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I’m using Rank Math for generating sitemaps. When I submit them to Google Search Console, the Pages sitemap works fine, but the Posts sitemap shows an error: ‘Couldn’t fetch’. As a result, my blog posts are not getting indexed. Has anyone faced this issue, and how can I fix it?
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Hello,
We apologize for the issue you are facing with the ‘Couldn’t fetch’ error in Google Search Console for your Posts sitemap. This can be frustrating, especially when it affects the indexing of your blog posts.
Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue:
1. Validate Your Sitemap
Make sure your sitemap is correctly configured. You can use the Validate XML Sitemap tool to check for any issues. If your sitemap is valid, it should return a success message.
2. Ensure the Sitemap is Located in the Root Folder
Check that your sitemap is located in the root folder of your WordPress installation. The correct URL should look like this:
https://yourdomainname.com/sitemap_index.xml3. Check Indexing Settings
Ensure that your posts are set to index. Go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and make sure the Index checkbox is enabled for your posts.
4. Flush the Cache
If your sitemap appears outdated, you may need to flush the sitemap cache. Navigate to Rank Math SEO → Sitemap Settings, increase the value of Links Per Sitemap by one, and save your settings. Then, go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes to apply the current settings.
5. Exclude the Sitemap From Caching
Ensure that your sitemap is not being cached by any caching plugins. You can refer to this article on ensuring that your sitemaps are excluded from caching.
6. Add the Correct Version of Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
Make sure you have added the correct version of your sitemap URL in Google Search Console. If you have multiple variations of your site (http vs https, www vs non-www), ensure you are using the correct one.
7. Wait for Google to Fetch the Sitemap
Sometimes, it may take a while for Google to fetch the sitemap, so if everything seems correct, you might just need to wait a bit longer.
If you continue to experience issues after trying these steps, please reply to this ticket with your site URL so we can assist you further. Thank you for raising this concern, and we hope these steps help resolve the issue!
Sources:
Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math
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