How to Validate and Test Your XML Sitemap for Errors

Did you know that 38% of websites have critical sitemap errors that hurt their search visibility? (Source: Ahrefs)

An invalid XML sitemap can:
❌ Prevent search engines from discovering pages
❌ Waste crawl budget on broken URLs
❌ Delay indexing of important content

This guide will show you how to validate your sitemap and fix common issues—with step-by-step instructions and free tools.

Why Sitemap Validation Matters

Impact of Sitemap Errors

Benefits of Regular Validation

✅ Faster indexing of new content
✅ Improved crawl efficiency
✅ Better SEO performance

How to Validate Your XML Sitemap

Method 1: Online Validators (Quick Check)

Recommended Tools:

• W3C Validator
• XML-Sitemaps.com Validator

How To Use:

1. Paste your sitemap URL or upload the file
2. Review errors/warnings
3. Fix issues in your CMS or code

Example: XML validation error detection

Method 2: Google Search Console (GSC)

• Go to GSC > Sitemaps
• Check for:

• “Could not fetch” errors
• Index coverage issues
• URLs excluded due to errors

Method 3: Command Line (For Developers)

bash

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# Validate XML syntax

xmllint –noout sitemap.xml

# Check for HTTP errors

wget –spider –force-html -i sitemap.xml 2>&1 | grep ‘^http’

Common Sitemap Errors & Fixes

XML Syntax Errors

Example Error:

xml

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<url> <!– Missing closing tag –>

<loc>https://example.com</loc>

Fix:

• Use proper XML closing tags </url>
• Validate with W3C Validator

HTTP Errors (4xx/5xx)

How to Find:

• Screaming Frog (Crawl > Filter by “Client Error”)
• Google Search Console Coverage Report

Solution:
✅ Remove or redirect broken URLs
✅ Update sitemap after fixes

Duplicate URLs

Detection:

• Sort sitemap URLs alphabetically
• Use uniq command (Linux/Mac):

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grep -o ‘<loc>.*</loc>’ sitemap.xml | sort | uniq -d

Fix:

• Consolidate duplicate entries
• Use canonical tags if duplicates are necessary

Incorrect Namespaces

Valid Structure:

xml

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<urlset xmlns=”http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9″>

Error Example:

xml

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<urlset xmlns=”http://example.com/ns”> <!– Wrong namespace –>

Automated Monitoring

Python Script Example:

python

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import requests

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

def validate_sitemap(url):

resp = requests.get(url)

soup = BeautifulSoup(resp.text, ‘xml’)

errors = []

for loc in soup.find_all(‘loc’):

if not loc.text.startswith(‘http’):

errors.append(f”Invalid URL: {loc.text}”)

return errors

Scheduled Crawl Tests

Using Screaming Frog:

1. Set up scheduled crawls
2. Export URLs with errors to CSV
3. Compare with sitemap entries
4. Log File Analysis

Check server logs for:

• 404 responses to sitemap URLs
• Googlebot access to sitemap files

Resubmit to Search Engines

• Google:Search Console > Sitemaps > “Resubmit”
• Bing:Webmaster Tools > Sitemaps

2. Verify Indexing

Wait 3-7 days, then check:

• GSC Coverage Report(Excluded URLs)
• site: operator (e.g., site:example.com/blog)

3. Monitor Crawl Stats

Healthy Signs:
✔ Increased “Discovered” URLs
✔ Fewer “Crawl anomalies”

Case Study: Fixing Sitemap Errors Boosted Indexing by 70%

Problem:
An e-commerce site had:

• 12,000+ product pages
• Only 40% indexed by Google
• Sitemap contained 1,200 broken links

Solution:

1. Validated sitemap with Screaming Frog
2. Removed all 4xx URLs
3. Implemented dynamic sitemap generation

Result:
✅ 70% more pages indexed in 2 weeks
✅ Organic traffic up 35%

7. Free Tools for Ongoing Monitoring

Action Plan

Key Takeaways

✔ Even one error can prevent proper indexing
✔ Regular validation prevents traffic losses
✔ Automated checks save hundreds of hours

Next Steps:

1. Run a validation checktoday
2. Fix critical errorswithin 48 hours
3. Set up monthly audits