What the sitemap validator checks
Enter a sitemap URL, or just a domain and we will find the sitemap for you in robots.txt and the usual locations such as /sitemap_index.xml and /sitemap.xml. Then we check:
- That the file is valid XML with the official sitemap namespace.
- Whether it is a sitemap index (a list of sitemaps) or a URL set.
- The number of entries, against the limit of 50,000 URLs and 50 MB per file.
- Duplicate URLs and URLs on a different host.
lastmoddates and their format.- Whether the sitemap is declared in robots.txt.
- The HTTP status of a sample of URLs: a sitemap should only list pages that return 200.
What a good sitemap looks like
- Only canonical, indexable URLs that return 200. No redirects, no 404s, no noindex pages.
- Accurate
lastmoddates that change only when the content really changes. - Split into several files with a sitemap index for large sites.
- Declared in robots.txt with a
Sitemap:line and submitted in Google Search Console.
Google ignores the priority and changefreq fields, so you do not need to worry about them.
Sitemaps and WordPress
WordPress creates a basic sitemap at /wp-sitemap.xml, and SEO plugins such as Rank Math or Yoast replace it with /sitemap_index.xml. Make sure only one of them is active and that your robots.txt points to the right one. Test your robots.txt with our robots.txt tester.
Frequently asked questions
Does a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. A sitemap helps search engines discover URLs, but they still decide what to index based on quality and duplication.
Do I need a sitemap for a small website?
It is not required if your internal links are good, but it costs nothing and helps new pages get discovered faster.
Can a sitemap be compressed?
Yes. You can serve it as sitemap.xml.gz, and the 50 MB limit applies to the uncompressed size.