Hello,
We apologize for the issue you are facing with your sitemap not being fetched in Google Search Console. It sounds like you’ve already taken some great troubleshooting steps. Here are a few additional suggestions that may help resolve the issue:
1. Validate Your Sitemap
Make sure your sitemap is correctly configured by validating it using the Validate XML Sitemap tool. If there are any issues detected, they will need to be addressed.
2. Ensure the Sitemap is Located in the Root Folder
Confirm that your sitemap is located in the root folder of your WordPress installation. The URL should look like this:
https://support.rankmath.com
3. Check Indexing Settings
Ensure that your posts are set to index. You can do this by navigating to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and checking the Robots Meta settings to ensure the Index checkbox is enabled.
4. Flush the Cache Again
If you haven’t already, try flushing the sitemap cache again by going to Rank Math SEO → Sitemap Settings and increasing the value of Links Per Sitemap by one, then save changes. After that, go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes again.
5. Exclude the Sitemap From Caching
Make sure your sitemap is not being cached by any caching plugins or server-side caching. You can refer to this article on ensuring that your sitemaps are excluded from caching.
6. Check for Server Issues
Since you mentioned receiving 403 errors from third-party sitemap testing tools, it might be worth checking with your hosting provider to ensure there are no server-level restrictions or issues affecting access to your sitemap.
7. Rename the Sitemap File
As a last resort, you can try renaming your sitemap file in Google Search Console by submitting it as:
https://support.rankmath.com
If you continue to experience issues after trying these steps, please reply to this ticket with any additional details or error messages you encounter, and a human agent from our support team will assist you further. Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention, and we hope to help you resolve it soon!
Sources:
Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math
Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math
This is an automated reply from Rank Math Support Bot. If you need further assistance, please reply to this topic and a human support agent will reply to you shortly.
