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Indexing & Crawlability · Free Tool

Free XML Sitemap Validator

Your sitemap tells Google which pages to index — but a broken sitemap means pages get missed. This tool validates your XML format, counts total URLs, checks a sample for 404 errors, verifies sitemap index structure, and reads lastmod dates to assess freshness.

What This Tool Checks

  • check_circleAutomatically discovers your sitemap via /sitemap.xml or robots.txt
  • check_circleValidates XML format and structure (Sitemap Protocol 0.9)
  • check_circleCounts total URLs listed and checks sitemap index vs URL sitemap type
  • check_circleSamples up to 20 URLs and checks their HTTP status (200, 301, 404)
  • check_circleReads and reports lastmod dates for content freshness assessment
  • check_circleValidates changefreq and priority values
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Why This Matters for SEO

Your XML sitemap is a direct line of communication with Google about what you want indexed. A sitemap with 404 URLs wastes Google's crawl budget on dead pages. A sitemap missing important pages means those pages may never be indexed. Sitemaps are especially critical for large sites, new sites without many backlinks, and pages buried deep in your site structure.

Want this audit running on every page of your site, every day? See PerfBee Site Crawler — Catch noindex regressions and crawlability issues before Google does.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an XML sitemap?expand_more
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages on your website, telling search engines like Google which URLs you want indexed. It's formatted as XML following the Sitemap Protocol 0.9 standard. Sitemaps can include additional metadata like lastmod (when the page was last updated), changefreq (how often it changes), and priority (relative importance). Google recommends submitting your sitemap through Google Search Console.
Do I need an XML sitemap for SEO?expand_more
While not strictly required, sitemaps are strongly recommended for: sites with more than a few dozen pages, new websites without many backlinks (Google may not discover all pages organically), sites with pages that aren't well-linked internally (orphan pages), and sites with rich media like videos or images. For small, well-linked sites, Google may index all pages without a sitemap — but having one ensures nothing is missed.
How do I validate my XML sitemap?expand_more
Enter your domain (e.g., https://example.com) or direct sitemap URL (e.g., https://example.com/sitemap.xml) above and click "Validate Sitemap." Our tool will fetch your sitemap, parse the XML to check format validity, count URLs, check a sample of listed URLs for HTTP errors, and report any issues. For sitemap index files (containing multiple sub-sitemaps), it reads each child sitemap too.
Why are there 404 URLs in my sitemap?expand_more
URLs return 404 in sitemaps when pages have been deleted or moved without updating the sitemap. This commonly happens when: content is deleted but the sitemap isn't regenerated, pages are moved without 301 redirects, or your CMS generates stale sitemap entries. You should remove 404 URLs from your sitemap immediately — Google penalizes sitemaps with high error rates by crawling them less frequently.
What is a sitemap index file?expand_more
A sitemap index file is a sitemap that contains links to multiple individual sitemaps, rather than listing URLs directly. Large websites use sitemap indexes to split their URLs across multiple files (each sitemap can contain a maximum of 50,000 URLs). For example, you might have one sitemap for blog posts, one for products, and one for categories — all referenced in a sitemap index.
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Monitor your sitemap for broken URLs automatically

PerfBee validates your sitemap weekly and alerts you when URLs return errors — keeping Google's index of your site clean and accurate. Get daily crawl reports, broken link alerts, Core Web Vitals tracking, and AI fix suggestions — across your entire site.

  • checkCrawl unlimited pages — daily, automatic
  • checkBroken link detection across your whole site
  • checkCore Web Vitals & Lighthouse audits per page
  • checkAI-powered code fix suggestions
  • checkWhite-label PDF reports for clients
  • checkEmail alerts for new issues & downtime
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