What a sitemap checker can verify
A sitemap is a discovery hint that helps search engines find URLs you consider important. This tool confirms whether pasted XML is well formed, recognizes the standard urlset or sitemapindex root and checks the locations it can read as absolute HTTP or HTTPS URLs. It also reports duplicate locations that may be worth cleaning up.
What a sitemap check cannot prove
A valid XML file does not guarantee that a URL is crawlable, canonical, indexable or indexed. The checker does not fetch URLs, test their status codes, compare them with canonical tags or submit them to Google or Bing. Large sitemap limits, image/video extensions and search-engine processing are outside this small local utility.
A practical sitemap review
- Include the preferred, canonical URL for each page.
- Keep the sitemap aligned with robots rules and your public navigation.
- Remove redirected, private, duplicate or noindex URLs where appropriate.
- Submit the sitemap in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, then inspect important URLs separately.
For ongoing work, Rank for Mac connects Search Console data with page review, site checks and notes about SEO changes, helping you move from a valid file to measurable improvements.
Frequently asked questions
Does a sitemap guarantee that Google indexes every URL?
No. A sitemap helps discovery but does not guarantee crawling or indexing. Google decides which URLs to crawl and include.
Can I paste a sitemap index here?
Yes. The checker recognizes the standard sitemap index root and counts its location elements, but it does not fetch the child sitemap files.
Does the checker download my sitemap?
No. Paste the XML contents yourself. The check runs in the browser and does not request the sitemap URL.