An XML sitemap checker verifies whether a file follows the sitemap protocol, contains valid absolute URLs and avoids errors that reduce its usefulness. A sitemap helps Google discover and organize URLs, but it does not guarantee crawling, indexing or rankings.
What an XML sitemap validator checks
An XML sitemap contains url and loc elements; a sitemap index contains references to other sitemap files. Use this sitemap validator to validate sitemap structure, namespaces, duplicate URLs and lastmod dates in both formats.
Useful SEO checks for sitemap URLs
URLs should be absolute, canonical, indexable and on the declared host. Inclusion in a sitemap does not fix redirects, 404 errors, noindex directives or conflicting canonicals, which need separate checks.
Lastmod and hreflang in sitemaps
Lastmod should represent a meaningful change and use a valid W3C date. Hreflang annotations require valid language codes and URLs; duplicated languages or incomplete references deserve review.
When to run a sitemap test
Use a sitemap tester after a migration, CMS change, new section launch or template update. For large sites, combine sampling with Google Search Console, server logs and a professional crawler.