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Free XML Sitemap Structure Checker

Discover sitemap declarations, inspect the root document and fetch a bounded sample of child sitemaps or URL entries.

Also known as: sitemap.xml validator, XML sitemap checker

Evidence shown with sourceNo account requiredNo invented metrics

Run a real check above

Submit a public URL, domain, or keyword. Novaverb will show only the evidence this tool can actually retrieve or measure.

Evidence model

Know what the result proves

This bounded check discovers sitemap URLs from robots.txt or the conventional /sitemap.xml path, identifies a URL set or sitemap index, and counts captured loc entries. It inspects up to 20 sitemap documents and shows up to 100 entries from one URL set; it is not a complete XML validator or URL crawl.

1. Source

Live robots.txt and sitemap fetches. The result identifies where its evidence came from.

2. Boundary

The checker inspects up to 20 sitemap documents and shows up to 100 URL entries from a single URL set. It does not crawl every listed URL or prove crawling or indexing.

3. Next action

Use the finding to verify a problem, then connect a workspace when you need history, monitoring, or site-wide analysis.

XML sitemaps explained

Validate your sitemap the way a crawler discovers it

An XML sitemap provides URL discovery hints and optional freshness metadata. It helps search and AI crawlers find your intended URL set, but it does not force any URL to be crawled or indexed.

How this checker fetches

Discovery - it reads robots.txt for Sitemap: directives first, then falls back to /sitemap.xml, exactly like a search engine.
Child sitemaps - for a sitemap index, each listed child is fetched live and its discovered URL count is shown.
URL entries - for a single URL set, each loc and its lastmod are listed so you can confirm the intended URLs and freshness dates.
Validation boundary - it reads structure and reachability; it is not a per-URL crawl or a Search Console inspection.

Why it matters for SEO and AI discovery

A clean, reachable, well-declared sitemap makes a site's intended URL set easier to discover. Novaverb can compare the sitemap against real crawl and indexability evidence as part of a broader technical model.

Get the right answer

What to submit - and what to avoid

Submit a public site address. The exact hostname and scheme are retained for robots.txt and the conventional sitemap path. Private targets and unsafe redirect destinations are refused. The current free checker does not treat an arbitrary submitted path as a direct sitemap-file override.

Use it like this

yourdomain.comGive a domain and we discover the sitemap; or paste the sitemap URL directly. http or https, with or without www, a bare domain or a full path - we normalize it for you.

https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xmlA sitemap index that points to child sitemaps is handled too.

Avoid this

An HTML page that lists linksA human 'sitemap page' is not an XML sitemap; the validator expects the XML protocol format.

Public methodology

Exactly how this result is produced

Robots.txt is fetched first for Sitemap declarations, with /sitemap.xml as the fallback. The root documents are classified from their XML element names, a bounded child sample is fetched, and loc entries are counted. Truncation is stated in the result instead of being presented as complete coverage.

We preserve the submitted host and scheme, read robots.txt for Sitemap declarations, then fall back to /sitemap.xml.
We identify urlset or sitemapindex markup and fetch a bounded sample of up to 20 sitemap documents.
We count captured loc entries, show up to 100 rows for one URL set and state when the result is truncated.

Built on public standards

The international standards this check applies

The sitemaps.org protocol defines the urlset, sitemapindex and loc elements this checker recognises, while RFC 9309 defines sitemap discovery through robots.txt. Protocol size limits are explanatory context only because this bounded checker does not perform a full size or schema validation.

sitemaps.orgSitemaps 0.9

Sitemap Protocol

Recognises urlset, sitemapindex and loc elements in the bounded captured sample.

Read the specification

IETFRFC 9309

Robots Exclusion Protocol

Discovers sitemaps declared with a Sitemap: directive in robots.txt.

Read the specification

We list a standard only where this tool genuinely reads or measures against it. Where a signal is outside a live check, the result says so instead of implying coverage.

Common questions

Sitemap Checker FAQ

What does the Sitemap Checker check?

It fetches your /sitemap.xml plus any sitemaps declared in robots.txt, then reports the HTTP status, whether the document is a URL set or a sitemap index, how many URLs it declares, and the file size.

What is an XML sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file following the sitemaps.org protocol that lists your site's URLs for crawlers. It helps search engines discover pages, especially deep or newly published ones, that internal links alone might surface slowly.

What's the difference between a URL set and a sitemap index?

A URL set lists individual page URLs directly. A sitemap index instead lists other sitemap files, letting large sites split millions of URLs across many documents. The checker detects which type your file is.

How many URLs can one sitemap hold?

The sitemaps.org protocol caps a single sitemap at 50,000 URLs and 50MB uncompressed. Beyond that, split URLs across multiple sitemaps and reference them from a sitemap index file.

Why does my sitemap matter for SEO?

A sitemap gives crawlers a clean list of URLs you consider important, improving discovery of new and deep pages. It does not guarantee ranking, but it reduces the chance valuable pages go uncrawled.

What HTTP status should my sitemap return?

A 200 OK confirms the sitemap is reachable and served. A 404 means crawlers and this tool cannot find it, so check the path and that it is declared in robots.txt.

Does this tool confirm my URLs are indexed by Google?

No. It reads the sitemap's structure, type, declared URL count, and size. It does not prove any listed URL was crawled or indexed; verify indexing separately in a search engine's coverage report.

Does the checker open every child sitemap in an index?

It fetches a bounded sample of up to 20 sitemap documents and reports when more were declared than inspected. It does not crawl every listed page or follow unlimited nested sitemap indexes.

Where should my sitemap be located?

Commonly at /sitemap.xml in the domain root, and referenced by a Sitemap: line in robots.txt. The checker fetches both the root path and any robots-declared sitemap URLs it finds.

Why is my sitemap file size important?

Large files strain crawlers and hit the 50MB uncompressed protocol limit. The tool reports size so you can see if a bloated sitemap should be split into smaller files under an index.

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