SEOMURAI Documentation · PRO
Sitemap Explorer: Crawl XML sitemaps and extract URL lists.
Read the XML sitemap of any domain, including nested sitemap indexes. Extract a complete URL list, check status codes in batch mode and export the result. Go to the PRO overview or the documentation overview.
PRO feature. 5 USD per month or 50 USD per year via ExtensionPay.
What the Sitemap Explorer in SEOMURAI does
XML sitemaps are the most reliable source for finding out which URLs a domain officially submits for indexing. Combined with a status check, they let you determine within a few minutes which of the submitted URLs are actually reachable, which are redirected and which return an error page. The Sitemap Explorer makes this analysis available directly in the browser, without an external crawler.
The Explorer processes single sitemaps as well as nested sitemap indexes (multi-level collection sitemaps), runs an optional batch status check and presents the result as a sortable and filterable table. The CSV export is included in the PRO plan.
Since version 1.7 the Explorer also validates every sitemap while loading it. Each entry in the sitemap tree receives a badge that summarizes the result: valid, or the number of errors and notices found, with expandable issue details. A malformed single sitemap no longer aborts the whole load. If you only need a standalone conformance check without a PRO plan, SEOMURAI also includes a free Sitemap Validator in the Tech SEO section next to the Robots.txt Validator.
When the Sitemap Explorer is particularly useful
- When preparing audits, to build a complete content inventory.
- Before and after migrations, to make sure that no old URLs have disappeared.
- When uncovering inconsistencies between the URLs submitted in the sitemap and the URLs that are actually reachable.
- For competitive monitoring, to capture the content inventory of a competitor domain.
- When assessing overall sitemap hygiene: does it contain 404s, redirects or broken entries?
Step by step
1. Enter the sitemap address
Open SEOMURAI and switch to Links → Sitemap Explorer. Enter the complete sitemap URL, for example https://example.com/sitemap.xml. SEOMURAI automatically detects whether it is a single sitemap or a sitemap index and loads nested collection sitemaps as needed.
2. Generate the URL list
Click “Load Sitemap”. SEOMURAI parses the XML, extracts all <loc> entries and presents them in a sortable and filterable table. For each entry you see the URL, optionally the lastmod date, the change frequency and the priority, where available. Nested indexes appear with their source sitemap as a filter, so you can focus on individual sections.
Validation runs while each sitemap loads. Every entry in the sitemap tree receives a badge that shows whether the sitemap is valid or how many errors and notices were found, and you can expand the issue details behind each badge. A malformed single sitemap no longer aborts the whole load, so the remaining sitemaps of an index are still read.
3. Start the batch status check
Clicking “Check Status” starts a concurrent background check of all URLs. The HTTP status is determined for each entry (200, 301, 404, 500 and so on). With several hundred URLs, SEOMURAI warns you in advance about the expected duration and the corresponding load on the target server. You can cancel the check at any time, and all entries checked up to that point are retained.
4. Filter and evaluate the results
Filters let you concentrate on the critical findings: only 4xx errors, only 3xx redirects, only URLs below a specific path prefix. Duplicate entries (for example from redirect-related multiple listings) are deduplicated automatically. For each entry you can open the URL directly in a new tab to verify the finding manually.
5. Export the list as CSV
Use “Export as CSV” to save the currently filtered list, including status codes, as a file. The export is part of the PRO plan and delivers a clean table for your audit reports or for further processing in spreadsheets. Columns: URL, lastmod (where available), source sitemap, HTTP status and optionally the final destination URL for redirects.
Frequently asked questions
Tips and frequently asked questions
How large can a sitemap be?
The Sitemap Explorer handles sitemaps with tens of thousands of URLs, and the XML specification allows up to 50,000 URLs per individual sitemap. For very large sitemaps or extensive sitemap indexes we recommend limiting the status check to a subsection (using the filters) so that you do not run an unnecessarily large number of requests at the same time.
Does the Explorer also work with compressed sitemaps (.xml.gz)?
Yes. The Explorer detects compressed sitemaps by their MIME type or file extension and decompresses them automatically in the background. You do not need to convert anything beforehand.
What should you do if the sitemap returns a 403 or 404?
First check whether the URL is correct. The sitemap is often located at /sitemap.xml, while some systems use /sitemap_index.xml or a different path. A look at the domain’s robots.txt often reveals the authoritative sitemap path. If the domain serves the sitemap only to authenticated requests, an external analysis is not possible.
Are image: and video: extensions evaluated as well?
Currently the Explorer focuses on the classic <url> entry with <loc>, <lastmod>, <changefreq> and <priority>. Specialized image and video sitemaps are read, but their extended fields are not evaluated separately. An extension may follow in the medium term. Let us know via the contact form if you need it.
Does the status check affect the log files of the target server?
Yes, every HTTP request is logged by the target server; that is in the nature of a status check. SEOMURAI uses the browser’s normal fetch function with your user agent. If you want a different behavior for a competitor sitemap, check only a sample instead of the entire list.
What is the difference between the Sitemap Explorer and the free Sitemap Validator?
The Sitemap Explorer is a PRO module for building complete URL inventories, running batch status checks and exporting the result as CSV; since version 1.7 it also validates each sitemap while loading and marks every tree entry with a badge. The Sitemap Validator is a free tab in the Tech SEO section next to the Robots.txt Validator and concentrates on one task: validating a single XML sitemap against the sitemap protocol 0.9, including best-practice warnings. Use the Validator for a quick conformance check and the Explorer for inventory and reachability analyses.
More PRO modules and documentation
- PRO overview: all modules, pricing, activation
- Link Heatmap: visualize link prominence based on Fitts’s Law
- SEOMURAI Chatbot: chat interface with page context
- LLM SEO Team: specialized AI assistants
- Webhook Workflows: n8n, Zapier and Make
- AI Presets: pre-configured setups for four AI providers
- Markdown Export: entire pages as AI-optimized Markdown
- Back to the documentation overview (Free)
Unlock the Sitemap Explorer with PRO?
Install SEOMURAI and activate PRO directly in the settings to analyze sitemaps systematically.