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Google News XML Sitemap Validator

Validate your Google News XML sitemap to ensure it meets Google's requirements. Google News sitemaps should only contain articles published in the last 48 hours and must include all required elements for each article.

Why this matters: Google News only indexes articles from the last 48 hours. Including older articles can cause indexing issues and reduce your visibility in Google News.

Best Practices

  • 48-Hour Rule: Only include articles published in the last 48 hours. Remove older articles from your Google News sitemap.
  • Required Elements: Each article must have:
    • <loc> - Article URL
    • <news:news> - News namespace
    • <news:publication> - Publication name
    • <news:publication_date> - Publication date (ISO 8601 format)
  • Update Frequency: Update your sitemap regularly (at least once per day) to ensure Google News can discover your latest articles quickly.
  • Separate Sitemaps: Keep your Google News sitemap separate from your regular XML sitemap for better organization and faster processing.