How to use the Sitemap Checker
- Enter your site's URL, for example
https://example.com/, or the direct URL of a sitemap. - Run the check. If you entered a site, we find its sitemaps automatically.
- Read the summary: sitemap type, number of URLs and whether the file follows the protocol.
- Work through any errors and warnings, which point to the problem and the affected URLs.
- Review the status codes of the sample URLs we tested.
Understanding your results
Sitemap type. A sitemap is either a URL set, which lists pages, or a sitemap index, which lists other sitemap files. Large sites usually have an index pointing to several URL sets. If you checked an index, run the checker again on any child sitemap to validate the pages inside it.
Namespace. The root element must declare the protocol namespace http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9. A wrong or missing namespace can make the file unreadable to search engines.
Size limits. Under the sitemaps.org protocol, each file can hold at most 50,000 URLs and must be no larger than 50 MB uncompressed. Gzip compression is allowed, but the uncompressed size still counts. Split larger sets into several files and list them in an index.
lastmod dates. Must use the W3C Datetime format, either a date such as 2026-09-11 or a full timestamp with a time zone. Invalid dates are flagged. Google uses lastmod only if it is consistently and verifiably accurate, so it should reflect the last significant change to the page, not the time the sitemap was generated.
Duplicate URLs. The same URL listed more than once. Harmless to crawling, but a sign the sitemap generator needs attention.
Different host. URLs on a different host from the sitemap. The protocol expects every URL to be on the same host as the sitemap file, so these are flagged.
Relative URLs. Sitemap entries must be full, absolute URLs including the protocol, such as https://example.com/page/, not /page/.
HTTP and HTTPS mix. Some URLs use http:// and others https://. List only the version your site actually serves, normally HTTPS.
changefreq and priority. We show these if present, but Google says it ignores <changefreq> and <priority>. You do not need to tune them.
Sample URL status. We request up to 10 URLs from the sitemap and show their status codes. Every listed URL should return 200. Redirects mean the sitemap lists old addresses, and 404s mean it lists pages that no longer exist. The Redirect Checker shows where a redirected URL ends up.
How this tool works
If you enter a site URL, we first read the Sitemap: lines in its robots.txt, then try /sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml. If you enter a sitemap URL, we use it directly.
We download the file, decompress it if it is gzipped, parse the XML, detect whether it is an index or a URL set, and run the protocol checks described above. Then we request a sample of up to 10 listed URLs to confirm they load.
We download at most 5 MB of a sitemap. For larger files, the checks cover only the part we read. The status sample is also limited to 10 URLs, so a clean sample does not prove that every URL in the sitemap works.
Tips
- Reference each sitemap in robots.txt with a full-URL
Sitemap:line. The Robots.txt Checker lists the ones it finds. - List only canonical URLs that return 200. Leave out redirects, error pages and pages you do not want indexed.
- Set
lastmodfrom the real date a page's content changed. - Use one protocol and one hostname throughout, matching the version your site redirects to.
- Split very large sites into several sitemaps grouped by section, and tie them together with an index.
- Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console as well as listing it in robots.txt.
- Step-by-step instructions are in our guide on how to create a sitemap.
Frequently asked questions
How many URLs can one sitemap contain?
Up to 50,000 URLs, and the file must be no larger than 50 MB uncompressed. For more URLs, create several sitemaps and list them in a sitemap index.
Does Google use priority and changefreq?
No. Google says it ignores both values. It uses lastmod when the dates are consistently accurate.
Is a gzipped sitemap allowed?
Yes. The sitemaps.org protocol allows gzip compression. The 50 MB limit applies to the uncompressed size. This checker decompresses gzipped sitemaps automatically.
Why are URLs on another host flagged?
The protocol expects all URLs in a sitemap to be on the same host as the sitemap file. URLs on other hosts, including a www versus non-www mismatch, are flagged so you can confirm they belong there.
Why were only 10 URLs checked?
Requesting every URL in a large sitemap would take a long time and put load on your server. We test a sample of up to 10 to catch common problems. Use the Broken Link Checker for a wider scan of your pages.
Where can a sitemap be located?
A common location is /sitemap.xml at the root of the site, but any location works as long as crawlers can find it. Listing it in robots.txt and submitting it in Search Console are the most reliable ways.