Sitemap not fetching in Google Search Console & Bing

#1086105
  • Resolved Generator Mechanics

    1 month, 2 weeks ago

    Rank Math free

    I’m running into a problem with my sitemap and hoping you can help. My site is https://fpstesting.com and I’m using Rank Math to generate the sitemap.

    The sitemap URL (https://fpstesting.com/sitemap_index.xml) opens fine in the browser, but when I try to submit it in Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools, it doesn’t fetch and just throws an error.

    Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

    Cleared cache and checked the sitemap directly — it loads without issues.

    Tried disabling other plugins to rule out a conflict.

    Resubmitted the sitemap several times, but the issue still remains.

    Not sure if this is a plugin issue or something server-related, so I’d really appreciate it if you could take a look and point me in the right direction.

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 your sitemap not fetching in Google Search Console and Bing. Thank you for providing detailed information about the steps you’ve already taken. Here are some additional troubleshooting steps you can follow to resolve the "Couldn’t fetch" error:

    1. Validate Your Sitemap

    Make sure your sitemap is correctly configured by using the Validate XML Sitemap tool. This will help identify any issues with the sitemap itself.

    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://www.yourdomain.com`

    3. Check Index Settings for Posts

    Ensure that your posts are set to index. Go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and make sure the Index checkbox is enabled for your posts.

    4. Flush the Cache

    If your sitemap appears outdated, you may need to flush the sitemap cache. Navigate to Rank Math SEO → Sitemap Settings, increase the value of Links Per Sitemap by one, and save your settings. Then, go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes to apply the current settings.

    5. Exclude the Sitemap From Caching

    Make sure that your sitemap is not being cached by any caching plugins. You can refer to this knowledgebase article on ensuring that your sitemaps are excluded from caching.

    6. Check robots.txt File

    Ensure that your robots.txt file is not blocking access to your sitemap. You can check this by going to Rank Math SEO → General Settings → robots.txt.

    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://www.yourdomain.com`

    If you’ve tried all these steps and are still experiencing issues, we recommend replying to this ticket so a human agent from our support team can assist you further.

    Thank you for your patience, and we hope this helps resolve your issue!

    Sources:
    Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math

    Jeremy

    1 month, 2 weeks ago

    Hello,

    Thank you for your query and we are so sorry about the trouble this must have caused.

    Please follow the steps below:

    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. Apply the following filter code to your site.

    
add_filter( 'rank_math/sitemap/enable_caching', '__return_false');

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

    4. Remove all your sitemaps from your Google Search Console and re-submit only the index sitemap (https://website.com/sitemap_index.xml)

    If the issue persists, please click on the sitemap error in your GSC account and take a screenshot of the full details of the error. You may share the screenshot with us here using this tool: https://imgur.com/upload

    Looking forward to helping you with this one.

    RankBot

    2 weeks, 1 day 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 not fetching in Google Search Console & Bing’ is closed to new replies.