Locate
Find the parser line and source field
Check titles, descriptions and URLs around the reported position for a raw ampersand that is not part of a valid entity.
Typical fix: & becomes &
Malformed XML diagnosis
Fix Unescaped Ampersands in XML Feeds
One raw ampersand can make every product disappear from the parser. Find the broken value, escape it safely and validate the complete feed before Google fetches it again.
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✓Explains the exact XML failure✓Validates corrected UTF-8 feeds✓Safely serializes valid XML output
Feed diagnosis
XML parser
Feed unreadable
Parsing stops at the first invalid entity
!Dolce & Gabbana title
!URL query uses raw &
!Entity has no closing semicolon
Valid XML form
Use & in XML source text and query strings
Why one character breaks the file
In XML, an ampersand starts an entity. A standalone & has no valid meaning.
Product names such as “Dolce & Gabbana” and URLs containing multiple query parameters are common sources of malformed XML. In raw XML text, the character must be written as &. Otherwise the parser expects an entity name and reports errors such as EntityRef: expecting semicolon.
Because the document cannot be parsed reliably, transformation cannot safely begin after the broken character. The malformed value must be corrected by the source exporter or feed plugin first. A system that claims to blindly replace every ampersand can also damage entities that were already valid.
Feedlinter intentionally rejects malformed XML instead of silently corrupting product data. After the source is valid, the streaming serializer preserves safe XML escaping in published output.
Correct
Update the exporter or original value
Escape the character at source so every generated feed is valid. Do not repeatedly encode an existing & value.
Fix once at the sourceVerify
Run the corrected feed through the audit
Confirm the entire XML parses as UTF-8 before reconnecting the URL to Merchant Center.
No errors hidden by partial parsing
Better product data means fewer disapprovals, steadier campaigns and more room to scale.
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Pricing
Simple pricing for every catalog.
Pay for processed products across your account. Every plan includes unlimited domains.
1,000 SKU
1 000 SKU250,000 SKU
The prices below include each plan’s base SKU allowance. Additional SKUs are sold in packs of 1,000.
Core
Recommended$9.99/ month
1,000 SKU total · included
- 2 source feeds
- 1,000 SKUs included
- $2.00 per additional started 1,000 SKUs
- Unlimited domains
- 2 daily refreshes per feed
- Google Merchant Center
Omnichannel
$29.99/ month
10,000 SKU total · included
- 6 source feeds
- 10,000 SKUs included
- $2.00 per additional started 1,000 SKUs
- Unlimited domains
- 4 daily refreshes per feed
- Google Merchant Center
- Meta / Facebook Catalog
- OpenAI / ChatGPT
Scale
$59.99/ month
30,000 SKU total · included
- 20 source feeds
- 30,000 SKUs included
- $2.00 per additional started 1,000 SKUs
- Unlimited domains
- 12 daily refreshes per feed
- Google Merchant Center
- Meta / Facebook Catalog
- OpenAI / ChatGPT
1 SKU = 1 processed product record in a feed. The same product in two feeds counts twice. When you exceed your allowance, we email you and allow 24 hours to correct it before adding SKU packs to your invoice.
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Frequently asked questions
The details, without the fine-print fog.
Everything you need to know before running your first product feed audit.
Still have a question? Talk to us
Should I replace & with & in XML?
Yes, when the ampersand appears as literal text or inside an XML URL value. Do not encode the ampersand that already begins a valid entity such as &.
Can Feedlinter automatically repair malformed XML before parsing?
No. Feedlinter rejects malformed source XML because blind replacement can corrupt valid entities and product data. Correct the exporter, then audit the valid result.
Why does the entire feed fail because of one title?
XML is a structured document. If one entity is malformed, a standards-compliant parser cannot reliably determine the intended structure that follows.