Sitemap not working

#1110679
  • Resolved Sean

    2 months ago

    Rank Math free

    The following from Google Search Console: Says Sitemap could not be read. Status Couldn’t fetch. Below is copied and pasted from Google Search Console:
    9/20/25
    Total discovered pages
    14
    Total discovered videos
    0
    
    Sitemap could not be read
    General HTTP error
    1 instance
    Sitemaps read

    Sitemap Last read Status Discovered URLs Discovered videos
    https://carechiros.com/page-sitemap.xml Sep 20, 2025 Success 14

    Below is what is in rank Math. I have had issues with this since day 1. Any help is most appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation in resolving this issue. Below is what is in Rank Math.
    Your sitemap index can be found here: https://carechiros.com/sitemap_index.xml

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • RankBot

    2 months ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issue you are facing with your sitemap. The "Couldn’t fetch" error in Google Search Console can be caused by several factors. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

    1. Validate Your Sitemap

    First, ensure that your sitemap is correctly configured. You can validate your sitemap using the Validate XML Sitemap tool. Enter your sitemap URL and click VALIDATE SITEMAP. If there are no issues, it should return a success message.

    2. Check Sitemap Location

    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/Add-the-sitemap-to-Google-Search-Console-2.png

    3. Ensure Posts Are Set to Index

    If all your posts are set to noindex, your sitemap may appear empty. Go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and ensure that the Index checkbox is enabled for your posts.

    Index Titles and Meta settings

    4. Flush Permalinks

    Sometimes, flushing permalinks can resolve issues with sitemaps. Go to Settings → Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and click Save Changes without making any changes.

    5. Check for Plugin Conflicts

    If you are still experiencing issues, there may be a plugin conflict. You can use the Health Check plugin to identify any conflicts.

    6. Check Robots.txt File

    Ensure that your robots.txt file is not blocking access to your sitemap. You can check this in Rank Math SEO → General Settings → robots.txt.

    7. Submit Sitemap to Google Search Console

    After making these changes, go back to Google Search Console and re-submit your sitemap under Indexing → Sitemaps.

    If you continue to experience issues after trying these steps, we recommend replying to this ticket with any additional details or errors you encounter, and a human agent from our support team will assist you further. Thank you for your patience!

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

    Jeremy

    2 months ago

    Hello,

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

    Please ensure that you are using the latest version of Rank Math plugin. If not yet, please do update them. You may refer to our changelog page here: https://rankmath.com/changelog/

    Then, 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.

    Sean

    2 months ago

    Rank Math free

    Hey Jeremy! That did it! Thank you so much. You are the BEST! It works perfectly now and Google Search Console has the sitemap and says Status: Success. Once again thank you for all your help and have a most wonderful day.
    Sean.

    Princess

    2 months ago

    Hello,

    We are super happy that this resolved your issue. If you have any other questions in the future, know that we are here to help you.

    If you don’t mind me asking, could you please leave us a review (if you haven’t already) on
    https://www.trustpilot.com/evaluate/www.rankmath.com

    about your overall experience with Rank Math? We appreciate your time and patience.

    If you do have another question in the future, please feel free to create a new forum topic, and it will be our pleasure to assist you again.

    Thank you.

    RankBot

    1 month 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 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The ticket ‘Sitemap not working’ is closed to new replies.