Sitemap Parser
Parse sitemap.xml or sitemap index XML.
Overview
The Sitemap Parser reads a sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml document and lists every URL it contains alongside <lastmod>, <changefreq>, <priority>, and the alternate-language <xhtml:link> annotations when present. For sitemap indexes, it lists the child sitemaps and links them for one-click parsing of each.
Useful for SEO practitioners and developers learning how to read a sitemap.xml file or how to count URLs in a sitemap. Reach for it inspecting a competitor's sitemap, debugging why Search Console reports fewer indexed URLs than your sitemap claims, or harvesting URLs for redirect mapping.
How it works
The Sitemaps protocol defines two XML schemas: the URL set (<urlset>) with <url> entries, and the sitemap index (<sitemapindex>) with <sitemap> entries pointing to child files. Each <url> carries a required <loc> plus optional <lastmod>, <changefreq>, <priority>, and hreflang annotations via the xhtml namespace.
The parser reads the XML, recognises whether it's an index or a URL set, normalises whitespace in element values, and reports counts and field coverage. Compressed .xml.gz files can be decompressed before parsing if pasted as text.
Examples
- A sitemap index with three child files, each linked.
- A URL set of 4,000 URLs, 38% with
<lastmod>populated. - A page with
<xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr">mirroring the French sitemap entry. - A malformed sitemap with mixed
http://andhttps://URLs flagged as a canonicalisation concern.
FAQ
How big can a sitemap be?
50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed. Beyond that, split into a sitemap index referencing multiple files.
Does <priority> affect rankings?
No. Google has stated it ignores <priority> and <changefreq>. They are advisory only and most modern sitemap generators omit them.
Why doesn't Search Console show all my URLs?
Sitemap inclusion is not indexing. URLs must also be crawlable, return 200, not be canonicalised away, and pass quality thresholds. Use Search Console's URL Inspection to see why individual URLs are excluded.
Are images and videos supported?
Yes — the Image and Video sitemap extensions add <image:image> and <video:video> child elements. The parser reports them when present.