Hello,
Thank you for contacting us and sorry for any inconvenience that might have been caused due to that.
We checked your sitemap and found that it is working properly on /?sitemap=1 but not in /sitemap_index.xml. In this case, please try setting a redirect rule from /?sitemap=1 to /sitemap_index.xml by following the guide below to see if that works for you:
https://rankmath.com/kb/sitemap-404-error/#nginx-apache-server
You may also ask your hosting provider to do that for you.
Let us know how it goes. Looking forward to helping you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I have forwarded this solution to hosting provider. They will use the code advised in your solution if possible.
Meanwhile, I am still a little worried that this may not be the final solution, because there are no sitemap-index.xml files on the WordPress (searched with File Manager). I think if we fixed those redirects, they would not redirect to the sitemap .xml files because the sitemap files don’t exist. Additionally, it looks like when I try and get RankMath to re-index and recreate the sitemaps by asking it to index from 200 to 2001, or turning the module within the plugin on/off, it fails to recreate these files.
With that information, would you have any additional advice?
p.s. Could caching plugins have anything to do with this issue?
Hello,
Please note that the sitemap generates on the fly in Rank Math, when you enable that module and that’s why you’ll not be able to find any physical sitemap file on your file manager.
To work the sitemap properly, we rely on redirects enabled by your server software to accomplish that. In your case, your /?sitemap=1 is working properly but /sitemap_index.xml is not and that’s why we suggest you to add the rewrite rules on your sitemap to see if that works for you.
Let us know how it goes. Looking forward to helping you.
Thank you.
I got a response from:
“We tried adding the code to the site, and it started throwing a 500: Internal Server Error.
https://imgur.com/ek0gid0
So, we immediately removed the code. Please check with support and let us know.”
They inserted the code into a file called htaccess.
Please let me know what the next best steps are.
Thank you.
Hello,
I’ve checked your site, and it is currently running on Nginx server
In this case, you may need to add the redirect directly on the site config file:
https://rankmath.com/kb/sitemap-404-error/#num-3-2-1-add-rewrite-rules-to-nginx-server
Your web host should also help you in applying the correct redirects on your site.
Let us know how this goes.
Thank you.
When you say “Your web host should also help you in applying the correct redirects on your site.” does that mean I MUST reach out to the website host support and ask them for assistance? Or is that not necessary if I have a web developer?
Hello,
Your web developer can also help you with applying the codes on your site.
We recommend your web host’s assistance first since they have full access to your server and can help you easily with the redirect application.
Hope that helps.
Thank you.
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.
