Check RSS and Atom feeds for errors

Why a feed can be faulty despite a reachable URL

A feed can respond with HTTP 200 and still fail in the feed reader: an unmasked merchant sign corrupts the XML, a date has the wrong format, or multiple posts share the same identifier. These problems affect different levels. The checker therefore separates data findings from the accessibility of the linked articles.

If you enter a website address, the tool searches for RSS/Atom references in their HTML header area. For several found feeds, the first one is checked first. Using the selection field, for example, you can switch from the general newsfeed to a category feed. If the automatic discovery is missing, enter the direct feed address.

RSS 2.0 and Atom have different rules

RSS is required in the channel including title, website link and description. An item needs at least a title or description; a missing pubDate alone is not a mandatory field error. Atom uses its own namespace and requires other metadata, including id, title and updated. The date and author details are evaluated according to the format. The foundations are the RSS 2.0 specification and RFC 4287 for Atom.

The checker controls selected structure and content rules. Extensions such as podcast, media RSS or manufacturer-specific tags are not fully validated. A result without data errors is therefore not a certificate for all feed readers or podcast platforms.

From Finding to Correction in the CMS

1. XML errors: Check the above-mentioned row and column in the feed export. Often, a content with special characters or a plugin causes invalid XML.
2. Repeatedly used GUID or ID: In the CMS, a permanent identifier per contribution is assigned. The same item may keep the same ID for each export; different items should not receive the same ID.
3. Date: Correct the export format instead of just changing the visible text in the article. A date in the RSS example is Sat, 17 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0200.
4. 404 or 410: Correct the article address or remove the entry if the post is finally dropped.
5. 403, 429 or server error: Check for access protection, rate limitation and hosting. Such answers are not automatically counted as a permanently defective link.

Link check and limits of the sample

In URL mode, the first 20 different article addresses are checked on request. Each address is scheduled once; a time-limited retrieval budget can reduce the sample. Unchecked targets remain recognizable in the table. After a rejected or faulty HEAD request, the service attempts a limited GET retrieval.

A reachable article page can still show an error page with status 200. This is what makes it suitable. Soft 404 Checker. For the findability of your entire website is a supplementary XML sitemap verification It makes sense. A feed distributes updates; it does not guarantee indexing or rankings.

Frequent questions