What does Sitemap Checker check?
Checking your XML sitemap is especially useful after moving your site, changing your URL structure, switching to HTTPS, launching a new language version, or performing a mass page update. After analyzing your sitemap, you can see any errors found, correct the sitemap generation, and re-check it before uploading it to Google Search Console.
The Sitemap Audit Tool analyzes XML Sitemaps and helps identify issues that are difficult to spot when viewing the file in a browser. It checks the sitemap's accessibility, XML validity, the Sitemap Index structure, and the URLs of the pages listed within the file.
The results should be evaluated alongside other technical site signals. Even valid XML will be of no use if it contains deleted pages, redirects, non-canonical URLs, or addresses blocked from indexing.
XML Sitemap Availability and Accessibility
The check begins with a search for the sitemap and an attempt to retrieve it at the specified address. The sitemap can be located at the standard /sitemap.xml path, specified in robots.txt, or use a Sitemap Index with several child files.
The tool should determine whether the file responds correctly to the server and can be processed. A loading error, a 404 response, or an unavailable child sitemap means that the search robot may also encounter a problem accessing the sitemap.
XML and Sitemap Protocol Validity
The XML sitemap validator verifies that a file complies with the basic structure of the sitemap protocol. XML syntax, namespace, UTF-8 encoding, required elements, and tag nesting are analyzed.
XML errors can appear after modifying the generator, migrating a site, or manually editing a file. Malformed XML, invalid <urlset>, or an incorrect <sitemapindex> structure prevent data from being read correctly even when the file itself is opened via a URL.
URL inside Sitemap
The XML sitemap checker should separately analyze the addresses listed within the sitemap. For search engines, it's best to pass the absolute URL with the current protocol, correct domain, and final page address.
Avoid leaving 404 errors, unnecessary redirects, old HTTP versions of pages, external domains, or duplicate URLs in your sitemap. If a page has a different canonical URL, it's recommended to specify the indexed canonical URL in the sitemap.
What errors does the Sitemap validator find?
An XML sitemap check should reveal issues that affect file readability, URL accessibility, and the consistency of technical signals. Errors that are repeated across multiple child sitemaps are especially important for SEO.
A single incorrect URL rarely causes a serious problem for the entire site, but thousands of redirects, deleted pages, or duplicates indicate a generation error. Such cases are best corrected at the CMS or sitemap generation template level.
XML structure errors
The XML structure must remain machine-readable and comply with the Sitemap Protocol. Even a small technical error can disrupt the processing of the entire file or a single block of data.
You need to check opening and closing tags, namespaces, nested elements, and encoding. Pay particular attention to sitemaps generated by your own CMS or a separate script.
Invalid or unclosed XML tags
Corrupted tags often appear due to generation errors or improper processing of special characters. A browser may display such a file as text, but a search engine crawler may not be able to correctly parse its structure.
Once malformed XML is detected, you need to determine the source of the error and fix the generator. If you only edit the finished file, the problem usually returns with the next automatic sitemap update.
XML namespace errors
The Namespace specifies the standard by which XML Sitemap elements should be interpreted. An error in this parameter may result in elements being processed incorrectly, even if the file structure appears normal.
When using the standard Sitemap Protocol, it's best to maintain the correct namespace in all files. Additional namespaces are used for image, video, and news Sitemaps, and they must also be correctly specified.
Incorrect file encoding
XML Sitemaps use UTF-8 encoding, so the generator must correctly handle Cyrillic and special characters. Issues are particularly noticeable in URLs containing parameters, escape characters, or non-standard values.
If the encoding is broken, the file may contain unreadable characters or fail validation. After fixing it, reopen the sitemap and run another automatic check.
URL errors
Sitemap URLs should point to current website pages. Sitemaps lose quality when they retain old URLs for years after migrations, product deletions, or catalog structure changes.
URL validation complements standard XML validation. A file can be completely syntactically correct and yet contain hundreds of pages that should no longer be passed to search engines.
Unavailable and deleted pages
404, 410, and 5xx server errors within the sitemap require separate review. If a page is permanently deleted, its address should usually be removed from the sitemap after updating the internal structure.
For temporary server errors, you first need to determine the cause of the response. Massive 5xx errors in the sitemap may indicate server issues, application limitations, or page generation failures.
URLs with redirects
It's best to include final URLs in your sitemap that return a successful response and are used as canonical URLs. Constantly redirecting to 301 or 308 results in an unnecessary crawl step and often appears after old migrations.
If redirects are detected en masse, you need to update the sitemap generation source. Simply removing a few URLs manually isn't enough when the CMS continues to automatically re-add old URLs.
HTTP and HTTPS simultaneously
After a site migrates to HTTPS, old HTTP addresses sometimes remain in the sitemap. This creates mixed protocols and forces search engines to redirect to the latest versions of the pages.
