Sitemap Generator & Validator
Validate any XML sitemap against Google's spec or generate a clean one in seconds.
Free, no sign-upUpdated
Use the tool
What the validator checks
The tool fetches your sitemap and runs the following checks:
- Valid XML structure: malformed XML fails silently in most CMS outputs
- Correct sitemap namespace declaration (xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9")
- Root element type: urlset for standard sitemaps, sitemapindex for index files
- URL count vs the 50,000-URL limit
- lastmod coverage: how many URLs have a last-modified date
- Sub-sitemap detection for index files
Google's hard limits
Each sitemap file: 50MB uncompressed or 50,000 URLs, whichever comes first. If you exceed either limit, the file is ignored. Split into a sitemap index and submit each child sitemap individually.
Common sitemap problems
Missing lastmod values: Googlebot can't prioritize recently updated pages without them. Non-canonical URLs in your sitemap: including /page?utm_source=email contradicts your canonical signals. Sitemaps that haven't been regenerated since the last migration: these are the most common, most invisible issue.
When to validate
After any site migration. When Googlebot's crawl rate drops without explanation. When GSC shows a sitemap fetch error. When you've added more than 1,000 URLs in a batch and want to confirm the sitemap updated.
Frequently asked questions
Is this sitemap tool free?
Yes, free and no signup. It validates an existing sitemap or generates a new one.
How many URLs can one sitemap hold?
Up to 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed, whichever comes first. Split larger sites into multiple sitemaps with a sitemap index.
Does a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. It aids discovery. Indexing still depends on content quality and crawl signals.
Related tools: Google index checker and robots.txt validator and generator. Background reading: check URL status codes in Google Sheets.