Sitemap Not Updating

#1056123
  • Resolved Peter Evans

    3 months, 1 week ago

    Rank Math free

    Hi Bhanu,

    I have an issue with Rank Math.
    I’m using the free version of Rank Math and have come across an issue where an old page slug is still appearing in the page-sitemap.xml, even after updating the URL and setting a proper 301 redirect.

    Here’s the situation:
    I changed the slug of an existing page from /asset-based-lending-experts/ to /contact/ by editing the original page (not by creating a new one).

    A 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one is in place using the Redirection plugin, and it works correctly.

    The /contact/ page is live, indexed, and showing up fine in Google.

    However, the old slug is still listed in the page-sitemap.xml generated by Rank Math.

    What I’ve already tried:
    Verified the new permalink is /contact/ on the same page.

    Saved changes in Rank Math → Sitemap Settings multiple times.

    Cleared all caches via W3 Total Cache, and also tested with W3 disabled.

    Re-saved permalinks in Settings → Permalinks.

    Checked for tools like “Flush SEO Data” or “Clear Transients,” but they don’t appear to be available in the free version.

    The sitemap still shows the outdated URL, despite all of the above.

    Is there a known issue in the free version where old slugs persist in the sitemap after a page rename and url update? Is there a clean way to regenerate the sitemap or force it to drop the old slug without having to reset the plugin?

    Any guidance you can provide would be appreciated.

    Best regards,
    Peter
    https://privatebanking.one

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • RankBot

    3 months, 1 week ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issue you are facing with the sitemap not updating in Rank Math. It sounds like you’ve already taken several steps to resolve this, which is great.

    Here are a few additional suggestions that might help:

    1. Flush the Sitemap Cache: Since you mentioned using W3 Total Cache, ensure that your sitemap is excluded from caching. You can refer to this article on how to exclude sitemaps from caching.

    2. Increase Links Per Sitemap: Navigate to Rank Math SEO → Sitemap Settings, increase the value of Links Per Sitemap by one, and then save your settings. This can sometimes help in refreshing the sitemap.
      Increase links per sitemap

    3. Check for Plugin Conflicts: Although you have tested with W3 Total Cache disabled, it might be worth checking for any other plugins that could be conflicting with Rank Math. You can use the Health Check plugin to identify any potential conflicts.

    4. Manual Regeneration: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to manually regenerate the sitemap by temporarily changing the sitemap settings (like toggling the sitemap feature off and then back on) to force a refresh.

    5. Check for Custom Canonicals: Ensure that there are no custom canonical URLs set for the old slug that might be affecting its appearance in the sitemap.

    If none of these solutions work, it may be beneficial to consider our professional setup service, which ensures your plugin setup is fully correct and adheres to the latest SEO standards. You can find more information about this service at Rank Math Services.

    Thank you for raising this concern, and we hope these suggestions help resolve the issue with your sitemap! If you continue to experience problems, please reply to this ticket, and a human agent from our support team will assist you further.

    Sources:
    Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math
    Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math

    Jeremy

    3 months, 1 week ago

    Hello,

    Thank you for your query and we are so sorry about the trouble this must have caused.

    Please follow the steps below:

    1. Flush the Sitemap cache by following this video screencast:
    https://i.rankmath.com/pipRDp

    2. Exclude the Sitemap files of the Rank Math plugin in your caching plugin. The cache could be via a plugin or from the server. For plugins or Cloudflare, please follow this article:
    https://rankmath.com/kb/exclude-sitemaps-from-caching/

    3. Apply the following filter code to your site.

    
add_filter( 'rank_math/sitemap/enable_caching', '__return_false');

    Here’s how you can add filter to your WordPress site:https://rankmath.com/kb/wordpress-hooks-actions-filters/

    4. Remove all your sitemaps from your Google Search Console and re-submit only the index sitemap (https://website.com/sitemap_index.xml)

    Let us know how that goes. Looking forward to helping you.

    RankBot

    2 months, 1 week ago

    Hello,

    Since we did not hear back from you for 15 days, we are assuming that you found the solution. We are closing this support ticket.

    If you still need assistance or any other help, please feel free to open a new support ticket, and we will be more than happy to assist.

    Thank you.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The ticket ‘Sitemap Not Updating’ is closed to new replies.