Are you facing sitemap errors on your WordPress website? Well then here’s a detailed guide on how to fix a sitemap error on the WordPress website.
We have described 10 methods that can help you fix the sitemap error on your website. You can try using any one or multiple to fix your sitemap error.
1) Identifying the Error
The first step is to determine the type of sitemap error your website is encountering. Such as:
- Sitemap not found
- Errors within the sitemap (e.g., invalid URLs)
- Sitemap not updating
- Sitemap generating a 404 error
2) Update Plugins and WordPress
Once you determine the type of sitemap error. Go to your WordPress dashboard and check if – WordPress, Theme, and all the plugins are up-to-date. Sometimes, sitemap issues are caused by outdated plugins, themes, or older WordPress versions.
- Go to Dashboard > Updates and update WordPress if needed
- To update the plugin go to Dashboard > Plugins and update all the plugins (if required).
3) Check Plugin Settings
Check the sitemap settings in your SEO plugin. Follow these steps for some of the most popular SEO plugins – such as RankMath, Yoast SEO, and All in One SEO Pack.
Rank Math:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- From the left menu choose Rank Math > Sitemap Settings.
- Ensure that the sitemap is enabled.
- Also, click on the box notification at the top that shows your website sitemap URL to check if the sitemap is working.
- If everything seems fine then just click on Save Changes to refresh the settings once.
- If it is not enabled then we recommend you to set it up properly.
- Follow the steps described in this article on – How to set up a sitemap for RankMath.
Yoast SEO:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Then from the left menu select SEO > General > Features.
- Ensure that the XML sitemaps feature is enabled.
- Click on the question mark icon next to XML sitemaps and then click on “See the XML sitemap” to check if the sitemap is working.
- If everything seems fine then just click on Save Changes to refresh the settings once.
- If it is not enabled then we recommend you to set it up properly.
- Follow the steps described in this article on – How to set up a sitemap for Yoast SEO.
All-in-One SEO Pack:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Then from the left menu select All in One SEO > Sitemaps.
- Ensure that the sitemap is enabled.
- Click on the Open Sitemap option to check its functionality.
- If everything seems fine then just click on Save Changes to refresh the settings once.
- If it is not enabled then we recommend you to set it up properly.
- Follow the steps described in this article on – How to set up a sitemap for All in One SEO Pack.
4) Clear Caches
If you are using a WordPress website then there are high chances that you would have a cache plugin installed. However, the issue with having a cache plugin is that sometimes it provides outdated versions of the sitemap to search engine robots.
So to solve this error just clear the cache of your site cache and see if it resolves the problem.
- Clear the cache from your caching plugin (e.g., W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache).
- If you use a CDN (Content Delivery Network), clear the CDN cache as well.
5) Regenerate the Sitemap
Sometimes regenerating the sitemap can fix errors. To do this just disable and then enable the sitemap feature in your SEO plugin.
Rank Math:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- From the left menu go to Rank Math > Sitemap Settings.
- Disable the sitemap, save changes, and then enable it again.
- This will refresh and regenerate the sitemap.
Yoast SEO:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Then from the left menu go to SEO > General > Features.
- Disable XML sitemaps, save changes, and then enable it again.
- This will refresh and regenerate the sitemap.
All-in-One SEO Pack:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- From the left menu go to All in One SEO > Sitemaps.
- Disable the sitemap, save changes, and then enable it again.
- This will refresh and regenerate the sitemap.
6) Check for Plugin Conflicts
There are chances that some plugin might be causing the sitemap issue. To resolve this, deactivate all your plugins except your SEO plugin and see if the sitemap works. If the sitemap works then reactivate each plugin one by one to identify the conflicting plugin. Once you find the conflicting plugin just delete the same.
7) Check for .htaccess Issues
Check your .htaccess file for any type of misconfiguration in the sitemap. Incorrect rules in the .htaccess file can affect sitemap functionality.
If you are a beginner then simply regenerate the .htaccess file by:
- Going to your WordPress – Dashboard > Settings > Permalinks.
- Click “Save Changes” to regenerate the .htaccess file.
8) Check Sitemap URL
Make sure the sitemap URL is correct. It is usually located at:
- https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
- https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml
9) Submit Sitemap to Search Engines
Make sure you have submitted the sitemap to the search engine. If you have (or not) then resubmit it to all the search engines again to ensure it gets crawled correctly.
Google Search Console:
- Go to Google Search Console.
- Select your property.
- Go to Sitemaps.
- Enter your sitemap URL and click “Submit”.
Bing Webmaster Tools:
- Go to Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Select your site.
- Go to Configure My Site > Sitemaps.
- Enter your sitemap URL and click “Submit”.
10) Review Server Logs
If none of the methods described above works then, check your server logs for errors that might be causing the sitemap issue. You can get in touch with your hosting provider and ask them to help you access these logs if you’re unsure how to do it.
But if you still need some help. Then you get in touch with us at uDIGIE. Where we’ll help you fix your WordPress website sitemap.
