap validator
- 01
Enter your sitemap URL, or your domain to check /sitemap.xml.
- 02
Fix any problems listed.
- 03
Resubmit the sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
What makes a valid sitemap
An XML sitemap lists the URLs you want search engines to index. It must use the sitemaps.org namespace, list absolute URLs, escape special characters, and stay under 50,000 URLs and 50 MB (larger sites use a sitemap index).
Beyond validity, a good sitemap only lists final, indexable URLs that return 200, not redirects, 404s or noindexed pages, and has accurate lastmod dates so search engines know what changed.
Tips for using the XML sitemap validator
List only indexable URLs
No redirects, 404s, noindexed or canonicalized pages. Test a batch with the HTTP status code checker.
Keep lastmod honest
Only update lastmod when the page actually changes, or search engines learn to ignore it.
Split large sites
Over 50,000 URLs needs a sitemap index pointing to several sitemaps.
Submit it
Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and list it in robots.txt.
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XML Sitemap Validator FAQ
My CMS made the sitemap. Can it still be wrong?
Yes. Plugins often include redirected, noindexed or thin pages. The status check on the first URLs catches the most common problems.
Does it check every URL?
It parses all of them and checks the first 15 load correctly.
Is it free?
Yes, with no sign-up. Checks are limited to 60 a day per person.
Do I need an XML sitemap?
Small, well-linked sites can do without, but a sitemap helps new and large sites get crawled faster.
What's a sitemap index?
A file listing several sitemaps, used by large sites or CMSs that split sitemaps by content type.
Should images be in the sitemap?
Optional. Image sitemaps help when images are loaded in ways Google might miss.
Related free SEO tools
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Enter a URL to check its canonical tag: whether it exists, points to itself, is the only one, and points to a working page.
Broken Link Checker
Enter a URL to test every link on the page and find the broken ones (404s and errors) and the ones that redirect.
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Enter a URL to fetch the site's robots.txt, check it for errors, and see whether Googlebot, Bingbot and AI crawlers like GPTBot may crawl that URL.
Robots.txt Generator
Create a correct robots.txt: choose what to block, add your sitemap, and decide how to treat AI crawlers like GPTBot and ClaudeBot.
Noindex Checker
Enter a URL to find out whether Google can index it: meta robots, X-Robots-Tag header, robots.txt, status code and canonical, all in one check.
HTTP Header Checker
Enter a URL to see its HTTP response headers, with checks on HTTPS, caching, compression, X-Robots-Tag and key security headers.
All free technical seo tools
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