XML sitemap checker: verify the sitemap search engines can fetch
An XML sitemap is useful only when crawlers can actually reach it. Toolmera checks the live sitemap response and reports the HTTP status, availability and detected sitemap type so you can quickly catch missing files, broken endpoints or an unexpected response.
This is especially useful after a migration, CMS change, domain move or sitemap regeneration. Instead of assuming /sitemap.xml is valid, you can test the deployed file that search engines are expected to request.
AvailabilityLive HTTP check
Sitemap typeURL set or sitemap index
Entry countURLs or child sitemaps
lastmod coverageCounted when present
Validate sitemap structure before submitting it to Google
A sitemap can be reachable and still be unhelpful if it contains the wrong type of entries, an empty URL set or an unexpected sitemap index. Toolmera distinguishes a standard URL sitemap from a sitemap index and shows the number of entries it finds.
The checker also previews submitted URLs. That gives you a fast sanity check that the file points to the pages you intended to expose instead of staging URLs, old domains or unrelated paths. For complete indexing diagnostics, use Google Search Console after confirming the sitemap itself is reachable.
Sitemap index vs. regular sitemap
A regular sitemap contains page URLs, while a sitemap index contains links to other sitemap files. Large websites commonly use sitemap indexes so content can be split across multiple files by type, section or publication date.
Toolmera reports URL entries and child sitemap counts separately. If you expected thousands of page URLs but the checker reports child sitemaps instead, you are probably looking at the index file and should inspect the linked sitemap files as the next step.
What lastmod tells you — and what it does not
The lastmod element can tell search engines when a URL was last significantly updated, but it should reflect meaningful page changes rather than being rewritten automatically on every request. Toolmera counts how many entries include lastmod so you can see whether the field is being used across the sitemap.
A sitemap checker cannot confirm that every lastmod timestamp is factually correct or guarantee that a submitted URL will be indexed. Sitemap submission is a discovery signal, not an indexing guarantee.
How to use sitemap checking in a technical SEO workflow
Start by checking the sitemap itself, then inspect robots.txt to make sure the sitemap is declared where appropriate and important crawling is not blocked. After that, use the SEO Checker or Website Analyzer to inspect canonical, robots and on-page signals on representative URLs.
If the sitemap is valid but pages remain unindexed, move the investigation to Google Search Console URL Inspection. That is where you can see indexing state, Google-selected canonical information and crawl details for individual URLs.
Check sitemap.xml availability, type and submitted entries
Use the sitemap checker to check a live sitemap.xml URL or sitemap index before relying on it for search-engine discovery. Toolmera verifies whether the resource is reachable, identifies a URL set versus a sitemap index, counts URLs or child sitemaps and reports lastmod coverage when those tags are present.
The preview helps confirm that the sitemap contains the URLs you expect rather than an old domain, staging paths or unrelated entries. A reachable sitemap can help discovery, but it does not guarantee that every listed page will be crawled or indexed.
AvailabilityLive HTTP response
TypesURL set or sitemap index
ChecksEntry counts, lastmod coverage and sample URLs