The sitemap should use the same primary URL version as the canonical and internal links. Inconsistent signals complicate technical diagnostics and usually indicate an incomplete migration.
URL of another domain
A standard XML sitemap must contain the URL of the resource for which it was created. Accidental inclusion of URLs from a different domain is often due to a configuration error, database copying, or improper environment configuration.
This should be checked especially carefully after migrating from a test domain to a production one. Staging URLs sometimes remain in the sitemap even though the site itself is already live on the main domain.
Duplicate URLs
Duplicate URLs occur due to parameters, different protocol variants, www and non-www, or different handling of the final slash. As a result, a single page can be represented by multiple technical addresses.
It's best to leave one current URL in the sitemap that matches the canonical. This rule should work automatically for all pages, otherwise, after the next update, duplicates will be included in the XML again.
I check sitemaps after migrations, mass URL changes, and major CMS updates. If the sitemap contains redirects, 404s, duplicates, or old HTTP addresses, the search engine receives conflicting signals. I don't even consider and <changefreq> when auditing for Google, because the search engine ignores them. I focus on URLs, lastmod, robots.txt, canonical, HTTP responses, and Google Search Console data. The verification scheme looks like this: Sitemap URL → Accessibility → XML Structure → Sitemap Index → URL → HTTP Status → Canonical → Fix → Recheck → Google Search Console This procedure is suitable for regular technical SEO audits and helps to avoid missing basic errors before submitting the sitemap to search engines.
How to check sitemap online?
You can check your sitemap online immediately after creating a new sitemap or following any major technical changes. To analyze, simply enter the domain or the direct URL of the XML file, after which the sitemap tester will download the data and display any detected issues.
It's more convenient to keep the same check sequence for each technical audit. This makes it easier to compare results before and after corrections and see which errors have actually been corrected.
Enter the website address or Sitemap
In the verification field, you can enter the main site address, for example, https://example.com/, or a direct link, https://example.com/sitemap.xml. If you are using a Sitemap Index, it is better to specify the main file, which contains links to the child sitemaps.
The address must be entered in full, including the HTTPS or HTTP protocol. This format eliminates ambiguity and helps immediately identify which version of the website needs to be checked.
Run a Sitemap Check
Once launched, the service receives the XML file and analyzes its contents. The online sitemap checker verifies the structure, accessibility, and data, which can be assessed without manually reviewing a large XML document.
On a large website, a single Sitemap Index can point to dozens of individual files. Automated checking reduces manual steps and helps quickly identify the specific file containing the technical error.
Study the errors found
First, you should look for issues that could prevent the sitemap from being read or render part of the URL useless to search engines. These include inaccessible files, XML errors, 4xx or 5xx URLs, invalid domains, and exceeding technical limits.
Warnings also require verification, although not every one of them indicates a critical error. For example, the absence of <lastmod> doesn't invalidate a sitemap, but a correct modification date helps search engines evaluate page updates.
Correct the Sitemap and run the test again
After making corrections, run the sitemap validator again and compare the results with the previous check. If the sitemap is generated automatically by the CMS, it's best to fix the issue in the generator rather than manually editing the generated XML.
This way, the correction will persist after the next file update. Manual changes will quickly disappear if the system regenerates the sitemap when publishing new pages or updating the directory.
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Answers to your questions
How to check sitemap online?
Enter the full website address or XML Sitemap and run the scan. The service will download the file, analyze its structure, and display the available technical data along with any errors found.
After making corrections, it's best to repeat the check using the same method. This ensures that the issue has been resolved and the new sitemap is correctly displayed by the search engine crawler.
How do you know if your XML Sitemap is working correctly?
A working sitemap is accessible via its URL, contains valid XML, and lists the current website pages. It should be free of system errors, inaccessible child files, and massively outdated URLs.
Additionally, it's worth checking that URLs match the canonical versions of pages. If the sitemap contains HTTPS but the canonical specifies HTTP, the site's technical signals require a separate audit.
Where is a website's Sitemap usually located?
The most common URL is /sitemap.xml, but the CMS can create /sitemap_index.xml, /wp-sitemap.xml, or its own path. The exact location of the sitemap can often be found in robots.txt.
On large projects, the main file is called the Sitemap Index, which contains links to individual section maps. Therefore, a single standard path is sometimes insufficient for a complete site check.
How many URLs can be in one Sitemap?
One XML sitemap contains a maximum of 50,000 URLs and should not exceed 50 MB in uncompressed size. If a site exceeds one of these limits, the URLs should be split across multiple files.
Multiple sitemaps are linked via the Sitemap Index. This structure also simplifies monitoring of large sections and helps quickly identify errors in specific page types.
