What this tool does
Enter the address of a sitemap. The tool fetches it, checks that it is well-formed XML, works out whether it is a standard urlset or a sitemapindex that lists other sitemaps, and reports the total entries and how many have a lastmod date. If the XML is broken, it lists the first five errors.
What a good sitemap looks like
- It is valid XML with the correct root element.
- It lists only canonical, indexable URLs that return 200. Redirects, 404s, noindex pages and parameter variants don’t belong.
- Each file stays under 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites use a sitemap index.
lastmodis accurate. Google has said it useslastmodwhen it is reliably correct, and ignorespriorityandchangefreq.
What this tool checks, and what it doesn’t
It checks the file itself: parsing, type, entry count and lastmod presence. It does not visit each URL in the sitemap to test it. A sitemap can pass here and still list dead pages. For spot checks, use the HTTP status checker, or a crawler for a whole site.
It doesn’t follow every child sitemap in an index. You see the child sitemap addresses and their lastmod, and you can check each one by pasting its address.
For WordPress sites
Rank Math and other SEO plugins generate sitemaps automatically, usually at /sitemap_index.xml. After you change what’s included, such as hiding a post type, re-check the sitemap. Submit the sitemap index in Google Search Console, and compare the numbers there with the counts here.
Results are cached for 10 minutes, with up to 10 checks a minute.
Does it test every URL in the sitemap?
No. It validates the sitemap file and counts entries. It doesn’t request each URL.
Does it follow the sitemaps listed in an index?
It lists them, but you need to check each child sitemap separately.
Does lastmod matter?
Google uses it only when it has proven reliable. Set it to the real last change, not the current date on every request.
Do priority and changefreq help?
Google ignores them.
What size limits apply to a sitemap file?
Each sitemap file can hold up to 50,000 URLs and be 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites split the URLs across several files listed in a sitemap index.