Edit.robots.txt. file

Hello,

We apologize for the issues you are facing with your website’s robots.txt file and sitemap URL. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Addressing the Robots.txt File Not Writable Issue

The error indicating that the robots.txt file is not writable typically occurs when Rank Math cannot modify your robots.txt file. To resolve this, you can add the following code to your site:

/**
 * Allow editing the robots.txt & htaccess data.
 *
 * @param bool Can edit the robots & htacess data.
 */
add_filter( 'rank_math/can_edit_file', '__return_true' );

Additionally, check your wp-config.php file for the following line:

define (‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true);

If it exists, change it to:

define ('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', false);

If it does not exist, you can add it. If you are unable to access your wp-config.php file, please contact your hosting provider for assistance.

Fixing the 404 Error for the Sitemap URL

To address the 404 error for the sitemap URL, ensure that there are no conflicting plugins or physical files that might be causing this issue. You can check if another plugin is creating a sitemap or if a physical sitemap file exists in your site’s root directory. If so, you may need to disable that plugin or remove the physical file.

After making these changes, clear your website and server-level cache and test your sitemap URL again. You can refer to this guide on how to clear cache in WordPress.

Why Did Rank Math Automatically Create This?

Rank Math automatically creates a virtual robots.txt file to help manage SEO settings directly from the WordPress dashboard. This means you do not need a physical robots.txt file in your website’s root folder. If a physical file exists, it can conflict with Rank Math’s virtual file, leading to issues like the ones you’re experiencing.

Next Steps

Please reply to this ticket with your site URL so we can assist you further if needed. A human agent from our support team will take over and provide additional help if necessary.

We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve these issues for you!

Sources:
I Can’t Edit My Website’s Robots.txt » Rank Math
Common robots.txt Issues & How to Fix Them » Rank Math

Hello,

In this case, we might need to take a closer look at the settings. Please edit the first post on this ticket and include your WordPress & FTP logins in the designated Sensitive Data section.

Please do take a complete backup of your website before sharing the information with us.

It is completely secure and only our support staff has access to that section. If you want, you can use the below plugin to generate a temporary login URL to your website and share that with us instead:

https://wordpress.org/plugins/temporary-login-without-password/

You can use the above plugin in conjunction with the WP Security Audit Log to monitor what changes our staff might make on your website (if any):

https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-security-audit-log/

We really look forward to helping you.

Hello,

We deeply apologize for the unexpected delay in response. This ticket has been stuck in our drafts section for some reason.

However, we tried to check your websites, but the temporary login URL you shared has expired and is getting redirected to the login page.

Please renew and extend the login to at least 3 days, and share this in the sensitive data section so we can check the issue further.

Looking forward to helping you.

Thank you.

Hello,

We sincerely apologize again for the inconvenience caused.

We understand how frustrating the delay must have been and truly regret that we couldn’t assist you in time.

Due to a recent surge in support requests, our response times have been slower than usual. We’re working hard to improve this and ensure timely support for all users.

If there’s anything we can still help with, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.