Jahanzaib

Free tool

XML sitemap validator

A sitemap is the list of pages you hand to search engines and AI crawlers. I built this validator to fetch yours, check it against the sitemap protocol and tell you what a crawler would trip over: a file that does not parse, addresses on the wrong host, broken dates, or a robots.txt that never mentions it.

Your sitemap is one of eight sections in the full AEO audit of your site.

The check runs on app.jahanzaib.ai, my free tools app, and opens there.

This check is free and needs no account: you get the full result for the sitemap you enter. A free account, which you open with a code sent to your email and no password, keeps your past checks and gives you more runs.

Coverage

What it checks

  • It can be found

    Enter the sitemap itself, or just your site. The validator looks for Sitemap lines in your robots.txt, then the usual sitemap.xml address, and tells you which one it used.

  • It parses

    Checks that the file is well formed XML with a urlset or a sitemapindex at the top. A file that does not parse is usually ignored in full.

  • Every URL is usable

    Each loc must be a full address on the same host as the sitemap. The validator flags relative paths, other domains, plain HTTP on an HTTPS site and URLs listed twice.

  • Dates are valid

    Checks that each lastmod uses the W3C date format the protocol asks for, and flags dates set in the future.

  • Listed pages answer

    Fetches a sample of the listed URLs and reports any that redirect, are missing or carry noindex, because a sitemap should list only pages you want indexed.

  • Sitemap index files

    For a sitemap index, lists the child sitemaps it names and checks that each one loads.

Method

How it works

  1. 1

    Enter your sitemap or site

    A sitemap address, or your home page and the validator finds the sitemap itself. The check opens on my free tools app.

  2. 2

    The app fetches and parses it

    It fetches robots.txt and the sitemap from public addresses only, and parses the XML. A very large file is read up to a size limit, and the result says when it stopped early.

  3. 3

    You see each problem with its fix

    Problems are grouped by type with the URLs affected. If the sitemap fails to load, you see the error and nothing else.

Example

What the result looks like

An illustration of the layout with sample wording on an example domain. It is not a result for any real site.

  • Discovery

    Needs a fix

    Where the sitemap was found and whether robots.txt points to it.

    The sitemap loads at https://shop.example/sitemap.xml, but robots.txt has no Sitemap line. Add one so every crawler finds it.

  • Format

    Passed

    Whether the XML parses and which root element it uses.

    The file is well formed XML with a urlset root in the sitemap namespace.

  • URLs

    Needs a fix

    Listed addresses that are relative, on another host, duplicated or on plain HTTP.

    Some entries use http://shop.example while the site serves HTTPS. List the HTTPS addresses.

  • Listed pages

    For information

    A sample of listed pages and how each one answered.

    One sampled page redirects to a new address. List the new address instead of the old one.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a sitemap at all?

A small site with good internal links can be crawled without one. A sitemap still helps crawlers find new and updated pages sooner, and it is the easiest place to tell them which pages you want indexed.

Should my robots.txt mention the sitemap?

Yes. A Sitemap line in robots.txt is how crawlers that you never submitted the sitemap to can find it, including AI crawlers.

Does lastmod matter?

It helps when it is accurate. Google has said it uses lastmod when the date is consistently correct, so a date that changes on every build without the page changing teaches crawlers to ignore it.

What if my sitemap is very large?

The app reads each file up to a size limit. For a large sitemap it checks the part it read and says so, rather than guessing about the rest. Splitting a large sitemap into an index of smaller files also helps crawlers.

Do I need an account?

No. The full result is free without an account. A free account, which you open with a code sent to your email and no password, keeps your past checks and gives you more runs.

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Rather hand it over?

I can find the fixes and ship them for you

I run SEO and answer engine optimization as one managed program: the pages, the technical fixes, the markup and the mentions that AI assistants read. You get a plain monthly report on what changed.

See how I run AEO