XML sitemap validation

Sitemap Validator

Validate a public sitemap URL, paste raw XML, or upload an .xml/.xml.gz file. Check XML structure, sitemap-index relationships, URL locations, duplicates, lastmod values, and sitemap protocol limits.

Free, no signup. We find the sitemap and validate its XML structure without crawling individual page URLs.

What this XML sitemap validator checks

  • Official Sitemap protocol XML namespace on the root element
  • Well-formed XML and a sitemap root element
  • URL-set and sitemap-index documents
  • Absolute HTTP or HTTPS locations
  • Duplicate URL locations
  • Mixed-host sitemap entries
  • Invalid or future lastmod values
  • 50,000-entry protocol limits
  • Child sitemap fetch and parse failures for URL mode

Three validation modes

Sitemap URL fetches a public sitemap, follows bounded sitemap-index relationships, and validates the retrieved XML.

Paste XML is useful before deployment or when you want to test generated XML without publishing it. Pasted content is parsed as supplied and does not trigger page-level URL crawling.

Upload XML / XML.GZ supports local sitemap files, including gzip-compressed sitemap XML. Uploaded files are size-limited and decompressed with an output cap to keep validation bounded.

Validation does not guarantee indexing. A structurally valid sitemap can still contain URLs that redirect, return errors, use noindex, or canonicalize elsewhere. Use the Sitemap URL Checker when you want page-level live diagnostics.

Not sure where the sitemap is published? Start with the Sitemap Finder.

Once the XML is valid, check redirects, HTTP errors, noindex, and canonical conflicts with the Sitemap URL Checker.