Hello,
I’m sorry to hear that Google is having trouble indexing your website due to an error with the sitemap_index.xml file. To resolve this issue, you can follow these steps:
-
Validate Your Sitemap: Use the Validate XML Sitemap tool to confirm that your sitemap is correctly configured.
-
Ensure the Sitemap Location: Make sure that the sitemap is located in the root folder of your WordPress installation. The correct path should be like this: https://yourdomainname.com/sitemap_index.xml.
-
Check Post Index Settings: Ensure that your posts are set to index. You can do this by going to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and enabling the Index checkbox in the Robots Meta settings.
If you follow these steps and still face issues, please let us know so we can assist you further. Thank you for reaching out and giving us the opportunity to help you with this matter.
Sources:
Why the Sitemap_Index.xml is Throwing a 404 Error » Rank Math
Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math
Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math
All the tips form the bot are made, and it still not works
Hello,
We’ve checked your sitemap, and it seems to be working fine.
In this case, please follow these steps to flush your sitemap cache:
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/
3. Disable the transient cache for the sitemap by applying this filter. This will make sure that your XML sitemap always reflects the latest changes on 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/
Once done, remove all your submitted sitemaps and resubmit your main sitemap index only:
https://rankmath.com/kb/submit-sitemap-to-google/
Looking forward to helping you.
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.