Sitemap could not be read ; couldn’t fetch

#191687
  • Resolved P C
    Rank Math free

    On Google console I keep getting error Sitemap could not be read ; couldn’t fetch when adding site map from rank math. When I do a url inspection I find url is on Google but when I request indexing I get indexing request rejected during live testing indexing issues were detected with the url. I have ensured I have the correct url. I have even tried copying the site map which Google console will not except. I tried clearing cache under performance on my WordPress dashboard. Performance isn’t even an option. Please help Google is reporting old info from years ago. I need updated ASAP as it’s preventing people from coming to my website.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 24 total)
  • Hello,

    Thank you for contacting the support, and sorry for any inconvenience that might have been caused due to that.

    I checked your sitemap page and it seems to be working fine.

    The Couldn’t Fetch sitemap error is, in most cases, simply due to a bug in the Google Search Console.

    Please follow the instructions in this guide to fix this issue:
    https://rankmath.com/kb/couldnt-fetch-error-google-search-console/

    I hope this helps. Looking forward to helping you.

    P C
    Rank Math free

    I’ve found when I click to view site map from WordPress rankmath option it takes me XML Sitemap Index file contains 2 sitemaps. One is about a month old. How can I get the older one deleted?

    Prabhat
    Rank Math agency

    Hello,

    Thanks for your reply.

    Could you please confirm if you have the WordPress installation in a subfolder named /shop/?

    I tried checking your robots.txt file but I was unable to access it. You may have a look at the screencast available in the sensitive data section of this ticket.

    The robots.txt file also holds the URL of your sitemap, and when bots visit your website, this URL helps them in crawling locating the sitemap.

    Please check if you have a physical robots.txt file on your server.

    I tested your sitemaps using https://httpstatus.io/, and it seems that you haven’t verified the www (or non-www) version of your website. Please have a look at this screenshot for a quick reference: https://i.rankmath.com/tR4QeE

    Please ensure that only 1 version of the sitemap is working (200 Ok status), and the rest are redirecting to it. Please follow the steps in this link: https://rankmath.com/kb/couldnt-fetch-error-google-search-console/#5-check-for-the-correct-version-of-the-sitemap

    Once done, remove all the sitemaps submitted in your GSC, then resubmit your main sitemap only /sitemap_index.xml, and give Google some time to recrawl your site.

    Please let us know how that goes.

    Thank you.

    P C
    Rank Math free

    Hello,

    I have updated the sensitive data as requested. Can you please check further?

    Thank you.

    P C
    Rank Math free

    on my general settings my wordpress url and site address url is listed as https://prolificcandles.com/shop. I tried to remove shop at the end just a few days ago and it caused my website to crash. I then had to pay my domain host to recover from a backup. So I am not really sure if it’s a sub folder. I had a web designer set up the website and i never wanted shop at the end but they were saying it had to be added. Although when you type in url without shop it still goes to the website. I thought I had verified all version of my website its almost 9 years old. How do I ensure that only 1 version of the sitemap is working (200 Ok status), and the rest are redirecting to it? When i followed the link and tested via validate sitemap it comes back valid with the link from rankmath but it does include shop at the end and it still has the 2 sitemaps. I looked under my wordpress dashboard and i do not have a performance tab to even clear wordpress cache. I updated the sensitive data area also.

    Hello,

    Thank you for the update.

    I assumed that your site was set up to show the /shop page as your homepage.

    However, we can also check your site and 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.
    Sensitive Data Section

    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.

    Thank you.

    P C
    Rank Math free

    Hello,

    I think it was set up to add shop to home page I just know when I deleted it the entire website crashed so it seems critical it’s there. I have updated the sensitive data as requested. Can you please check further?

    Thank you.

    Hello,

    Thank you for that information.

    For your sitemap, you may need to ensure that the 3 versions redirect to your final version. You can read this tutorial of the .htacess method that will help you to redirect non-www to www URLs using the .htaccess file in your public_html folder.

    If you’re not comfortable setting up these redirections, you may need to get in touch with your web host as they should be able to help you with redirecting your site from HTTP to HTTPS and www to non-www version of your site.

    For the /shop issue, it seems that your site’s WordPress and Site Address have the /shop on your WordPress dashboard > Settings > General. Is that the option you have changed when your site crashed? Here’s a screenshot:
    https://i.rankmath.com/UvwY0d

    I hope that helps. Thank you, and looking forward to your update.

