GSC Showing Sitemap as Empty - Support

Resolved L O’Neill
1 year, 4 months ago

Rank Math free

Hi

I noticed the following on my site:

Sitemap can be read, but has errors
Empty Sitemap
Your Sitemap does not contain any URLs. Please validate and resubmit your Sitemap.

I’ve tried resubmitting the site map, and I’ve gone through your AI instructions but still the sitemap on GSC shows as empty.

How can I resolve it please?

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

RankBot
1 year, 4 months ago
Hello,

We apologize for the issue you are facing with your sitemap showing as empty in Google Search Console. Thank you for raising this concern.

Here are some steps you can follow to resolve the issue:
1. Validate Your Sitemap: Use the Validate XML Sitemap tool to check if your sitemap is correctly configured. If there are no issues detected, it should confirm that your sitemap is valid.
2. Ensure Your Posts Are Set to Index: If all your posts are set to noindex, your sitemap will appear empty. To check this, go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and ensure that the Index checkbox is enabled in the Robots Meta settings.
3. Check Sitemap Location: Make sure your sitemap is located in the root folder of your WordPress installation. The URL should look like this: https://yourdomainname.com/sitemap_index.xml.
4. Flush Cache: If you are using a caching plugin, try flushing the cache and ensure that the sitemap is excluded from caching.
5. Check for Conflicts: There might be a conflict with another plugin or theme. You can use the Health Check plugin to identify any conflicts.
If you have followed these steps and the issue persists, please reply to this ticket, and a human agent from the Rank Math Support team will assist you further.

We hope this helps you resolve the issue!
Ike
1 year, 4 months ago
Hello,

Thank you for contacting us. We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused.

Please follow the steps below for initial troubleshooting:

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/

If the issue persists then try disabling the transient cache for the sitemap. This will make sure that your XML sitemap always reflects the latest changes on your site. Kindly add this code snippet to your site:
```
/** 
 * Filter if XML sitemap transient cache is enabled.
 *
 * @param boolean $unsigned Enable cache or not, defaults to true
 */
add_filter( 'rank_math/sitemap/enable_caching', '__return_false');
```
If you’re not sure how to add this code, you can follow this guide: https://rankmath.com/kb/wordpress-hooks-actions-filters/.

After you add the code, please clear any cache on your site or server and check your XML sitemap again.

Ensure you are following the steps shared in this guide: https://rankmath.com/kb/submit-sitemap-to-google/

If you’re still facing issues with the sitemap, please let us know – we are happy to investigate further.
L O’Neill
1 year, 4 months ago

Rank Math free

Hi there

Thanks for your quick response.

I followed the previous instructions and flushed the sitemap, disabled transient cache, etc, but GSC is still showing sitemap as empty. Not sure what has happened or why. Any other suggestions?

Thank you

Adetayo
1 year, 4 months ago

Hello,

Please share your sitemap URL with us so that we can check this further for you.

Looking forward to helping you.

Thank you.

L O’Neill
1 year, 4 months ago

Rank Math free

Hi, I think I’ve fixed it. I deselected the block fake bots option in my security set up and it seems to have worked.

Thank you for your help and your quick response.

Reinelle
1 year, 4 months ago

Hello,

We’re glad that you have already managed to fix this issue.

If you have any other concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us anytime so we can assist you further.

Looking forward to helping you.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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