SEO
sitemap.xml Validator
Check sitemap.xml — required fields, date formats, sitemaps.org limits, duplicate URLs.
If you enter just a domain, /sitemap.xml is appended (a common convention, not a standard — the real sitemap may live elsewhere). This won't work for every site — some block cross-origin requests (CORS); if fetching fails, open sitemap.xml in a new tab and paste the contents manually.
Search engines reject a sitemap.xml that doesn't match the sitemaps.org spec — even one invalid date or an exceeded limit can stop the whole file from being processed. This tool checks required fields, date formats, size limits, and duplicate URLs.
How to use it
- Paste the contents of sitemap.xml and required tags (<loc>, valid <lastmod>) are checked instantly.
- Duplicate URLs are detected automatically and flagged separately from other errors.
- The tool checks the file against the sitemaps.org limits: no more than 50,000 URLs and 50MB per file.
Common uses
- Checking a sitemap before submitting it to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Debugging why Google Search Console reports errors while processing a sitemap.
- Auditing a sitemap generated automatically by a CMS or plugin for duplicates and malformed dates.
Things to keep in mind
The date in <lastmod> must follow the W3C Datetime format (ISO 8601) — search engines simply ignore an arbitrary text date format.
URL order in a sitemap has no meaning under the spec — search engines process entries regardless of their sequence in the file.
Article about this tool: Sitemap.xml: why search engines need a map of your site
Frequently asked questions
What's the maximum size or URL count for a single sitemap file?
A single sitemap file can list up to 50,000 URLs and must be no larger than 50MB uncompressed — larger sites need a sitemap index file that references multiple smaller sitemap files.
Why does my sitemap fail validation even though it opens fine in a browser?
Common issues include incorrect namespace declarations, invalid date formats in <lastmod> (must be W3C Datetime), or URLs that don't match the sitemap's own domain — a browser will still render the raw XML even with these errors.
Is my sitemap file uploaded anywhere to validate it?
No. Parsing and validation happen entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.
Can a sitemap.xml be gzip-compressed?
Yes — sitemaps.org allows publishing the file as sitemap.xml.gz, and the 50MB limit is measured against the uncompressed size, so the compressed file can be well under the actual limit.
How do I tell Google about a new sitemap?
The most reliable way is to add its address via a Sitemap: directive in robots.txt or submit it manually through Google Search Console — both work independently of each other and can be used at the same time.