Sitemap could not be read

Hello,

We apologize for the issue you are facing with your sitemap not being read. This can happen for several reasons, and we recommend following these steps to troubleshoot the problem:

1. Check Sitemap URL

Ensure that your sitemap URL is correct. It should typically look like this:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/-QZro6QysCA/maxresdefault.jpg

2. 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 there are issues, the tool will provide feedback.

3. Flush Permalinks

If you are getting a 404 error, try flushing your permalinks by going to the Permalinks page in your WordPress dashboard and clicking Save Changes without making any changes.

4. Check for Unsupported File Format

Make sure your sitemap file is using the correct header:

Ensure that the namespace ends with 0.9 and that you are using straight quotes for XML attributes.

5. Server Configuration

If you are using an Apache or Nginx server, ensure that the necessary rewrite rules are in place. For Apache, you may need to add the following to your .htaccess file:

# START of Rank Math Sitemap Rewrite Rules
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^sitemap_index.xml$ /index.php?sitemap=1 [L]
RewriteRule ^([^/]+?)-sitemap([0-9]+)?.xml$ /index.php?sitemap=$1&sitemap_n=$2 [L]
RewriteRule ^([a-z]+)?-?sitemap.xsl$ /index.php?xsl=$1 [L]
# END of Rank Math Sitemap Rewrite Rules

For Nginx, add this to your config file:

# START Nginx Rewrites for Rank Math Sitemaps
rewrite ^/sitemap_index.xml$ /index.php?sitemap=1 last;
rewrite ^/([^/]+?)-sitemap([0-9]+)?.xml$ /index.php?sitemap=$1&sitemap_n=$2 last;
rewrite ^/([a-z]+)?-sitemap.xsl$ /index.php?xsl=$1 last;
# END Nginx Rewrites for Rank Math Sitemaps

6. Clear Cache

After making any changes, make sure to clear your website cache and try accessing your sitemap again.

If the issue persists, please reply to this ticket with your site URL so we can assist you further.

Sources:
Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math
Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math