Sitemap Checker

Validate any XML sitemap. Check for errors, see URL counts, file size, response time, and metadata coverage — all for free.

What is a Sitemap Checker?

A sitemap checker (or sitemap validator) analyzes your XML sitemap to ensure it follows the sitemap protocol. It verifies the XML is well-formed, the root element is correct, and all URL entries include a valid <loc> tag.

Beyond validation, our checker reports on metadata coverage — how many of your URLs include lastmod, changefreq, and priority tags. This helps you identify gaps in your sitemap that could affect how search engines crawl your site.

How the Sitemap Checker Works

1

Fetch the sitemap

We fetch your sitemap URL and measure the response time and file size.

2

Validate the XML

We parse the XML and verify the root element, URL entries, and structure conform to the sitemap protocol.

3

Report coverage

We calculate the percentage of URLs that include lastmod, changefreq, and priority metadata.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a sitemap checker do?

A sitemap checker validates your XML sitemap by verifying it is well-formed XML, has the correct root element (<urlset> or <sitemapindex>), and contains valid URLs. It also reports metadata coverage for lastmod, changefreq, and priority tags.

Is this sitemap validator free?

Yes. You can validate up to 3 sitemaps per hour without creating an account. For unlimited checks and API access, sign up for a free API key.

What does metadata coverage mean?

Metadata coverage shows what percentage of URLs in your sitemap include optional XML tags like <lastmod> (last modification date), <changefreq> (change frequency), and <priority>. Higher coverage gives search engines more information about your pages.

How large can a sitemap be?

According to the sitemap protocol, a single sitemap file should contain no more than 50,000 URLs and should not exceed 50 MB uncompressed. If you have more URLs, use a sitemap index file to reference multiple sitemaps.

Need to validate sitemaps at scale?

Get a free API key to validate and extract sitemaps programmatically. 100 requests/month included.