X-Robots-Tag: noindex Sent Despite Plugin Set to Index (Sitemap)

#1113026
  • Evan Jones

    1 week, 5 days ago

    Rank Math free

    I am experiencing an issue where my sitemap is being blocked from indexing due to an overriding server header, and my hosting provider (EasyWP) insists the issue is within the Rank Math plugin files. I need your team to confirm the correct execution of your code.

    The Problem:
    My sitemap (/sitemap_index.xml) consistently shows “Couldn’t fetch” in Google Search Console.

    The Evidence of Interference:

    Plugin Settings are Correct: My Global Meta settings are correctly set to “Index” for all Robots Meta directives.

    Server Response is Wrong: Despite the correct setting, independent checks confirm the server is sending an overriding header: X-Robots-Tag: noindex.

    Host’s Findings (The Core Conflict): My host confirmed they found code lines in the plugin files responsible for sending this header, such as: wp-content/plugins/seo-by-rank-math/includes/modules/sitemap/abstract-xml.php: ‘X-Robots-Tag’ => ‘noindex’;

    The Core Question:

    Since my Rank Math settings are clearly set to “Index”, why is the code that sends the noindex header still being executed by the server?

    This suggests the server’s NGINX/PHP environment is either overriding my saved plugin settings or incorrectly executing the code.

    Desired Outcome:
    Please confirm that with my current “Index” settings, this header should NOT be present. An official statement confirming that the issue is due to external server interference or improper PHP execution is required to resolve this with my hosting provider.

    Thank you for your assistance.

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

    1 week, 5 days ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issue you are facing with your sitemap and the conflicting X-Robots-Tag header. Thank you for providing detailed information about your situation.

    Based on your description, if your Rank Math settings are correctly set to "Index" for all Robots Meta directives, the X-Robots-Tag: noindex header should not be present. This indicates that there may be an external factor, such as server configuration or caching, that is causing this header to be sent despite your plugin settings.

    Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

    1. Check for Plugin Conflicts: Sometimes, other plugins can interfere with Rank Math’s functionality. You can use the Health Check plugin to identify any conflicts.
    2. Server Caching: Ensure that there is no server-level caching that might be serving an outdated version of your sitemap. You can try clearing any caches on your server.
    3. NGINX Configuration: Since you mentioned using NGINX, it’s possible that there are specific configurations in your server setup that are enforcing the noindex directive. It would be beneficial to review the NGINX configuration files with your hosting provider.
    4. Custom Code: If there are any custom codes or modifications made to your theme or plugin files, ensure they are not affecting the output of headers.

    If after these checks the issue persists, we recommend reaching out to your hosting provider with this information, emphasizing that the Rank Math settings are configured to index and that the presence of the noindex header suggests server-level interference.

    For further assistance, please reply to this ticket, and a human agent from our support team will take over and provide more detailed help. If you could also include your site URL in your reply, it would help us investigate further.

    Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to resolve this issue promptly!

    Sources:
    Can I NoIndex PDF Files Using an SEO Plugin? » Rank Math
    How to Fix Submitted URL Marked ‘NoIndex’ Error » Rank Math

    This is an automated reply from Rank Math Support Bot. Your ticket has been assigned to a human agent and we will get back to you shortly.

    Ike

    1 week, 5 days ago

    Hello,

    Thank you for contacting us. We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused.

    Can you please confirm if you’re inspecting your sitemap URL in your Google Search Console and getting this error? If so, then it is normal and you don’t have to worry. You’ll get the error if you inspect your sitemaps because, by default, sitemaps are set to noindex as they are meant to be crawled and not to be displayed on search results pages.

    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/

    Hope that helps and please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions.

    Thank you.

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

You must be logged in to reply to this ticket.