Keep preferred URLs only
Use absolute canonical destinations that return useful content without a redirect.
See what your sitemap is actually saying
Check the map behind search discovery.
Validate a public sitemap, inspect a representative set of listed pages and build a clean XML file for a smaller website.
Bounded public check
Which sitemap should we inspect?
Paste an exact XML, XML.GZ or text sitemap URL. If you enter only a site address, we will try its two common root locations.
Small-site XML builder
Turn a deliberate URL list into valid XML.
The file is generated in your browser. For a larger or frequently changing site, let the CMS or application maintain the sitemap automatically.
One entry per linehttps://example.co.uk/page/ | 2026-09-01The date is optional. Use it only for a known significant page update.
Up to 50 absolute HTTP(S) URLs from one hostname. Optional lastmod dates use YYYY-MM-DD.
sitemap.xml previewAdd at least one URL
Read the result carefully
Discovery evidence, not an indexing promise.
The checker validates observable file and page signals from one location and time. Search engines make their own crawling, canonicalisation and indexing decisions.
Maintain truthful dates
Use lastmod for significant changes rather than refreshing every date whenever the file is generated.
Submit and monitor
Reference the sitemap in robots.txt or submit it through the search engine's webmaster tools, then review processing reports.
Sitemap questions
Build for accurate discovery.
Does a valid sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. A sitemap helps search engines discover preferred URLs, but submission is a hint rather than an indexing guarantee.
Which URLs belong in a sitemap?
Include absolute canonical URLs that you want eligible for search. Leave out redirects, errors, duplicates and deliberately noindexed pages.
Should every entry have lastmod?
Only when it accurately reflects the page's last significant update. An automatically refreshed date that does not reflect content changes is not useful.
How large can one sitemap be?
The protocol limit is 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites should use multiple child sitemaps and a sitemap index.