Sitemap Showing as HTML Error in Google Search Console

#987280
  • Resolved Blogger Manish

    6 months ago

    Rank Math free

    Dear Rank Math Support Team,

    I am facing an issue with my website’s sitemap on ZestfulMeals.com. Google Search Console shows the following error for my /post-sitemap.xml:

    Sitemap is HTML
    Line 2 – Tag: <html>
    Here’s what I have already tried, but the issue still persists:

    Checked Rank Math Sitemap Settings – Ensured the sitemap structure is correctly configured.
    Flushed Permalinks – Went to Settings → Permalinks → Clicked ‘Save Changes’ without modifying settings.
    Cleared Cache – Purged cache from my caching plugin and Cloudflare.
    Confirmed Correct URL Structure – Verified the sitemap URL format /sitemap_index.xml and /post-sitemap.xml.
    Checked Robots.txt – Ensured sitemap URLs are properly mentioned in my robots.txt file.
    Despite these efforts, the error persists. Kindly guide me on how to resolve this issue.

    I have attached relevant screenshots for reference.

    Looking forward to your support.

    Best regards,
    Manish Thakur
    Owner, Zestful Meals
    Email: z***********@g********

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)
  • RankBot

    6 months ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issue you are facing with your website’s sitemap showing as an HTML error in Google Search Console. Thank you for providing detailed information about the steps you’ve already taken to resolve this issue.

    The error message indicating that the sitemap is being interpreted as HTML usually suggests that the sitemap URL is not returning the expected XML format. Here are a few additional steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

    1. Check for Plugin Conflicts: Sometimes, other plugins can interfere with the sitemap generation. You can use the Health Check plugin to check for conflicts without affecting your live site.

    2. Inspect the Sitemap URL: Manually visit your sitemap URL (e.g., `https://rankmath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/An-example-displaying-how-to-validate-a-sitemap-2.png) in a browser. If it displays an HTML page instead of XML, there may be an issue with how the sitemap is being generated or served.

    3. Review Server Configuration: Ensure that your server is correctly configured to serve XML files. Sometimes, server settings can lead to incorrect content types being sent.

    4. Check for Custom Canonicals: If you have set custom canonical URLs for your posts, they may not appear in the sitemap. Ensure that you are using Rank Math’s default canonical settings unless necessary.

    5. Add a Filter to Disable Caching: If you are using caching plugins, try adding the following filter to your theme’s rank-math.php file:

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

      This will disable caching for the sitemap and may resolve the issue.

    If these steps do not resolve the problem, please reply to this ticket with any additional details or screenshots you have, and a human agent from our support team will assist you further.

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

    Sources:
    Rank Math Sitemap Issues and Their Fixes » Rank Math
    Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » 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.

    RankBot

    5 months 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 1 replies (of 1 total)

The ticket ‘Sitemap Showing as HTML Error in Google Search Console’ is closed to new replies.