Incorrect Sitemap URL Showing in robots.txt on Staging Site - Support

Resolved Valerie Burns
1 month, 3 weeks ago

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I submitted this issue a month ago, but haven’t received a response. so I am resubmitting it.

We’ve been using RankMath for several years and recently noticed an issue with the sitemap URL shown in the robots.txt editor.

On our staging site, the sitemap URL shown in RankMath > General Settings > Edit robots.txt still points to an old domain (archframing.com) that we stopped using 5–6 years ago — well before we began using RankMath.

We manually corrected the robots.txt file using FileZilla, and the correct sitemap URL (https://arch-design.com/sitemap_index.xml) now appears on our live site. However, the staging site still shows the outdated URL (http://archframing.com/sitemap_index.xml) in the robots.txt editor, even after clearing all caches.

We’ll attach screenshots of the robots.txt screen from both environments (live and staging) for reference.

Can you advise:

Why the staging site is still showing the outdated sitemap URL?

How we can update or reset it within RankMath so it reflects the correct URL (arch-design.com) on staging as well?

Viewing 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

RankBot
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Hello,

We apologize for the issue you are facing with the sitemap URL in your robots.txt file on your staging site. Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention.

The outdated sitemap URL showing in the robots.txt editor on your staging site could be due to a few reasons:
1. Caching Issues: Even though you’ve cleared all caches, sometimes server-level caching or CDN caching can still hold onto old data. Ensure that any server-side caching or CDN is also cleared.
2. Database Settings: The sitemap URL might be stored in the database. If the staging site was created from a backup of the old site, it may still have the old settings. You can check the database for any entries related to the sitemap URL.
3. Rank Math Settings: Sometimes, settings may not sync properly between environments. You can try resetting the Rank Math settings on your staging site to see if that resolves the issue.
To update or reset the sitemap URL within Rank Math, follow these steps:
1. Go to Rank Math > General Settings > Edit robots.txt.
2. Ensure that the correct sitemap URL is entered in the text area. If it’s not, manually enter `https://rankmath.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Testing-robots.txt-file.gif.
3. Save your changes by clicking on the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.
If the issue persists after trying these steps, we recommend replying to this ticket with any additional details or screenshots you have, and a human agent from our support team will assist you further.

Thank you for your patience, and we hope to resolve this issue for you soon!

Sources:
How to Add Sitemaps to Robots.txt » Rank Math
Valerie Burns
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Rank Math free

Please direct this to a human.

Jeremy
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Hello,

Thank you for your query and we are so sorry about the trouble this must have caused.

Sorry for the delay in response as the messages you sent here in the ticket were all pending moderation and as such didn’t enter the queue of tickets.

We have gone ahead and approved your reply so our team can see your ticket in the queue.

Back to your issue, the Google Drive link you shared isn’t working. Can you please share your screenshots using this tool instead? https://imgur.com/upload.

We also may 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.

Jeremy
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Hello,

Checking your physical robots.txt in your staging website, you are still using the old domain there and Rank Math’s robots.txt is referencing that.

We suggest just deleting the physical robots.txt in your staging website and allowing Rank Math to virtually generate the robots.txt or you can simply edit the robots.txt physically or via Rank Math’s robots.txt editor.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any other questions.

Valerie Burns
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Rank Math free

“We suggest just deleting the physical robots.txt in your staging website and allowing Rank Math to virtually generate the robots.txt or you can simply edit the robots.txt physically or via Rank Math’s robots.txt editor.”

We’ve done this twice. It worked for the live site, but not for staging.
Reinelle
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Hello,

We’ve checked your staging robots.txt, and it is already showing these rules:
```
User-agent: *
Disallow: /
```
Looking forward to helping you.
Valerie Burns
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Rank Math free

I don’t understand your response. How does that relate to the URL in the robots.txt?

Valerie Burns
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Rank Math free

The URL in that robots.txt file showed arch-design.com, but it says archframing.com (the old domain) in RankMath. I deleted the robots.txt file in the root to let RankMath regenerate it, but it still the window in RankMath still shows archframing.com and I get a notice that it is locked because there is a physical file (even though I just deleted it from the root).

Muhammad Bilal Jack
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Rank Math free

The staging site’s robots.txt shows the wrong my sitemap URL update it to point to the correct sitemap or remove it if is not needed.

Jeremy
1 month, 1 week ago

Hello,

We still see the robots.txt in your staging website’s root directory from the FTP login you shared. We have gone ahead and removed it, allowing us to edit the robots.txt in Rank Math.

The robots.txt has been updated now:

Let us know if the issue persists on your end. Looking forward to helping you.

Valerie Burns
1 month, 1 week ago

Rank Math free

I deleted the robots.txt file in the staging root directory on 7/14/25. I just now confirmed that there is still no physical robots.txt file in the root directory. See file list from our root directory here: https://imgur.com/a/hicpq2f

Adetayo
1 month, 1 week ago

Hello,

The staging robots.txt file is now showing the default setup in Rank Math yet.

In this case, please clear your website cache, including server-side cache, and check the robots.txt file again.

Let us know how it goes. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

RankBot
1 week, 2 days 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 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

The ticket ‘Incorrect Sitemap URL Showing in robots.txt on Staging Site’ is closed to new replies.