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Technical SEO

XML Sitemap Validator

Enter a sitemap URL — or just your domain — or paste the XML to validate it against the sitemaps.org protocol and Google's rules. The validator reports XML errors with the line and column, a wrong or missing namespace, files over 50,000 URLs, invalid or relative URLs, URLs on another host or protocol, duplicates, and lastmod dates in the wrong format or in the future.

It handles URL sitemaps, sitemap indexes — open any child sitemap with one click — and plain-text sitemaps, and checks whether robots.txt points crawlers to the file.

FreeNo signupChecks the live pageUpdated October 2026

XML Sitemap Validator

Our server fetches the public sitemap you name and keeps no copy; pasted XML is checked in your browser.

Enter just a domain and the validator finds the sitemap through robots.txt or the usual addresses.

Cheat sheet

What a valid XML sitemap needs

The rules come from the sitemaps.org protocol, which Google, Bing and other engines follow, plus what Google documents about using the optional fields.

  • <urlset>

    Root and namespace

    The root is <urlset> (or <sitemapindex>) with xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9" — exactly that, http included.

  • https://

    Absolute URLs

    Every <loc> is a full URL on the same host and protocol as the sitemap itself.

  • 50,000

    Size limits

    At most 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed per file. Bigger sites split into several sitemaps listed in an index.

  • &amp;

    Escape special characters

    Write & as &amp; inside URLs. A bare & breaks the whole file.

  • lastmod

    Real dates only

    W3C format, such as 2026-10-29. Google uses lastmod when it's accurate; the same date on every URL gets ignored.

  • priority

    Ignored by Google

    changefreq and priority do nothing in Google; other engines may read them.

The smallest valid sitemap

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/pricing</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-10-29</lastmod>
  </url>
</urlset>
The declaration on the very first line, the namespace, one absolute URL and an optional date.
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How it works

How to validate a sitemap

  1. 01

    Enter the sitemap or the domain

    With just a domain, the validator looks for a Sitemap: line in robots.txt, then the usual addresses. Or paste the XML.

  2. 02

    Fix XML errors first

    An XML error stops search engines from reading the file at all; the validator shows the line and column.

  3. 03

    Clean up the URLs

    Every <loc> should be an absolute URL on the sitemap's host and protocol, listed once — and a page you want indexed.

  4. 04

    Submit it

    Once it passes, submit the sitemap in Search Console and add a Sitemap: line to robots.txt.

Honest notes

What this validator does and does not do

It validates the file, not the pages in it: URLs are checked for format, host and duplicates, but they aren't fetched. Whether each one answers 200 and is indexable is what a crawl of the site checks.

It reads up to 10 MB of a sitemap and validates everything in that part. Compressed .xml.gz files aren't read yet: check the uncompressed file or paste its contents.

Google ignores changefreq and priority and uses lastmod only when it's consistently accurate, so those are reported as notes, not errors.

Our server fetches the public sitemap and robots.txt, returns the report and keeps no copy; pasted XML never leaves your browser.

Seonix does this on autopilot

Check every URL in your sitemap, not just the file

The free Seonix site audit reads your sitemap and checks the pages in it: entries that return 404 or redirect, noindexed pages listed in the sitemap and indexable pages missing from it — alongside broken links and the rest of your technical SEO. On paid plans Seonix also researches, writes and publishes articles built to rank in Google and get cited in AI answers.

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Seonix researches, writes and publishes articles — and keeps the technical side in check — wherever your site lives.

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The free Seonix plugin connects in one click: articles publish as native posts, and SEO fixes and llms.txt are handled for you.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I check if my sitemap is valid?

Enter its URL — or just your domain — above, or paste the XML. The validator checks that the file is well-formed XML with the correct namespace, within the 50,000-URL and 50 MB limits, with absolute URLs on the same host and protocol and valid dates. Then submit it in Search Console, which reports whether Google could read it.

Where is my sitemap?

Usually at /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml; the sitemap built into WordPress is /wp-sitemap.xml. robots.txt often names it on a Sitemap: line — enter just your domain above and the validator looks for you.

Why does Search Console say my sitemap couldn't be fetched or read?

«Couldn't fetch» usually means Google couldn't download the file: a wrong address, an error status, a firewall or a robots.txt rule. A file that arrives but can't be read is usually invalid: a blank line before <?xml, an unescaped &, or an HTML page served at the sitemap address. The validator finds the second kind and shows the status code for the first.

Do I need lastmod, changefreq and priority?

Only lastmod is worth keeping, and only if it reflects real changes: Google uses it to schedule recrawls when it's consistently accurate. Google ignores changefreq and priority, so you can leave them out.

How many URLs can a sitemap have?

Up to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed. A bigger site splits its URLs across several sitemaps and lists them in a sitemap index; you then submit only the index.

Should every page be in the sitemap?

Every page you want indexed, and nothing else: no redirects, no error pages, no noindexed or non-canonical URLs. A sitemap is the list of what you'd like Google to index, so mixed signals there waste crawling.
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