    P C
    Rank Math free

    When I type in all versions http, https, www and just the domain.com they all redirect to https version with shop at the end. Yes when I removed shop my entire website crashed when I tried to pull it up it was actually the coming soon screen which was initially placed up for my domain while the site was being built 8 years ago. My issue isn’t really the shop being added but the old info Google is reporting. One of the expert comments said to make changes but how do I ensure that only 1 version of the sitemap is working (200 Ok status), and the rest are redirecting to it? When i followed the link and tested via validate sitemap it comes back valid with the link from rankmath but rankmaths link does include shop at the end and it still has 2 sitemaps. One is over a month old the other I believe is from yesterday. I looked under my wordpress dashboard and i do not have a performance tab to even clear wordpress cache. Trying to figure out how to remove that old site map. And wondering will this fix the issue of old data showing for Google? I’m imputing that site map link from mathrank into my Google console.

    Hello,

    When i followed the link and tested via validate sitemap it comes back valid with the link from rankmath but rankmaths link does include shop at the end and it still has 2 sitemaps. One is over a month old the other I believe is from yesterday. I looked under my wordpress dashboard and i do not have a performance tab to even clear wordpress cache.

    – We skipped this part from our link since that doesn’t apply to your case and we will proceed to the redirection.

    As you can see in this screenshot that your sitemap returns 200 OK for all of the versions. In this case, you will need to redirect the 3 versions to your final version. Technically, 3 of them should be 301 and only one version should return 200 OK.

    To do these, you can refer to the steps I’ve mentioned above.

    Unfortunately, these redirections cannot be handled by Rank Math redirection and you may need to get in touch with your web host as they are in a better position to help you with this kind of redirect.

    To remove your sitemap in your Google Search Console, you will need to click the sitemap and you’ll see the 3 dots at the upper right corner of your screen
    Remove Sitemap

    Once done, you’ll need to resubmit your main sitemap /sitemap_index.xml and give Google some time to recrawl your site.

    I hope that helps. Thank you, and please don’t hesitate to contact us anytime if you need further assistance with anything else.

    P C
    Rank Math free

    The part I’m unclear on is which version my final redirect should be. I know for sure https: but would I direct to what’s on my general settings in WordPress? The wordpress url and site address url is listed as and includes the shop at the end of domain. should they all redirect to this?

    P C
    Rank Math free

    I think i am making progress. my domain host has updated my url’s to redirect to 1 website. apparently i have 8 version of the website:
    https://www.prolificcandles.com
    http://www.prolificcandles.com
    http://prolificcandles.com
    https://prolificcandles.com
    https://www.prolificcandles.com/shop
    http://www.prolificcandles.com/shop
    http://prolificcandles.com/shop
    https://prolificcandles.com/shop
    All of the URL’s are suppose to redirect to https://prolificcandles.com/shop Are you seeing that during testing? I still see the same sitemap when i look at rankmath in my dashboard. i read from your steps to clear cache and prevent the sitemap from being cached but i don’t have the performance option in my dashboard settings to do so. the sitemap url in my rankmath sitemap settings in still showing the april and may sitemap.

    Ankit
    Rank Math business

    Hello,

    All the URLs you have mentioned are redirecting to https://prolificcandles.com/shop.

    I can see all the URLs starting with prolificcandles.com/shop/ inside your sitemap.xml file.

    However, I have noticed that your robots.txt file is sending a 404 not found response, which we should avoid. Could you please check if you have physical robots.txt present inside the root installation of your WordPress? If it does, delete the file.

    Robots.txt 404 screenshot:
    http://prnt.sc/12gjroc

    Looking forward to helping you. Thank you.

    P C
    Rank Math free

    Thank you. So instead of redirecting it’s giving people 404 errors? Where would I look to find robots.txt? How does it look to ensure I remove the right text? When I set up my rankmath settings I set it up so that pages would direct to 404 if they weren’t found but I thought I switched it to just redirect back to the home page. Is there a way you can check this?

    Hello,

    Thank you for the update.

    I’ve checked your sitemap, and it seems that it is already working fine. However, for your robots.txt, you may need to look into your website’s root directory (file manager). Your web host can also help you with this.

    You may need to find the robot.txt file and delete (at least rename) that file so Rank Math will handle your robots.txt

    Your Fallback Behavior is still set as a default 404 in Rank Math > General Settings > Redirections. You can set this to Redirect to Homepage as per your statement.
    Fallback

    Once your robots.txt is already accessible (not redirecting or showing 404), you can then resubmit your sitemap to your Google Search Console account. Here’s your main sitemap URL
    https://www.prolificcandles.com/shop/sitemap_index.xml

    I hope that helps. Thank you, and please don’t hesitate to contact us anytime if you need further assistance with anything else.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 24 total)

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