Should I add a sitemap to robots.txt?
The sitemap address can be specified in robots.txt as a separate line: Sitemap:. This helps search robots find the sitemap, especially when it's located at a non-standard address.
After migration, ensure that robots.txt contains the current domain and protocol. Old sitemap links should be removed to prevent the robot from accessing unnecessary files.
Do I need to include lastmod in my Sitemap?
lastmod is not a required element of a regular Sitemap, but Google may use it if the date consistently and verifiably reflects the last significant change to the page.
Don't automatically set the current date for all URLs each time you create a sitemap. This behavior makes the data unreliable and renders <lastmod> useless.
Do I need to fill in priority and changefreq in the Sitemap?
For Google, no. Google Search ignores and <changefreq> values, so they don't affect a page's priority, crawl frequency, or indexing.
If the CMS already displays these tags, there's no need to immediately remove them. Sitemap Checker also shouldn't consider their absence a technical or SEO error.
Does a Sitemap guarantee that pages will be indexed by Google?
No, having a URL in a sitemap doesn't guarantee it will be indexed by Google. A sitemap helps search engines discover pages and obtain additional information about their addresses.
Page accessibility, meta robots, canonical, content, and other technical signals are also taken into account for indexing. Therefore, a lack of indexing cannot be diagnosed by the sitemap alone.
Should I add noindex pages to my Sitemap?
Typically, a sitemap is formed from canonical pages that the site actually wants to submit to the search engine for indexing. The persistent presence of a noindex URL creates a contradictory set of technical signals.
If such pages are frequently included in the XML, it's worth checking your sitemap generation rules. Correcting them at the CMS level is more reliable than manually removing URLs from the automatically generated file.
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A correct sitemap helps search engines find relevant URLs and receive information about page changes. Regular checking is especially necessary after migrations, CMS updates, URL changes, and major catalog edits.
Run Sitemap Checker, validate the XML sitemap, and fix any technical errors before submitting it to Google Search Console. When checking, focus on current URLs, <lastmod>, XML accessibility, and correctness. Google can ignore and <changefreq>.
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More on: Sitemap Checker – XML Sitemap check
XML Sitemap Limitations
A single sitemap cannot contain more than 50,000 URLs, and the uncompressed XML file size is limited to 50 MB. For larger sites, these restrictions require splitting URLs into multiple sitemaps.
The breakdown is also convenient for technical monitoring. Separate sitemaps for products, categories, articles, or language versions help quickly identify sections where errors appeared after a website update.
Limit 50,000 URL and 50 MB
If the number of pages exceeds the permitted limit, you need to create multiple sitemaps and link them via the Sitemap Index. This approach is used on online stores, marketplaces, portals, and other sites with a large number of indexed documents.
File size also needs to be controlled regardless of the number of URLs. Long URLs and additional elements increase the XML file size, so the 50 MB limit may be reached before the record limit is reached.
When is a Sitemap Index needed?
The Sitemap Index contains links to individual child Sitemaps and helps manage a large structure. It uses <sitemapindex> internally, with each child file referenced by a separate entry.
A good breakdown reflects the project's structure and facilitates diagnostics. For example, products, categories, articles, and language versions can be stored separately to more quickly track changes and issues within a specific section.
What data should be in a valid XML Sitemap?
The sitemap's core remains a list of current URLs and a minimal set of data that search engines can correctly read. The simpler the structure, the easier it is to maintain without technical errors.
Additional tags only make sense when the search engine actually takes the data into account. Google's primary focus should be on correct URLs and a reliable <lastmod>.
<loc> – page address
The <loc> element contains the full absolute URL of a page and is required data for a regular URL sitemap. The address must include the protocol, domain, and path, without any abbreviated relative paths.
Before publishing, you should check that <loc> matches the main version of the site's pages. Differences in HTTPS, www, case, or final slashes often lead to massive technical duplication.
<lastmod> – last modified date
The <lastmod> element indicates the date of a significant page change, if the site can actually determine it correctly. The date should reflect a content update, not an automatic triggering of a sitemap generator.
Google uses <lastmod> when the value consistently and verifiably corresponds to a real page change. Constantly replacing the date with the current one for all URLs makes this signal unreliable.
<changefreq> and
Google Search ignores the <changefreq> and values in XML Sitemaps. These tags do not affect page crawl frequency, indexing speed, the selection of important URLs, or the site's position in search results.
Therefore, Sitemap Checker for Google shouldn't consider the absence of <changefreq> or an error and shouldn't provide recommendations for their completion. If the CMS continues to generate these elements, removing them isn't necessary just for Google's sake, but their values provide no SEO benefit.
