XML Sitemap Validator Validate XML sitemap syntax, structure, and compliance with the Sitemaps Protocol.

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XML Sitemap Validator

Validate XML sitemap syntax, structure, and compliance with the Sitemaps Protocol.

Paste your sitemap

Paste your XML sitemap content or load the built-in sample.

Review validation

See errors, warnings, and passed checks for your sitemap.

Fix issues

Address errors and warnings following the specification reference.

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What Is XML Sitemap Validator?

The XML Sitemap Validator checks your sitemap.xml file for syntax errors, missing required elements, and compliance with the Sitemaps Protocol 0.9 specification. It validates XML well-formedness, checks for proper namespace declaration, verifies URL format, detects duplicates, validates date formats, and checks size limits. A valid sitemap ensures search engines can efficiently discover and crawl all your important pages.

Why Use XML Sitemap Validator?

Validates XML syntax and well-formedness
Checks namespace, urlset, url, and loc elements
Detects duplicate URLs and invalid URL formats
Validates lastmod date format (W3C Datetime)
Verifies changefreq and priority values
Checks against 50,000 URL and 50MB size limits

Common Use Cases

Pre-Submission Check

Validate sitemaps before submitting to Google Search Console.

Debugging

Find and fix syntax errors causing sitemap rejection.

Migration Verification

Verify sitemaps are valid after site migration.

CMS Auditing

Check that your CMS generates valid sitemaps.

Technical Guide

XML sitemaps must follow the Sitemaps Protocol 0.9 specification from sitemaps.org. Required elements: XML declaration (<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>), urlset root element with namespace (xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"), url containers, and loc elements with absolute URLs. Optional elements: lastmod (YYYY-MM-DD or full ISO 8601), changefreq (always/hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/yearly/never), and priority (0.0-1.0). Limits: 50,000 URLs max per sitemap, 50MB max uncompressed size. Google largely ignores changefreq and priority — focus on accurate lastmod dates.

Tips & Best Practices

1
Always include the XML declaration and correct namespace
2
Use absolute URLs in loc elements (include protocol and domain)
3
Keep lastmod dates accurate — Google uses them to prioritize crawling
4
Stay under 50,000 URLs per sitemap — use sitemap index for larger sites
5
Google ignores changefreq and priority — focus on lastmod accuracy

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q What causes sitemap validation errors?

Common causes: missing XML declaration, wrong namespace, non-absolute URLs, invalid date formats, malformed XML (unclosed tags, wrong encoding), and exceeding size limits.

Q Does Google reject invalid sitemaps?

Google may partially process invalid sitemaps but will report errors in Search Console. Fix all errors to ensure complete processing.

About This Tool

XML Sitemap Validator is a free online tool by FreeToolkit.ai. All processing happens directly in your browser — your data never leaves your device. No registration or installation required.