Google sitemap cannot be crawled

Hello, we’re sorry to hear that you’re facing issues with your Google sitemap not being crawled. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially fix the issue:

1. Validate Your Sitemap: Use the Validate XML Sitemap tool to check if your sitemap is correctly configured. Enter your sitemap URL and click VALIDATE SITEMAP.
   

2. Ensure the Sitemap is Located in the Root Folder: Make sure your sitemap is located in the root folder of your WordPress installation. The correct URL should look like this: `https://rankmath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Index-titles-and-meta-settings.png.

3. Check Robots.txt File: Ensure that your robots.txt file is not blocking access to your sitemap. You can check this by going to Rank Math SEO → General Settings → robots.txt.

4. Flush Permalinks: If you are getting a 404 error, try flushing permalinks by going to the Permalinks settings in your WordPress dashboard and clicking Save Changes.

5. Check for Plugin Conflicts: Sometimes, other plugins can conflict with Rank Math. You can use the Health Check plugin to identify any conflicts.

6. Ensure Posts Are Set to Index: If all your posts are set to noindex, your sitemap will be empty. Go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and ensure that the Index checkbox is enabled for your posts.
   

7. Submit Sitemap in Google Search Console: After making these changes, resubmit your sitemap in Google Search Console to see if it gets indexed.

If you continue to experience issues after trying these steps, please reply to this ticket with any specific error messages you are encountering, and a human agent from our support team will assist you further.

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