Check whether your website’s XML sitemap is accessible, inspect its structure, and find possible problems with the URLs it contains.
Our free Sitemap URL Checker helps website owners, bloggers, developers, and SEO professionals review public XML sitemaps. Enter your sitemap URL to see its HTTP response, the number of listed entries, and any basic structural issues detected.
You can also check the HTTP status of a small sample of URLs without inspecting every page manually.
Website tools
Check an XML sitemap
Inspect a public XML sitemap for accessibility, structure, and listed URLs. Optionally check the HTTP status of a small sample of links.
This is a limited server-side check, not a Google Search Console report. A valid sitemap does not guarantee crawling or indexing. Large or compressed XML files may be outside this checker's supported format. Repeated checks are limited and results may be briefly cached.
How to Use the Sitemap URL Checker
- Find your sitemap URL. Open your website’s XML sitemap. Common addresses include
https://example.com/sitemap.xml,https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml, andhttps://example.com/wp-sitemap.xml. The actual address depends on your website configuration. - Enter the complete URL. Copy the sitemap address, including
https://, and paste it into the checker. - Choose optional URL checking. Select the additional HTTP status option if you want to test up to five listed URLs on the same hostname.
- Click Check Sitemap. The tool retrieves the file through our website server and analyzes its XML structure.
- Review the results. Check the response status, number of entries, sample URLs, and any reported warnings.
What Does the Sitemap URL Checker Check?
The tool performs several basic checks to help you identify problems with your XML sitemap.
| Check | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Sitemap accessibility | Whether the sitemap returns a successful HTTP response |
| XML structure | Whether the XML can be parsed and uses a recognized sitemap root |
| Sitemap type | Whether the file is a URL sitemap or sitemap index |
| URL count | How many direct page or child-sitemap entries are listed |
| Missing or invalid URLs | Whether entries contain missing or malformed URL locations |
| Duplicate URLs | Whether identical URL locations appear more than once |
| Sample HTTP status | How a small selection of same-host URLs responds to HTTP HEAD requests |
For a sitemap index, the checker counts the child sitemap entries in that index. It does not automatically open every child sitemap or calculate the total number of pages across all of them.
Understanding Your Sitemap Check Results
HTTP Response Status
An HTTP 200 response normally indicates that the sitemap file was successfully retrieved. A 404 response may mean the sitemap URL is incorrect or the file is unavailable.
A 403 response can indicate an access restriction, while a server-side error may point to a hosting or application problem.
The checker requests the sitemap from the NetTools Pakistan website server. Its response may differ from what you see in your browser or what a search engine crawler receives.
XML Sitemap Structure
A standard XML URL sitemap uses the urlset root element. A sitemap index uses sitemapindex to reference other sitemap files.
The checker examines these structures and flags certain problems, including missing URL locations, duplicate entries, and unexpected sitemap namespaces.
This is a basic structural inspection, not full XML Schema validation.
Sitemap URL Count
The URL count shows how many entries appear directly in the inspected file. A sitemap may contain only a few URLs or thousands of them.
If your website has 1,000 published posts but the checker reports 50 entries, first determine whether you are checking an individual sitemap rather than the sitemap index. Other sitemap files may contain the remaining posts, pages, or categories.
A low count does not automatically mean pages are missing.
Sample URL Status Checks
When you enable the optional URL check, the tool sends HTTP HEAD requests to up to five suitable URLs from the inspected file.
A successful response suggests that the URL responds to that request method. However, some servers block or handle HEAD requests differently from normal page visits.
A 403 or 405 response does not necessarily mean the page is broken. Open the URL directly and investigate before treating it as a confirmed error.
Common XML Sitemap Problems and How to Fix Them
Sitemap Returns a 404 Error
Confirm that you entered the correct sitemap address. If you use WordPress, check whether your SEO plugin or the WordPress sitemap feature is enabled.
Also review permalink settings and any redirect or caching rules that could affect access to the sitemap.
Sitemap Contains Invalid XML
An XML sitemap must be well-formed. Incorrectly closed tags, unexpected content before the XML document, or broken output from a plugin can prevent parsing.
If your sitemap is generated automatically, check for plugin conflicts, recent updates, and caching problems. Correct the source of the error rather than editing an automatically generated sitemap manually.
Sitemap Contains Duplicate URLs
Duplicate URL entries can indicate an issue with sitemap generation or website configuration.
Review the URLs and check whether the same location has been included more than once. If needed, adjust the sitemap generator and regenerate the file.
Important Pages Are Missing
Review your sitemap settings and determine whether the missing pages are intentionally excluded.
In WordPress, content marked as noindex may be omitted by some sitemap generators. Plugin settings, excluded post types, unpublished content, and canonical URL configuration can also affect the list.
A sitemap does not need to include every URL on your website. Focus on the canonical pages you want search engines to discover and consider indexing.
Does a Valid Sitemap Guarantee Google Indexing?
No. A valid and accessible sitemap helps search engines discover URLs, but it does not guarantee that every listed page will be crawled, indexed, or shown in search results.
Google evaluates pages using additional signals, including accessibility, indexability, content, and canonicalization.
After checking your sitemap, use Google Search Console to review sitemap submission and indexing information for a website you manage.
You can also refer to Google’s official sitemap documentation for supported formats and requirements.
Sitemap Checker Limits
This tool is designed for focused XML sitemap checks rather than full website crawling.
It supports uncompressed XML URL sitemaps and sitemap indexes up to 2 MiB per file. Compressed .xml.gz files, RSS feeds, Atom feeds, and plain-text sitemap files are not supported.
The results display up to 20 sample entries. Optional URL status testing is limited to five same-host entries. Sitemap indexes are not followed recursively.
Google’s sitemap protocol supports much larger files, up to 50 MB uncompressed or 50,000 URLs per sitemap. The smaller limit here is a restriction of this checker, not an indication that a larger sitemap is invalid.
Checks run through the website server. Submitted URLs and results may be temporarily cached, and request limits apply. The websites being checked can see requests originating from the checker server.
Keep Your XML Sitemap Accurate
Review your sitemap after major website changes, migrations, permalink updates, or changes to your SEO plugin.
If the checker reports an issue, investigate its cause, correct the relevant configuration, and run another check. Then use Google Search Console to understand how Google is processing the submitted sitemap.
A clean sitemap is one part of technical SEO. It helps search engines discover your important URLs, but it does not replace good internal linking, accessible pages, or useful content.