XML Sitemap Checker

Sitemap Checker is a free online tool that helps you quickly check whether your XML sitemap is valid and readable for search engine bots. Perform validation and testing with one click, no unnecessary settings.

What does the Sitemap Checker tool do?

Sitemap Checker verifies if your sitemap has a proper XML format. The tool supports two standard file types: urlset and sitemapindex. This way, you can check both a single sitemap and a sitemap index file.

The built-in validation is based on the XSD schema for the sitemaps.org standard. This makes it easier to detect syntax and structure errors. The tool also supports .xml.gz files, which is important if your sitemap is large.

• Checks if the XML can be parsed correctly.
• Detects sitemap type: urlset or sitemapindex.
• Validates the structure based on XSD.
• Analyzes the number of entries in the file.
• In strict mode, adds additional quality testing.
• Supports compressed sitemaps as .xml.gz.

How does Sitemap Checker help SEO specialists and website owners?

A correct sitemap speeds up indexing and reduces the risk of missed URLs. In practice, this means fewer manual corrections in Search Console. It also leads to fewer errors after deployments and migrations.

Strict validation mode adds quality control with no guesswork. The tool can warn you about common issues in the loc and lastmod fields. It can also point out when some URLs use HTTP instead of HTTPS.

• You save time. Verification usually takes a dozen or so seconds.
• You reduce the risk of rejections. You’ll spot XML errors before submitting to Google.
• You get a quick check after changes. This is important after deploys or migrations.
• It's easier to stay within standard limits: 50,000 URLs in urlset.

Numerical benefits are easy to count. A single fix before submission saves many iterations in webmaster tools. That's often 10 to 30 minutes less per correction cycle.

Common uses for the Sitemap Checker tool

• Check if the sitemap’s address and structure are correct before submitting to Google Search Console.
• Verify after a domain migration or CMS change.
• Test a sitemapindex file when you have multiple sitemaps.
• Validate a .xml.gz file when your sitemap exceeds typical sizes.
• Diagnose parsing errors after manual XML edits.
• Check if the lastmod field has the correct date or date-time format.
• See how many URLs your sitemap contains.

Comparison of Sitemap Checker with other tools

Functionality	DiagnoSEO	Other tools
Support for urlset and sitemapindex	✅	✅
XML validation against sitemaps.org XSD	✅	✅
Support for .xml.gz	✅	❌
Strict validation mode with quality warnings	✅	❌
Detection of suspicious lastmod values	✅	❌
Summary of sitemap type and number of entries	✅	✅

Tips and best practices

• Keep your URL formats consistent. Prefer HTTPS in the loc field.
• Only use lastmod if the date is accurate and updated automatically.
• Split large sites into multiple sitemaps and use sitemapindex.
• Compress large files as .xml.gz to reduce transfer size.
• After deployments, run tests and check if your sitemap still passes validation.

Most common errors

• Invalid XML header or broken character encoding.
• Missing required elements, such as an empty loc.
• Incorrect lastmod format that doesn’t resemble ISO 8601.
• loc contains not full URLs but only relative paths.
• The sitemap returns HTML instead of XML, due to an error page or redirect.
• Too many URLs in a single urlset, without splitting into multiple files.

How to use the Sitemap Checker tool

1. Paste your sitemap address in the Sitemap URL field.
2. Optionally enable Strict validation.
3. Click the button to start validation and testing.
4. Check the errors and warnings in the results.
5. Fix the sitemap file and test again.
6. Only then submit your sitemap to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.

Case study

After a domain migration, a store reported a drop in indexing of new products. The owner added a new sitemap and submitted it to Google. Search Console showed an issue reading the file.

Testing in the Sitemap Checker revealed structure errors in the sitemapindex. Some entries had incomplete addresses in loc. The tool also showed warnings for lastmod in an unusual format.

After corrections and another submission, the sitemap was accepted. The team shortened diagnostics to one cycle. In practice, they saved about 20 minutes for each deployment iteration.

FAQ

• What is the difference between urlset and sitemapindex?

  Urlset contains a direct list of webpage URLs. Sitemapindex contains a list of other sitemap files. Use sitemapindex for large sites.

• Does the tool support compressed .xml.gz sitemaps?

  Yes. The tool can read and validate a sitemap saved as a .xml.gz file. This makes working with large XML files easier.

• What does strict validation mode check?

  Strict mode performs additional quality checks for your sitemap. It can detect HTTP addresses or suspicious lastmod values.

• Why does Google reject my sitemap even though it looks correct?

  The most common reasons are invalid XML, a bad header, or the sitemap returning an HTML page instead of XML. The tool helps you catch such issues.

• When should I validate my sitemap?

  Validate your sitemap before submitting it to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools. It's also a good idea to check your sitemap after migration or deployment.