Sitemap Validator
An XML sitemap is a discovery signal. It gives search engines a list of URLs that you want them to know about, but it does not tell a search engine that every listed URL must be crawled or indexed. A sitemap can be technically valid while some of its URLs remain unindexed, and a site can be crawled successfully even when it has no sitemap at all.
The Wild Creek Sitemap Validator focuses on what you can verify directly: whether the XML is readable, whether the document is a valid URL set or sitemap index, whether location values are usable, whether entries repeat, and whether optional protocol values have valid syntax.
The sitemap must be a publicly accessible HTTP or HTTPS XML file. This public checker downloads up to 5 MB per request.
Enter a sitemap URL to inspect its structure and entries.
What the tool checks:
- Whether the XML can be parsed.
- Whether the root element is a supported <urlset> or <sitemapindex>.
- Missing or invalid <loc> values.
- Duplicate URL or child-sitemap locations.
- The standard sitemap namespace.
- <lastmod> date syntax when that element is present.
- <changefreq> and <priority> syntax when those optional elements are present.
- The number of entries in the sitemap.
- Child sitemaps inside a sitemap index, with drill-down navigation back to the real parent index.
The tool does not crawl every URL listed in the sitemap. A valid <loc> value only means the URL is syntactically usable in the sitemap. It does not prove that the destination returns 200, is canonical, is indexable, or contains useful content.
Google-specific points worth knowing:
Google currently allows a maximum of 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed in a single sitemap file. Larger sites should split their URLs across multiple sitemap files and list those files in a sitemap index.
Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq>. The validator can still tell you whether those values follow the sitemap protocol when you choose to include them, but a valid value does not influence Google’s crawling or ranking decisions.
Google may use <lastmod> when it is accurate and reflects a significant page update. Publishing a new lastmod date for trivial changes on every request reduces the value of that signal.
How to use the validator:
- Enter the full public URL of the sitemap, including https://.
- Run the validation.
- Review parsing or protocol errors first.
- Check the URL table for duplicate, malformed or suspicious entries.
- If the file is a sitemap index, open individual child sitemaps from the results.
- Correct the source sitemap in your CMS or sitemap generator, then run the validator again.
- Use Google Search Console or the equivalent search-engine tools to understand how the search engine actually discovered and processed the submitted URLs.
What a Clean Sitemap Does and Does Not Mean
A clean sitemap removes one source of technical ambiguity. It helps you confirm that the file you are exposing to crawlers follows the expected format and contains the locations you intended to publish.
It does not guarantee indexing. Search engines still evaluate crawlability, canonical signals, page quality, duplication, redirects, server responses and many other factors after discovering a URL.
A sitemap also does not replace internal links. Important pages should normally be reachable through the site’s navigation and internal-link structure. Treat the sitemap as a supplementary discovery mechanism rather than the architecture of the site.
Sitemap Indexes
Large sites often divide URLs by content type, language, publication date or another operational grouping. A sitemap index lists those child sitemap files. The validator lets you inspect the index and then open a child sitemap without losing the actual parent result.
The child sitemap URLs themselves should be public and accessible to the crawler that needs them. If a child URL is blocked, redirects unexpectedly or returns an error, investigate that response separately.
Last Modified Dates
A lastmod value can be useful when it tells the truth. It should represent the last significant modification to the page, not simply the time at which the sitemap was generated.
For a product page, for example, a meaningful content, availability or structured-data update may justify a changed date. A rotating footer, analytics timestamp or minor template adjustment usually does not need to reset every page’s lastmod value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a sitemap make Google index every URL in it?
No. A sitemap helps Google discover URLs and provides supporting metadata. Google decides whether and when to crawl and index each URL separately.
Are priority and changefreq important for Google?
Google says it ignores both values. They remain part of the sitemap protocol, so the validator can check their syntax if you use them, but they should not be treated as Google SEO controls.
How many URLs can one sitemap contain?
A single sitemap file can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB uncompressed. Sites beyond those limits should use multiple sitemap files and a sitemap index.
Should every URL have a lastmod value?
No. The element is optional. Include it when your system can provide an accurate date for a significant page modification. An unreliable lastmod value is less useful than omitting it.
Does this tool test whether every sitemap URL returns 200?
No. It validates the sitemap document and its entries. Use a crawler, HTTP status checker or the WC Link Checker for destination-response checks.
Should I submit a sitemap in Google Search Console?
Submitting a sitemap can give you useful processing and discovery information in Search Console. Google can also discover a sitemap through robots.txt or other routes. Submission is useful, but it is not a request to force every listed URL into the index.