Rankmath Sitemap not fetchable for Google Search Console

Hello,

We apologize for the inconvenience you are facing with the Rank Math Sitemap in Google Search Console. The error message “Sitemap could not be read. General HTTP error” along with “HTTP Error: 403” indicates that Google is having trouble accessing your sitemap due to a permission issue (403 Forbidden error).

To resolve this issue, you need to ensure that your sitemap is accessible and not blocked for Google. Here are a few steps you can take to address this problem:

1. Check Sitemap Accessibility: Verify if your sitemap is accessible using a tool like httpstatus.io. This will help identify any issues preventing Google from accessing your sitemap.

2. Exclude Sitemaps from Caching: If your sitemap is being cached, exclude it from caching. You can refer to our tutorial on how to exclude Sitemaps from caching for detailed instructions.

3. Submit Correct Sitemap: Ensure that you have submitted the correct sitemap to Google. You should submit sitemap_index.xml and make sure that all inner sitemaps like post-sitemap.xml are visible in Google Search Console under sitemap_index.xml.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, please let us know by replying to this ticket, and a human agent from the Rank Math Support team will assist you further.

Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention. We are here to help you resolve this issue promptly.

Best regards.

Sources:
Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math
Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math
Why the Sitemap_Index.xml is Throwing a 404 Error » Rank Math
Indexed, Not Submitted in Sitemap – Google Search Console » Rank Math