HTML sitemap error

#901335
  • Resolved Amit Chaudhary

    1 year, 3 months ago

    Rank Math free

    Hi,

    I am getting an error in the Google Search console that says “Your Sitemap appears to be an HTML page. Please use a supported sitemap format instead.” Currently I’ve submitted both xml and html sitemaps to Google Search console. Also there is an error in the xml sitemap for the POST that says “Sitemap could not be read”. Because of these errors my pages and post are not getting indexed (only 3 pages are indexed till date).

    Koffiexp

    Thanks

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

    1 year, 3 months ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issues you are facing with your sitemap in Google Search Console. The error message "Your Sitemap appears to be an HTML page" indicates that Google is trying to read your HTML sitemap as a sitemap, which is not supported. You should only submit the XML sitemap to Google Search Console.

    Here are some steps you can take to resolve the issues:

    1. Submit Only the XML Sitemap: Ensure that you are only submitting the XML sitemap to Google Search Console. The correct URL for your XML sitemap should be something like `https://rankmath.com/kb/fix-sitemap-issues/.

    2. Check for Errors in the XML Sitemap: If you are seeing an error that says "Sitemap could not be read," it may indicate that there is an issue with the XML sitemap itself. You can validate your XML sitemap using a tool like Validate XML Sitemap to check for any configuration issues.
      An example displaying how to validate a sitemap

    3. Ensure Posts Are Set to Index: Make sure that your posts are set to index. You can do this by going to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and ensuring that the Index checkbox is enabled in the Robots Meta settings.
      Index Titles and Meta settings

    4. Exclude Sitemap from Caching: If you have caching plugins, ensure that your sitemap is excluded from caching, as caching can sometimes cause issues with how the sitemap is served.

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

    If you continue to experience issues after following these steps, please reply to this ticket, and a human agent from the Rank Math Support team will assist you further. Thank you for raising this concern!

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

    Rakibuzzaman Siam

    1 year, 3 months ago

    Hello,

    You should only submit your XML sitemap on Google Search Console. However, after checking your sitemap, we can see it is working properly without any issues.

    In this case, please try to follow the steps below and see if that works for you:

    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/

    Once done, clear your website cache, remove all the submitted sitemap, and resubmit only the /sitemap_index.xml in the Search Console.

    Let us know how it goes. Looking forward to helping you.

    Thank you.

    Amit Chaudhary

    1 year, 3 months ago

    Rank Math free

    Hi,

    I have followed the above steps, but the sitemap and the indexing issue isn’t resolved. Also, I am using Instant Index for Google as well, but still no luck. I can still see the error for the “Post” sitemap in the Search Console, and my post and pages are not getting indexed. For indexing, I am forced to use the “Request indexing” button in the Google Search Console for post and pages.

    Reinelle

    1 year, 3 months ago

    Hello,

    You should check your Google Search Console > Indexing > Pages section to determine any issues reported on your URLs that may have prevented your site from being indexed:
    https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203?hl=en

    To better understand the status reported, you may refer to our guide here:
    https://rankmath.com/kb/url-inspection-api-integration/#not-indexed

    Regarding your post sitemap, please share the screenshot of your sitemap section from your GSC. You can upload screenshots using this tool and add the link here.

    Looking forward to helping you.

    Amit Chaudhary

    1 year, 3 months ago

    Rank Math free

    Hi,

    Thanks for your reply. I have checked the Google Search Console for the indexing issues. I’m getting a message in the GSC that says “URL is not on Google” and no referring sitemaps detected, this message is common for all the URLs which aren’t indexed on Google. Below, I’m attaching a screenshot for your refernce. Even for the indexed URLs, it says “No referring sitemaps detected”.

    Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/F9RzPfv

    Indexed page Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/rNs9DcU

    Now coming to the pages sitemap error, below I’m attaching the screenshot for your reference.

    Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/upUtcGo

    Screenshot 1: https://imgur.com/a/005b1zW

    Ike

    1 year, 3 months ago

    Hello,

    For the indexed URL the “no referring sitemap detected” means the page has been discovered by Google, and Google knows about it.

    Please note that a sitemap is only one of many ways Google discovers the URLs of your site. If Google discovers the URL through other means, it may not cross-reference your sitemap to check if the URL is there. Hence the “No referring sitemaps” message.

    For the couldn't fetch status for the post sitemap we can see that Google has not updated its last read date and the last time it did was on the 26th of October, 2024. Please only submit the main sitemap (/sitemap_index.xml) and wait for Google to update its last read date.

    For the “URL is not on Google” report for the URLs yet to be indexed, you can click the REQUEST INDEXING link to encourage Google to crawl those pages sooner:

    https://imgur.com/GxfcKHQ

    We hope this helps.

    Thanks.

    RankBot

    1 year, 2 months 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 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

The ticket ‘HTML sitemap error’ is closed to new replies.