What errors does the validator check for?

The validator checks for XML parse errors, missing required elements (loc), invalid URL formats, duplicate URLs, invalid date formats, out-of-range priority values, and invalid changefreq values.

What is the maximum sitemap size?

According to the sitemap protocol, a single sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and should not exceed 50MB uncompressed. The validator warns when approaching this limit.

What date format should lastmod use?

Lastmod dates should use ISO 8601 format. Valid examples: 2024-01-15 (date only) or 2024-01-15T14:30:00+00:00 (full datetime with timezone).

What are valid changefreq values?

Valid changefreq values are: always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and never. Note that search engines may ignore this field.

What is the valid priority range?

Priority must be a decimal value between 0.0 and 1.0 inclusive. The default value is 0.5. Higher values indicate more important pages relative to other pages on your site.

Does the validator check sitemap indexes?

Yes, the validator detects sitemap index files (sitemapindex) and reports the number of sitemap references found. It validates the XML structure but not the referenced sitemaps.

Sitemap Validator

Validate XML sitemaps for errors and SEO best practices. Check URL format, date format, priority values, changefreq, and more.

Sitemap XML Input

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Validation Result

Paste a sitemap XML to validate

Validates XML structure, URL format, date format, and sitemap best practices

Validation Checks

Errors (Must Fix)

Invalid XML syntax
Missing root urlset element
Missing loc element in URL
Invalid URL format
Exceeds 50,000 URL limit

Warnings (Should Fix)

Invalid lastmod date format
Invalid priority value (not 0.0-1.0)
Invalid changefreq value
Duplicate URLs
Missing namespace

Features

XML Validation

URL Validation

Date Format Check

Priority Validation

Changefreq Check

Size Limit Check

Common Use Cases

Pre-Submission Check

Validate your sitemap before submitting to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.

Debugging Issues

Find and fix sitemap errors that may be preventing proper indexing.

SEO Audit

Check sitemap quality as part of a comprehensive SEO audit.

Generator Testing

Verify output from sitemap generators before deploying to production.

Frequently Asked Questions