Hello,
We apologize for the issue you are facing with your sitemap showing a 404 error. This can be frustrating, especially if it has occurred multiple times.
A 404 error typically indicates that the requested resource (in this case, your sitemap) could not be found. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue:
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Flush Permalinks: Sometimes, simply saving the permalinks settings in your WordPress dashboard can resolve 404 errors. Go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without making any changes.
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Check Sitemap URL: Ensure that the URL you are using to access your sitemap is correct. The standard format is usually yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.
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Check Server Configuration: If you have recently made changes to your server or hosting environment, ensure that there are no misconfigurations that could be causing the 404 error.
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Clear Cache: If you are using a caching plugin, clear your website cache and try accessing the sitemap again.
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Check for Conflicts: Sometimes, other plugins or themes can conflict with Rank Math. Try deactivating other plugins temporarily to see if the issue persists.
If the problem continues after trying these steps, please reply to this ticket, and a human agent from the Rank Math Support team will assist you further. Thank you for your patience, and we appreciate you bringing this concern to our attention!
Sources:
Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math
1. Flush Permalinks – Done
2. Check Sitemap URL – Proper
3. Check Server Configuration – We didnot Make any changes in server configuration
4. Clear Cache – for this cache plugin, your team has written code in htaccess file
All clear why it was affecting to sitemaps, why showing general http error, please connect team! Resolve it as soon as possible
Hello,
We can see that your sitemap works correctly. Since you state that this issue reoccurs it is possible that though you’ve cleared the cache, there might be deeper caching mechanisms in place (like server-level caching or CDN caching) that are causing old versions of files to be served.
If the problem continues, it might be helpful to reach out to your hosting provider to ensure there are no automated scripts or settings that are causing these reverts.
Hope that helps, and please do not hesitate to let us know if you need our assistance with anything else.
Hi Team!
we are not using CDN.
Anyways if I validate sitemap with Sitemap Validator it was showing below error
Incorrect http header content-type: “text/html; charset=UTF-8” (expected: “application/xml”)
Hello,
This happens when the sitemap is cached so you need to follow the steps in this tutorial to correct the issue: https://rankmath.com/kb/exclude-sitemaps-from-caching/
We recommend adding the transient method and then removing any XML files from wp-content/uploads/rank-math.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any other questions.
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.
