Sitemap Issues: Noindex Error Even After Reinstalling Plugin

#1084212
  • Resolved Erge Yapı

    1 month, 2 weeks ago

    Rank Math free

    Dear Rank Math Support Team,

    I am writing to report a persistent and unusual issue with my sitemap. I have gone through extensive troubleshooting, but the problem remains.

    Website URL: https://www.ruyagor.com/
    Sitemap URL: https://www.ruyagor.com/sitemap_index.xml

    The problem:
    Google Search Console is reporting a “noindex” error for my sitemap file. The sitemap is being generated and served with a noindex header, which prevents it from being indexed by search engines.

    Steps I have already taken:

    File checks: I have confirmed that my .htaccess file and robots.txt file are correctly configured and do not contain any disallow rules that would block the sitemap.

    Caching: I have cleared all caches (plugin cache, browser cache, etc.) multiple times after each change.

    Plugin Conflict: I tried deactivating all other plugins on the site except for Rank Math, but the problem persisted.

    Reinstallation: As a last resort, I completely deleted and reinstalled Rank Math, but the noindex error reappeared as soon as the sitemap was generated.

    Crucial Observation:
    During my troubleshooting, I noticed a very strange behavior. When the sitemap file was not being generated (due to a 404 error), the noindex warning in Google Search Console would disappear. However, as soon as the sitemap file was successfully generated by Rank Math, the noindex error would immediately return.

    This suggests that the noindex tag is being added by the Rank Math plugin itself during the sitemap generation process, and it is not caused by any other plugin or a file-level issue on my server.

    Could you please assist me in investigating this matter further? I have exhausted all possible solutions on my end.

    Thank you for your time and help.

    Best regards,
    A Rüyagör user

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • RankBot

    1 month, 2 weeks ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issue you are facing with the noindex error in your sitemap. Thank you for providing detailed information about the steps you’ve taken to troubleshoot this problem.

    Based on your description, it seems that the noindex tag is being added during the sitemap generation process by Rank Math. Here are a few steps you can take to further investigate and potentially resolve this issue:

    1. Check Rank Math Settings: Ensure that the settings in Rank Math are configured correctly. Go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and check if there are any settings that might be causing the sitemap to be marked as noindex.

    2. Inspect the Sitemap: Open your sitemap URL (https://rankmath.com/kb/fix-sitemap-issues/#custom-canonicals) in a browser and view the source code. Look for any noindex tags in the header of the sitemap file itself.

    3. Check for Custom Canonicals: If you have set custom canonical URLs for your posts or pages, ensure that they are not affecting the sitemap generation. Rank Math includes self-referencing canonicals by default, and custom canonicals can lead to discrepancies.

    4. Exclude Sitemap from Caching: Since caching can sometimes interfere with sitemap generation, ensure that your sitemap is excluded from any caching mechanisms. You can refer to our tutorial on excluding sitemaps from caching.

    5. Resubmit Your Sitemap: After making any changes, resubmit your sitemap in Google Search Console to see if the issue persists. You can follow our guide on submitting your sitemap to Google.

    If these steps do not resolve the issue, we recommend replying to this ticket so that a human agent from our support team can take over and assist you further. They will be able to provide more in-depth troubleshooting specific to your site.

    Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to helping you resolve this issue!

    Sources:
    How to Fix Submitted URL Marked ‘NoIndex’ Error » Rank Math

    Rakibuzzaman Siam

    1 month, 2 weeks ago

    Hello,

    Please note that the sitemaps are by default set to Noindex as they are meant to be crawled and not to be displayed on search results pages. Even though it is set to Noindex, Google can crawl and read this without any issues.

    You should only submit your sitemap to the sitemap section of your GSC account and shouldn’t use the URL inspection tool for the sitemap URLs.
    https://rankmath.com/kb/submit-sitemap-to-google/

    In case you still want to index your sitemap, you can use the following filter on your website:

    add_filter( 'rank_math/sitemap/http_headers', function( $headers ) {
	if ( '/sitemap_index.xml' !== $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] ) {
		return $headers;
	}
	unset( $headers['X-Robots-Tag'] );
	return $headers;
} );

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

    After applying the filter, please clear your sitemap cache by following this screencast: https://i.rankmath.com/pipRDp

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

    Thank you.

    RankBot

    2 weeks, 5 days ago

    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.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The ticket ‘Sitemap Issues: Noindex Error Even After Reinstalling Plugin’ is closed to new replies.