XML sitemap checker
Enter a sitemap URL or just a domain — then we'll find the sitemaps the way IndexRise monitoring does. We fetch the file like Googlebot, count the URLs, open sitemap index files and live-check a sample of URLs from the sitemap.
What the sitemap validator checks
We fetch the file like a search engine crawler and check the status code, redirects, gzip compression and whether the file is valid sitemap XML: a URL list (urlset) or a sitemap index.
We count page URLs (leaving out entries that point to images or PDFs), open up to 10 files from a sitemap index and live-check a sample of 10 URLs from the sitemap: do they return 200, without redirects or noindex?
How we find a domain's sitemaps
The same way IndexRise monitoring does when you add a project. First robots.txt: a “Sitemap:” line is the site owner's own declaration. Then common paths — the file names generated by WordPress (including Yoast and Rank Math), Shopify, PrestaShop, Next.js and others — in the root and in subfolders such as /sitemap/ or /media/sitemap/.
A 200 status isn't enough: many sites answer with an error page and a 200. We accept a file only if it can be read as a sitemap index or a URL list. The same file under several URLs is shown once.
What belongs in a sitemap
Only canonical URLs that return 200 and should appear in search results. No redirects, error pages, noindex pages or parameter URLs. One file can hold up to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB.
Common sitemap mistakes
After an update, the generator loses some URLs. Old URLs stay in the sitemap after a migration and now redirect. The file is blocked in robots.txt or by a firewall. The server returns an HTML page instead of XML.
Questions about sitemaps
How do I check if my sitemap is valid?
Enter the sitemap URL in the checker above. You'll see the status code, file type, URL count and the results of a live check of sample URLs from the sitemap.
How do I find a website's sitemap?
Enter just the domain — we check the Sitemap: lines in robots.txt and almost 200 common paths, then show every file we found and where it came from.
How many URLs can a sitemap have?
One file can hold up to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites tie several files together with a sitemap index.
Why does Search Console say “Couldn't fetch”?
Usually the file returns an error, redirects, or is blocked in robots.txt or by a firewall. For a freshly submitted sitemap the status can also be temporary.