XML Sitemap Checker: Validate and Debug Your Sitemap
Kamran Liaquat Ali- posted on
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Free XML Sitemap Checker
Find and validate an XML sitemap, inspect sitemap indexes, and detect sitemap-specific SEO issues without crawling every page like a broken-link checker.
The tool checks the sitemap file and its structure. It does not scan every listed page for broken links.
Sitemap Files
Checks the main sitemap and accessible child sitemap files only.
| # | Sitemap File | Type | XML Status | URLs | Namespace |
|---|
URL Entries
Structural checks on URLs listed inside the sitemap. No page-by-page HTTP crawl is performed.
| # | URL | HTTPS | lastmod | Source Sitemap | Issues |
|---|
No URLs match this filter.
Enter your website address or the full URL of your sitemap above and click Check Sitemap. The checker finds the sitemap, validates the XML, follows sitemap index files to their child sitemaps, counts URLs and flags problems such as duplicates, invalid URLs, non-HTTPS links and questionable lastmod dates. You can search the results, filter by issue type and export them to CSV.
What Is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to find, optionally with the date each page last changed. It does not guarantee indexing, but it helps search engines discover pages, especially on new sites, large sites and pages with few internal links.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/best-etl-tools/</loc>
<lastmod>2026-08-20</lastmod>
</url>
</urlset>How to Use the XML Sitemap Checker
- Enter your homepage (for example
https://example.com/) or a direct sitemap URL such ashttps://example.com/sitemap_index.xml. - Click Check Sitemap and wait for the scan to finish.
- Use the filters to show all URLs, only issues, or only duplicates, and search for a specific URL.
- Click Export CSV to keep a copy or share it with a developer.
- Fix the problems in your SEO plugin or CMS, then run the check again.
What the Results Mean
| Issue | Why it matters | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Invalid XML | Search engines may not be able to read the file | Regenerate the sitemap with your SEO plugin; remove stray output before the XML declaration |
| Duplicate URLs | Wastes crawl attention and suggests a configuration problem | Check for both slash and non-slash or HTTP and HTTPS versions |
| HTTP URLs on an HTTPS site | Sends crawlers to redirects instead of final pages | Update the site URL in WordPress settings and regenerate |
| Missing or identical lastmod values | Google uses lastmod only when it is consistently accurate | Let your CMS set it from the real modified date; do not fake updates |
| Non-canonical, redirected or noindex URLs | Sends mixed signals about which pages matter | List only indexable pages that return 200 and are self-canonical |
Sitemap Rules to Know
- A single sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and be up to 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites use a sitemap index that points to several sitemaps.
- Google ignores the
priorityandchangefreqfields, so there is no need to tune them. - Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console under Indexing → Sitemaps and reference it in
robots.txtwith aSitemap:line. - A “Success” status in Search Console means the file was read, not that every URL will be indexed.
If many sitemap URLs show “Crawled – currently not indexed” in Search Console, the sitemap is usually fine and the issue is page quality or duplication. Our guide to using Google Search Console to update old content explains how to work through that report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is my WordPress sitemap?
WordPress core creates /wp-sitemap.xml. Rank Math and Yoast replace it with /sitemap_index.xml. Enter your homepage and the checker will try to find it.
Should noindex pages be in the sitemap?
No. Include only pages you want indexed. Most SEO plugins remove noindex pages automatically.
How often should I resubmit my sitemap?
Submit it once. Search engines re-read it on their own. Resubmit only if the sitemap URL changes.
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