after removing category base sitemap showing 404 error

Hello,

We apologize for the issue you are facing with your sitemap showing a 404 error after removing the category base. It seems that even after turning off the Strip Category Base option, the sitemap is still not displaying correctly.

To troubleshoot this issue, we recommend checking the following:

1. Clear Cache: If you have any caching plugins installed, please clear the cache to ensure that the latest changes are reflected.
2. Check Sitemap Settings: Ensure that your sitemap settings are configured correctly in Rank Math. You can refer to our guide on how to configure sitemaps for detailed instructions.
3. Sitemap Index: If you are using a sitemap index, make sure that all individual sitemaps are accessible and returning a 200 OK response.
4. Permalink Settings: Sometimes, resetting your permalink settings can help resolve issues. You can do this by going to Settings → Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and simply clicking the Save Changes button without making any changes.

If the issue persists, please reply to this ticket with your site URL so that we can assist you further. A human agent from our support team will take over and provide more specific guidance.

Thank you for raising this concern!

Sources:
How to Remove the Category Base From WordPress » Rank Math
How to Configure Sitemaps in Rank Math – Best Settings and Tips

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us and sorry for any inconvenience that might have been caused due to that.

Can you please share your sitemap URL with us so that we can check the issue further for you?

Meanwhile, 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/

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

Hello,

Can you share a screenshot with us?

You can share a screenshot using this tool: https://imgur.com/upload

In the meantime, please 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.

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

Thank you.