What this tool does
It downloads your sitemap.xml, validates the XML structure and counts the URLs inside. It detects whether the file is a plain sitemap or a sitemap index, and flags missing lastmod values, duplicate URLs, leftover http:// addresses and mixed hosts.
If you enter only a domain, /sitemap.xml is checked automatically.
Why a sitemap matters
A sitemap does not guarantee indexing — it helps with discovery. Google also finds your URLs through internal links, but for new, deep or poorly linked pages a sitemap makes a real difference.
Limits and rules
- A single sitemap file may contain at most 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed. Beyond that, use a sitemap index.
- A sitemap should contain only canonical URLs that return 200 — 404s, redirects and
noindexURLs just clutter the file. - Every URL should use the same protocol and host.
- If you include
lastmod, it must be accurate. Stamping today's date on every page daily makes the signal worthless.
priority and changefreq fields are effectively ignored by Google. Spend your time keeping the sitemap clean instead of tuning them.When to use it
- After launching a new site — to confirm the file is readable.
- When Search Console reports a sitemap error — to find the cause.
- On large catalogue sites — to check the URL count is under the limit.
- After a migration — to make sure the old domain is not still in the file.
Frequently asked questions
Does submitting a sitemap get pages indexed?
No. Google's documentation states plainly that indexing is not guaranteed. A sitemap only speeds up discovery. For the reasons behind non-indexing: the page indexing report.
Where should the sitemap live?
The conventional location is the site root (/sitemap.xml). Declare it in robots.txt and submit it in Search Console.
How should it work on a multilingual site?
URLs for all languages can live in one sitemap; adding hreflang alternates via xhtml:link is recommended.
How often should I update it?
Automatically. The file should regenerate when a page is published — a manually maintained sitemap inevitably goes stale.
To check the file is declared correctly in robots.txt: robots.txt tester.