During a technical audit, you should instead check the relevance of <loc>, the correctness of <lastmod>, URL accessibility, HTTP status, canonical, and the absence of redirects, duplicates, and deleted pages. This data is what provides practical value when checking a sitemap.
Sitemap and robots.txt
The XML sitemap address can be specified in robots.txt using a separate directive. For example, the line Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml tells the search robot where the main sitemap file is located.
This method is convenient when the sitemap is located at a non-standard address or the site uses its own file structure. Robots.txt doesn't replace the sitemap in this case and addresses a different issue related to crawl rules.
After changing the sitemap address, you should check robots.txt and remove old links. Otherwise, the search engine will continue to receive the path to an outdated or already deleted XML file.
What to do after checking the Sitemap?
After checking, you should fix any critical errors, re-run the XML sitemap checker, and only then submit the updated file to the search engine. This procedure helps avoid submitting sitemaps to Google Search Console with known technical issues.
Particular attention should be paid to systemic generation errors. If a single issue occurs in hundreds or thousands of URLs, the fix should be implemented in the CMS, URL template, or sitemap generation logic.
Fix critical errors
First, we fix unavailable sitemaps, malformed XML, 404 and 5xx errors, invalid domains, broken child files, and exceeded limits. After that, we can address warnings related to lastmod, protocols, or duplicates.
The missing and <changefreq> do not need to be corrected, as Google ignores their values. Such items should not be included in the Sitemap Checker's SEO errors list.
Check the Sitemap again
After making changes, you should run the XML sitemap validator again and ensure that the corrected errors have disappeared. Re-validation is especially necessary after making changes to the generator, as a single edit can sometimes create new issues in another section of the file.
For large sites, it's helpful to check the main Sitemap Index and several child Sitemaps separately. This helps distinguish a general structure error from a problem with a specific section.
Submit a Sitemap to Google Search Console
Once the technical check is complete, the current sitemap address can be added to Google Search Console. After processing the file, it's worth monitoring the system's messages and comparing the number of pages detected with the actual site structure.
A sitemap helps Google find URLs, but submitting it doesn't guarantee indexing of every page. Page accessibility, canonical tags, meta robots tags, content quality, and other signals also influence indexing decisions.
Sitemap Checker, Sitemap Validator, and Sitemap Generator – What's the Difference?
The names of these tools are often used interchangeably, but their purposes differ. A sitemap checker typically covers general technical verification, while a sitemap validator focuses more on the validity of an existing XML file.
The generator solves a specific problem and creates a new sitemap. Therefore, when choosing a service, you should first determine whether you need to check the existing file, find an error, or create a sitemap from scratch.
| Tool | The main task | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Sitemap Checker | Checks accessibility, structure and URL | After website updates and during technical audit |
| Sitemap Validator | Validates XML and format compliance | When you need to find errors in an existing sitemap |
| Sitemap Generator | Creates a new Sitemap | When there is no sitemap yet or it needs to be created again |
Sitemap Checker
Sitemap Checker is suitable for general diagnostics of sitemaps and related technical issues. It helps verify XML accessibility, file structure, and URL information before further analysis.
This format is convenient after migration, redesign, or CMS changes. A single check can quickly identify common errors, which can then be addressed in more detail at the site level.
Sitemap Validator
The Sitemap Validator verifies that an existing XML Sitemap can be processed correctly according to the rules of the format used. It focuses on the XML structure, required elements, and technical limitations.
In practice, the functions of checker and validator often overlap. Therefore, when choosing a service, it's more helpful to look at the list of actual checks, not just the name of the tool itself.
Sitemap Generator
The Sitemap Generator creates a sitemap based on known URLs. It's useful when a sitemap is missing or the current generation mechanism no longer fits the project structure.
After creation, the new file still needs to be verified. The generator may return outdated addresses, redirects, or pages that shouldn't be included in the indexed sitemap.
Which websites require Sitemap verification?
This check is useful for any project where the sitemap is generated automatically and changes along with the site structure. The more URLs and automated processes, the higher the likelihood of accumulating old URLs or generating errors.
Online stores, corporate websites, catalogs, blogs, marketplaces, news resources, and multilingual projects most often require regular monitoring. Checking after technical changes is especially useful.
These changes include:
- transferring a website to another domain or CMS, when old URLs can be saved inside XML;
- transition from HTTP to HTTPS, after which it is necessary to remove the old protocol from the Sitemap;
- changing the structure of categories, products or articles, which creates new URLs;
- launch of a new language, when separate addresses and additional Sitemaps appear;
- bulk deletion of pages, after which old URLs must be excluded from the sitemap.
After completing the work, it's worth re-checking the XML sitemap and comparing the results with the previous version. This monitoring helps spot errors before they become permanent fixtures in the automatically updated sitemap.