XML Sitemap Checker
A sitemap is the XML file that tells search engines which pages exist on your site and which of them you want crawled. This tool finds your sitemap for you, checking the robots.txt declaration first and falling back to the /sitemap.xml convention, follows any sitemap index files, and audits the contents against both the sitemap protocol and SEO practice. It looks not only at whether the XML is valid but at whether the addresses listed deserve to be listed at all.
Valid XML isn't enough
Most sitemap validators ask you to paste in your file and tell you whether the XML is formally valid. In practice, though, most problems aren't formal ones: a URL listed in the sitemap may be blocked by robots.txt, point at another domain, fall into a redirect because it's written with http://, or be repeated dozens of times. None of that makes the XML invalid; all of it burns crawl budget and sends the search engine contradictory signals. This tool audits both layers together.
Protocol limits: 50,000 URLs and 50 MB
The sitemap protocol allows a single file to contain at most 50,000 URLs and to be no larger than 50 MB uncompressed. Exceed those limits and the file may be processed only partially, or ignored entirely. For larger sites the correct structure is to split the URLs across several sitemap files and list them in a sitemap index. The index file is subject to the same limits, so it can list at most 50,000 child sitemaps.
When the sitemap and robots.txt contradict each other
This is the most common and most confusing mistake: a URL is listed in the sitemap while robots.txt blocks it from being crawled. The search engine receives two opposite instructions at once, "crawl this page" and "don't look at this page". Google reports it as a warning in Search Console, and the URL usually isn't indexed at all; if it is, its content can't be read, so it can appear in results without a title. The right response is to drop the URL from the sitemap or fix the robots.txt rule; leaving both in place just pollutes your signals.
What belongs in a sitemap, and what doesn't
A sitemap should contain only canonical, indexable addresses. Redirected URLs, paginated pages, noindex pages, parameterised copies and addresses that canonicalise to another page don't belong there. Listing them forces the search engine to process addresses that produce no value, which on large sites is a direct loss of crawl budget. The rule is simple: every address you put in your sitemap should be the final address you want appearing in search results.
lastmod: using it wrongly is worse than not using it
The lastmod field declares when a page last changed in a meaningful way, and used correctly it improves re-crawl prioritization. The value must be in W3C Datetime format: 2026-07-25, or 2026-07-25T14:30:00+03:00 with a time zone. Two mistakes are common. The first is an invalid format, in which case the value is silently ignored. The second is updating every page's lastmod every night even though nothing changed; that destroys the field's credibility, and over time the search engine stops paying attention to your lastmod at all. If you can't produce the right value, it's better to leave the field out.
Declaring your sitemap in robots.txt
The most durable way to announce your sitemap is one line in robots.txt: Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml. Every search engine reads that line, and it saves you from having to submit separately in Search Console. The /sitemap.xml convention usually works, but if your sitemap lives at a different address, or you have several of them, the declaration is essential.
Your Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Won't my site be indexed without a sitemap?
It will be. A sitemap isn't a requirement, it's an aid that speeds up discovery. Search engines also find pages by following internal and external links. A sitemap's real benefit shows on sites with weak internal linking, freshly published pages, or a very large number of pages.
How many URLs can a sitemap hold?
At most 50,000 URLs per file, and at most 50 MB uncompressed. For anything larger you need to create several sitemap files and list them in a sitemap index.
What happens to a URL that's in the sitemap but blocked by robots.txt?
The search engine gets two contradictory instructions: the sitemap declares the page, robots.txt forbids crawling it. The page can't be crawled; it usually isn't indexed, and if it is, its content can't be read, so it can appear in results without a title or description. Search Console reports this as a warning.
Should I update lastmod every day?
No. lastmod should be updated only when the page genuinely changes in a meaningful way. Bulk-updating it while the content stays the same destroys the field's credibility, and over time the search engine ignores the value. If you can't produce the right value, it's better to leave the field out.
Does this tool check whether the URLs in my sitemap actually work?
This audit examines the sitemap itself and the structural and policy fitness of the addresses listed: robots.txt blocks, foreign domains, http/https mismatches, duplicate addresses and invalid dates. It doesn't request every URL individually to measure status codes, which would be very heavy work on sitemaps with thousands of addresses. To audit every address on your site with status codes, use our Deep Crawl tool.
What is a sitemap index, and when do I need one?
A sitemap index is a parent file that lists several sitemap files. It's required for sites that exceed the 50,000 URL limit, and splitting content by type (posts, products, categories) also makes management and debugging easier. This tool recognizes index files and follows the sitemaps beneath them.