Sitemap validator
Check your XML sitemap is well formed, reachable, and within limits.
A sitemap validator fetches your XML sitemap and checks that it is well formed, reachable, and compliant with the protocol's structure and limits. It verifies the XML parses, the URL entries are valid, and the file stays within the maximum URL count and size, flagging issues that could stop search engines from crawling it cleanly. A valid sitemap helps crawlers discover your pages efficiently and completely. Because a deploy or CMS change can break the file without warning, it's worth re-checking after changes.
Frequently asked questions
What are the size limits for a sitemap?
A single XML sitemap may contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites split entries across multiple sitemaps referenced by a sitemap index.
Why is my sitemap not being read by search engines?
Common causes include malformed XML, an unreachable URL, exceeding the size limits, or listing URLs outside the sitemap's host. The validator surfaces these issues so you can fix them.
Does a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No — a sitemap helps crawlers discover URLs, but search engines decide what to index. A valid, reachable sitemap simply removes a common barrier to discovery.
What is a sitemap index file?
It's a sitemap that lists other sitemaps, used when a site exceeds the 50,000-URL limit of a single file. You split URLs across several sitemaps and reference them all from one index.
Should I include lastmod and priority tags?
A accurate lastmod genuinely helps crawlers prioritize changed pages, so keep it honest. Search engines largely ignore the priority and changefreq tags, so don't rely on them.
How do search engines find my sitemap?
Submit it in each engine's search console and add a Sitemap: line to your robots.txt. Both point crawlers straight to it rather than waiting for them to stumble on your URLs.
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