site map validation error

Hello,

We apologize for the issue you are facing with sitemap validation. To troubleshoot this error, please follow these steps:

1. Validate Your Sitemap: Use the Validate XML Sitemap tool to check if your sitemap is correctly configured. Enter your sitemap URL and click VALIDATE SITEMAP. If it’s properly configured, you should see a success message.
   

2. Ensure the Sitemap is Located in the Root Folder: Make sure your sitemap is in the root folder of your WordPress installation. The URL should look like this: https://yourdomainname.com/sitemap_index.xml.

3. Check Indexing Settings: Ensure that your posts are set to index. Go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and enable the Index checkbox in the Robots Meta settings, then save changes.
   

4. Exclude Sitemap from Caching: If you have caching enabled on your site, ensure that your sitemap is excluded from being cached. You can find guidance on how to do this in our tutorial.

5. Check for Restrictions from Web Host: Sometimes, access to the sitemap may be restricted by a security plugin or your web host. If you suspect this might be the case, reach out to your web host for assistance.

If you continue to experience issues after trying these steps, please reply to this ticket with your sitemap URL so that a human agent can assist you further. Thank you for raising this concern!

Sources:
Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math
How to Fix "Incorrect HTTP Header Content-Type" Error in Sitemaps » Rank Math
Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us. We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused.

Please follow the steps below:

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. Apply the following filter code to your site.

add_filter( 'rank_math/sitemap/enable_caching', '__return_false');

Here’s how you can add filter to your WordPress site:https://rankmath.com/kb/wordpress-hooks-actions-filters/

4. Remove all your sitemaps from your Google Search Console and re-submit only the main sitemap (/sitemap_index.xml)

5. If the issue persists, please try removing all your sitemaps from your GSC account again and try submitting the following: /?sitemap=1.

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