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Free XML Sitemap Checker& Validator

Paste your sitemap.xml and we'll validate it for Google and AI crawlers: URL count, lastmod coverage, staleness, duplicates, HTTPS, and 5 other AEO signals.

Paste sitemap.xml

XML content

Fetch yoursite.com/sitemap.xml in your browser, View Source, paste here.

Paste your sitemap.xml content and we'll validate structure, count URLs, check lastmod coverage + freshness, and flag duplicates.

What is an XML sitemap checker?

An XML sitemap checker — also called a sitemap validator — reads your sitemap.xmland confirms search engines and AI crawlers can parse every URL in it. It verifies the file is well-formed XML, keeps the URL count under Google's 50,000-per-file limit, has fresh <lastmod> dates, and contains no duplicate or non-HTTPS <loc> entries.

A broken or stale sitemap means Google and AI engines like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity discover your pages slower — or miss them entirely. This is an online XML sitemap validator: paste your sitemap above to validate it free, in your browser, with no signup or upload. For a full check of how your site shows up across eight AI engines, run a free AEO audit.

Want the details? Our guide on how to validate your XML sitemap walks through the most common sitemap errors (malformed XML, dead URLs, noindex pages in the sitemap, stale lastmod dates) and how to fix each one.

Test your sitemap for Google before you submit

Google retired its standalone sitemap tester, so there is no official Google sitemap validator that shows errors up front. This checker fills that gap. Paste your sitemap.xmland we verify it online against every rule Google enforces: well-formed XML, the 50,000-URL and 50 MB limits, HTTPS-only <loc> entries, and valid <lastmod>dates. Fix what we flag, then submit the clean file in Google Search Console under Indexing → Sitemaps.

The same structure that helps Googlebot crawl your sitemap also helps AI crawlers like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot discover your pages. A clean, fresh sitemap is one of the simplest AEO wins there is.

What we check

Eight categories of sitemap issue, with concrete fixes.

Structure + size

Validates root element, XML declaration, encoding. Counts URLs against Google's 50,000 limit. Detects sitemap index vs URL sitemap.

lastmod + freshness

Reports % of URLs with lastmod set, identifies URLs not updated in 12+ months, flags sitemaps that are mostly stale.

Duplicates + HTTPS

Catches duplicate <loc> entries (wasted bytes), non-HTTPS URLs (trust downgrade), and other AEO red flags.

Frequently asked questions

What's the URL limit per sitemap?
Google's hard limit: 50,000 URLs OR 50 MB uncompressed per sitemap.xml. Past that, split into multiple sitemaps and reference them from a sitemap index. We warn at 30,000 URLs so you have runway.
Why does lastmod matter?
Crawlers (Google + AI bots) re-fetch URLs based on lastmod. If you don't populate it, they fall back to heuristics — meaning your updated content is rediscovered slower. Aim for lastmod on every URL.
What about stale URLs?
URLs not updated in 12+ months are flagged. Some old URLs are fine (your About page doesn't need to be 'fresh'); a sitemap that's 80% stale signals neglected content to crawlers and AI assistants.
Sitemap index vs URL sitemap?
A URL sitemap (<urlset>) contains <url> entries — your actual page list. A sitemap index (<sitemapindex>) contains <sitemap> entries pointing to other sitemap files — used when you need multiple sitemaps. We auto-detect which you pasted and check accordingly.
Why are non-HTTPS URLs flagged?
http:// triggers mixed-content warnings in Google Search Console, and AI crawlers may downgrade trust signals for non-HTTPS pages. There's no reason to have http URLs in a 2026 sitemap — fix them and 301 redirect.
Does Google have a sitemap validator?
Google retired its standalone sitemap testing tool, so there is no official Google sitemap validator that shows errors before you submit. Under Indexing then Sitemaps in Search Console you can submit a sitemap and see whether Google read it, but not a line-by-line check. This free online validator fills that gap: it checks your sitemap.xml against Google's rules (the 50,000-URL and 50 MB limits, well-formed XML, HTTPS, and valid lastmod) instantly, so you catch problems before submitting.
How do I test my sitemap for Google?
Paste your sitemap.xml above. We validate it against the same rules Google enforces (file structure, URL count, lastmod, duplicates, and HTTPS) and flag anything that would stop Google or AI crawlers from indexing your pages. Then submit the clean file in Google Search Console under Indexing then Sitemaps.
Sitemap validator vs Google Search Console: what's the difference?
Search Console tells you whether Google fetched your sitemap and how many URLs it found, but only after you submit. A validator checks the file itself, before submission, and explains each issue with a fix. Use the validator first, then submit the clean sitemap to Search Console.

Full site audit?

The FixAEO scan validates sitemap.xml + 9 other AEO signals across your whole site.

Run a free AEO audit
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