Free sitemap checker

Valid XML

Parses the sitemap — one malformed tag makes the whole file unreadable to crawlers.

URL count

Counts listed URLs and flags files over the 50,000-URL protocol limit.

<lastmod> freshness

Measures what share of URLs carry lastmod dates updated in the last 90 days.

Sampled URL status

HEAD-checks up to 10 sampled URLs so 404s hiding in the sitemap get caught.

robots.txt discovery

Confirms robots.txt declares the sitemap so crawlers find it on their own.

Sitemap index support

Handles sitemap index files by aggregating the first readable child sitemaps.

What does a sitemap checker do?

A sitemap checker fetches your XML sitemap and verifies it is valid XML, counts the listed URLs, checks that <lastmod> dates are present and fresh, samples URLs to confirm they return HTTP 200 instead of 404s, and confirms robots.txt points crawlers at the sitemap. It catches the silent failures that keep pages out of the index.

How many URLs can an XML sitemap contain?

The sitemap protocol allows up to 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed per sitemap file. Larger sites must split URLs across multiple sitemaps referenced by a sitemap index file. This checker flags sitemaps that exceed the limit.

Do I need <lastmod> in my sitemap?

It is optional but strongly recommended. <lastmod> tells crawlers which pages changed so they can prioritize recrawling fresh content instead of re-fetching everything. Sitemaps without <lastmod> still work, but you lose that efficiency signal.

My sitemap is valid but pages still aren't indexed. Why?

A valid sitemap only asks crawlers to look — it doesn't guarantee indexing. Common blockers: robots.txt disallow rules, noindex tags, thin or duplicate content, weak internal linking, or crawl budget limits on large sites. Run a full scan to check the technical blockers a sitemap alone can't reveal.