Hello,
I apologize for the issue you are facing with the sitemap submission error. Thank you for sharing the article link you followed.
The error message "Sitemap could not be read – General HTTP error" indicates that Google encountered an issue while trying to access your sitemap. This could be due to various reasons such as an incorrect sitemap URL, sitemap format issues, or accessibility problems.
To troubleshoot this issue further, please follow these steps:
-
Rename the Sitemap File: As mentioned in the article, try renaming the sitemap file by adding it to Google Search Console under Indexing → Sitemaps using the URL https://yourdomain.com/?sitemap=1.
-
Fix Sitemap Issues: Ensure that your sitemap is correctly set up by validating it using the Validate XML Sitemap tool. Also, make sure your sitemap is located in the root folder and your posts are set to index.
-
Flush the Cache: If your sitemap appears outdated, flush the sitemap cache by increasing the value of Links Per Sitemap in Rank Math SEO → Sitemap Settings and then save your settings.
If after following these steps the issue persists, please reply to this ticket, and a human agent from the Rank Math Support team will assist you further.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Sources:
Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math
Why the Sitemap_Index.xml is Throwing a 404 Error » Rank Math
Hello,
For troubleshooting, please follow these steps to flush your sitemap cache:
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. Disable the transient cache for the sitemap by applying this filter. This will make sure that your XML sitemap always reflects the latest changes on your site:
/**
* Filter if XML sitemap transient cache is enabled.
*
* @param boolean $unsigned Enable cache or not, defaults to true
*/
add_filter( 'rank_math/sitemap/enable_caching', '__return_false');
If you’re not sure how to add this code, you can follow this guide:
https://rankmath.com/kb/wordpress-hooks-actions-filters/
Then, please remove all your submitted sitemaps and resubmit your main sitemap only.
Once done, give Google some time to update the “Last Read” column in your GSC.
Looking forward to helping you.
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.
