XML parsing
If the response cannot be parsed as XML, the checker reports an error instead of treating arbitrary HTML or text as a sitemap.
Sitemap Checker
Validate an XML sitemap or sitemap index, count entries and inspect sample URLs.
Result
Check whether a public sitemap has a supported XML structure
The Sitemap Checker fetches a public URL, parses the response as XML and accepts the two standard sitemap root types: urlset for URL sitemaps and sitemapindex for sitemap indexes. It reports the HTTP status, root type, number of direct entries and a sample of up to 20 locations.
Root-type detection
The document must use urlset or sitemapindex as its root element for this checker to accept it.
Entry count
Count the direct url entries in a URL sitemap or direct child sitemap entries in a sitemap index.
Sample locations
Preview the first 20 non-empty loc values so obvious hostname, protocol or path mistakes are easier to spot.
What to review in a production sitemap
List the canonical public URLs you actually want discovered. Avoid intentionally non-indexable pages, obvious errors, duplicate tracking URLs and unnecessary redirecting URLs. Sitemap inclusion is a discovery signal; it does not override robots directives, canonicals, authentication or HTTP errors.
Sitemap versus sitemap index
A normal sitemap uses a urlset root and lists page URLs. A sitemap index uses a sitemapindex root and lists child sitemap files. Indexes are useful for larger sites or for separating content groups such as products, articles, images or languages.
Important limits of this checker
The server reads up to 2 MB of the response in the current implementation. The result indicates when that response was truncated. The checker does not crawl every listed URL, recursively validate child sitemaps, verify each URL's canonical/indexability status, or certify compliance with every search engine's current sitemap size and formatting rule.
Related SEO and website tools
Frequently asked sitemap questions
Does putting a URL in a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. A sitemap helps search engines discover URLs, but indexing still depends on crawl access, page quality, canonicalization, robots directives and other signals.
Can a sitemap contain redirected URLs?
It can technically list them, but a clean sitemap should normally contain the canonical destination URLs you want crawled and indexed rather than avoidable redirect sources.
Does this tool check every child sitemap in an index?
No. It validates the index document itself, counts direct child sitemap locations and previews a sample. Each child sitemap must be checked separately.
Why does the result say the response was truncated?
The checker limits the amount of sitemap data fetched to protect server resources. Very large files should be split according to the current sitemap specifications and search-engine guidance.