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XML Sitemap Checker

This XML sitemap checker fetches a sitemap or sitemap index, validates the XML, and checks up to 25 of the URLs it lists: whether each one loads, redirects, is marked noindex, or names a different canonical URL than the sitemap does. Paste any public sitemap, ours or someone else's, and see where it disagrees with the pages it points to.

Note

We fetch the sitemap server-side, follow a sitemap index into up to 5 child sitemaps, and check up to 25 listed URLs: their HTTP status, whether they redirect, carry a noindex directive, or name a different canonical URL than the sitemap lists them under.

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What this XML sitemap checker shows you

Paste a sitemap URL and it is fetched and parsed server-side. If it is a sitemap index, up to 5 of its child sitemaps are followed and their URLs pooled together. Up to 25 of the listed URLs are then checked: the HTTP status each one returns, whether it redirects and to where, whether it carries a noindex directive (in the page's meta robots tag or its X-Robots-Tag header), and whether its own canonical tag names a different URL than the one the sitemap listed it under.

Why a sitemap entry can be wrong even when the page loads fine

A sitemap is a claim: "index this URL." Three things quietly break that claim without the page ever 404ing. A redirected URL sends a crawler somewhere else, so the sitemap is really pointing at the destination, not the address it lists. A noindexed URL tells search engines not to index it at all, which contradicts the sitemap listing it in the first place. And a canonical mismatch means the page itself names a different URL as the "real" one, so the sitemap entry and the page disagree about which address should rank. All three are common after a site migration, a redirect clean-up, or a CMS default nobody checked.

Sitemap index files, followed automatically

Larger sites often publish a sitemap index rather than one flat file: a small XML file that itself lists several child sitemaps (one per section, or split by URL count). This tool detects that shape and follows the first few child sitemaps to pull their URLs in, rather than stopping at the index and reporting nothing useful.

One sitemap here, every page on your site there

Checking one sitemap you already suspect is useful, but the more complete question is whether your sitemap and your actual site agree everywhere: every indexable page present, nothing broken or redirected inside it, and no page missing that should be there. That needs a real crawl to answer, not a read of the sitemap file alone.

XML sitemap checker (whole-site) · Full site audit

Frequently asked questions

What is an XML sitemap?
A file, usually at /sitemap.xml, listing the URLs on a site that its owner wants search engines to find and index. It does not force indexing, it is a hint search engines are free to ignore.
What is a sitemap index?
A sitemap that lists other sitemaps rather than pages directly, used by larger sites to split their URLs across several files. This tool detects one automatically and follows up to 5 of its child sitemaps.
Why does a redirected sitemap URL matter?
It means the sitemap is listing an address the site itself has moved away from. Search engines will generally follow the redirect, but it wastes crawl budget and the sitemap should point straight at the destination instead.
What does "noindexed" mean in this result?
The page carries a noindex directive, either in its meta robots tag or its X-Robots-Tag HTTP header, telling search engines not to index it. A noindexed page has no reason to be listed in a sitemap at all.
What is a canonical mismatch?
The page names a different URL as canonical (the one it wants indexed) than the address the sitemap lists it under. Search engines generally trust the page's own canonical tag over the sitemap, so the sitemap entry is effectively pointing at the wrong address.
How many URLs does this check?
Up to 25 from the sitemap (or pooled across up to 5 child sitemaps, if it is a sitemap index). Larger sitemaps are truncated at 25 so the check finishes in one page load; the result says how many URLs the sitemap actually contains.
Is this XML sitemap checker free?
Yes. It is completely free and needs no sign-up.
Can I check a sitemap on a site I do not own?
Yes, the same as any browser could reach the URLs directly. It is a read-only check, nothing is submitted to the target, and results are not stored anywhere you or anyone else can browse back to.

From one page to your whole site

This checks one sitemap, up to 25 URLs. Crawl Cove audits your whole site as it crawls, reconciling every sitemap URL against the real crawl rather than a sample, and flags pages that are indexable but missing from the sitemap too. See audit an XML sitemap across your whole site or compare the plans.

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