Sitemap Checker
Enter an XML sitemap URL to verify that it can be retrieved and to review the sitemap type, entries, and reported issues.
Results will appear here after the check runs.
A retrievable, valid sitemap supports URL discovery but does not guarantee crawling or indexing.
How to Use Sitemap Checker
- Enter the absolute URL of the sitemap or sitemap index.
- Run the check and review the HTTP response, XML root type, declared URLs, and parsing messages.
- Correct malformed XML, inaccessible child sitemaps, noncanonical URLs, or unexpected redirects, then resubmit the deployed sitemap where appropriate.
What Makes a Useful XML Sitemap
A URL set lists canonical URLs, while a sitemap index points to multiple sitemap files. Files must use the sitemap XML namespace, absolute URLs, valid encoding, and applicable size limits. Optional lastmod values should reflect meaningful page changes.
A valid sitemap helps discovery but does not guarantee crawling or indexing. Listed URLs should be accessible, canonical, and intended for search. Robots directives, response status, duplication, and page quality still matter.
Sitemap Checker Example
A sitemap index at https://example.com/sitemap.xml can reference https://example.com/post-sitemap.xml and https://example.com/product-sitemap.xml, each containing its own URL set.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sitemap Checker
Does submitting a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. A sitemap helps search engines discover and prioritize URLs for crawling, but indexing depends on accessibility, canonicalization, content, and other signals.
Can a sitemap contain redirected or noindex URLs?
It can technically list them, but a clean sitemap should normally contain final, canonical, indexable URLs that return successful responses.
What is the difference between a sitemap and a sitemap index?
A sitemap contains page URLs. A sitemap index contains the locations of other sitemap files.