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Sitemap.xml Validator

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Validate a sitemap.xml against the sitemaps.org schema. Catch malformed URLs, out-of-range priorities, invalid changefreq values, and protocol-limit violations.

Runs entirely in your browser
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About Sitemap.xml Validator

When Google rejects or partially ingests your sitemap, the error messages in Search Console can be cryptic — 'Couldn't fetch', 'Sitemap could not be read', 'Invalid sitemap'. A local validator surfaces the specific structural problems before you upload, so you ship a working sitemap on the first try.

This validator parses sitemap.xml via fast-xml-parser and checks each URL entry against the sitemaps.org protocol: well-formed `<loc>` URLs, W3C-format lastmod dates, priority in 0.0–1.0, changefreq from the allowed enum, and the 50,000-URL / 50-MB / 2,048-character-per-URL limits. It distinguishes errors (the sitemap won't pass Google's validation) from warnings (the sitemap will pass but isn't optimal). For sitemap-index files (`<sitemapindex>` root), it validates the index structure and counts sub-sitemaps. Both paste and fetch input modes are supported; fetch is best-effort (most live sitemaps have CORS that blocks browser fetch, so paste mode is the reliable path).

How to use

  1. 1

    Pick an input method

    Paste XML is the reliable path. Fetch URL works for same-origin or CORS-friendly sitemaps; otherwise falls back with a clear message.

  2. 2

    Paste your sitemap.xml or enter a URL

    For paste mode, copy from your file. For fetch mode, enter the full sitemap URL and click Fetch & validate.

  3. 3

    Read the verdict

    Green panel means valid. Red panel lists structural errors that Google will reject. Amber panel lists warnings that work but aren't ideal.

  4. 4

    Check the stats

    URL count, how many have lastmod/priority/changefreq, oldest and newest lastmod dates. Useful for sanity checks.

Examples

Common errors caught

Output

- Malformed <loc> URLs (missing protocol, spaces)
- priority > 1.0 or < 0.0
- changefreq values not in the allowed enum
- lastmod not in W3C format
- More than 50,000 URLs in a single sitemap

Frequently asked questions

Why does fetching a sitemap from another domain fail?+

Browser CORS policy blocks cross-origin fetches unless the target server explicitly opts in with `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` headers. Most sites don't, so fetching their sitemap from a browser fails. The fallback is to paste the XML directly — fetch the sitemap with curl or just view-source in a browser and paste.

What's the W3C date format for lastmod?+

Either YYYY-MM-DD (date only) or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ (full ISO 8601 with timezone). Examples: `2026-05-20` or `2026-05-20T14:30:00Z`. Other formats (US-style MM/DD/YYYY, ambiguous shortcuts) will fail.

Why warnings vs errors?+

Errors break the sitemap (Google will reject it). Warnings are valid-but-suboptimal: URLs longer than 2,048 characters, lastmod in non-W3C format that we couldn't parse for stats. The sitemap will work but Google may ignore certain fields.

Does this validate sitemap-index files?+

Yes. If the root element is `<sitemapindex>`, the validator counts sub-sitemaps and checks the structure. It doesn't recursively validate each child sitemap — paste each separately for that.

What about specialized sitemap types (image, video, news)?+

Those use additional namespaces and field types we don't fully validate yet. The basic sitemap structure check still applies — the extra fields are ignored without errors.

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