How to use the sitemap checker

Enter your sitemap URL, or just your domain. If you enter a domain, the tool reads robots.txt for Sitemap: lines and then tries /sitemap.xml, /sitemap_index.xml and /wp-sitemap.xml. It fetches the file, validates the XML and the sitemaps.org namespace, counts the entries, and lists every structural problem search engines would trip on. For a sitemap index, click Check on any child sitemap to open it. For a URL sitemap, click Check URL status codes to request the first 100 URLs and see which ones redirect, return 404 or 5xx, carry a noindex tag, or point their canonical somewhere else.

What the sitemap validator checks

  • Reachability: the sitemap URL must return HTTP 200 with an XML content type. A 404, a redirect chain or an HTML error page means Search Console will report “Couldn’t fetch”.
  • XML validity and namespace: well-formed XML with xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9" and a <urlset> or <sitemapindex> root. Gzipped sitemaps are decompressed automatically.
  • Limits: 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed per file. You get a warning at 40,000 so you can split before it breaks.
  • URL hygiene: absolute URLs only, same host as the sitemap, consistent http/https and www, no duplicates.
  • lastmod quality: W3C datetime format, no future dates, and a warning when every URL shares the same timestamp, which is the pattern Google says makes it ignore lastmod entirely.
  • URL status (optional): 3xx redirects with the destination, 404 and 410, 5xx errors, noindex in meta robots or the X-Robots-Tag header, and canonical tags that point to a different URL. Each of those is a URL that should not be in the sitemap.

Why sitemap errors matter for SaaS sites

A sitemap is the list of URLs you are asking Google to spend crawl budget on. When a third of that list redirects, returns 404 or is noindexed, Google learns that your sitemap is unreliable and leans on it less, which slows discovery of the pages you actually want indexed: new integration pages, comparison pages and blog posts. SaaS sites are unusually prone to this because marketing sites, docs, app subdomains and programmatic sections are often generated by different systems, each with its own sitemap logic. The indexing problems guide covers what to do when Search Console shows “Discovered, currently not indexed” for sitemap URLs, and Technical SEO for SaaS has the wider checklist.

Common sitemap problems and fixes

  • 3xx redirects in the sitemap. Usually http to https, non-www to www, or trailing-slash redirects. Fix the sitemap generator to output the final URL, not the pre-redirect one.
  • Noindexed URLs listed. Tag pages, paginated archives, thank-you pages. Exclude anything with noindex from the generator.
  • Canonical mismatch. Product page variants or parameter URLs listed while the canonical points to the clean URL. List canonicals only.
  • Stale or fake lastmod. Generators that stamp the current time on every URL. Use the real content modification date or omit lastmod.
  • Sitemap not referenced anywhere. Add Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml to robots.txt and submit it in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
  • App or docs URLs mixed in. A marketing-site sitemap should not list app.yourdomain.com URLs; they are on another host and will be rejected.

Once the sitemap is clean, use the Schema Validator to check the structured data on the pages it lists, and the SERP Snippet Preview for titles and descriptions.

Frequently asked questions about the sitemap checker

Is this sitemap validator free?

Yes. No signup. URL status checks are limited to 100 URLs per sitemap and a fair-use cap per minute so the tool stays fast for everyone.

Does it check every URL in a large sitemap?

The structural validation covers every entry. The status check requests the first 100 URLs. For a full crawl of a 20,000-URL sitemap, use Screaming Frog in list mode with the sitemap URL as the source.

My sitemap is valid here but Search Console says “Couldn’t fetch”.

Common causes: the sitemap is blocked in robots.txt, it is served only to browsers and blocked for bots by a firewall or CDN rule, or it was submitted with a different www or https variant than the property. Submit the exact URL this tool ended up on after redirects.

Should I include lastmod, changefreq and priority?

Include lastmod when it is accurate. Google ignores changefreq and priority, so they are harmless but useless.

Can I test a staging sitemap?

Only if it is publicly reachable. Password-protected staging sites and private IP ranges cannot be fetched.