Hello, I apologize for the issue you’re facing with your sitemap. It seems that when you click on certain sections of your sitemap, such as categories or brands, you encounter a 404 error. This can be quite frustrating, but I’m here to help.
Based on the information provided, there could be a few reasons why this is happening. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:
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Flush the Sitemap Cache: Sometimes, the sitemap cache needs to be refreshed for changes to take effect. To do this, go to your WordPress admin area and navigate to Rank Math SEO → Sitemap Settings. Change the Links Per Sitemap value and click on Save Changes. Then, go to Settings → Permalinks and click on Save Changes again, even if you haven’t made any changes on the page. This should flush the permalinks setting and fix the sitemap problem.
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Check Permalink Structure: If you recently changed your permalink structure, make sure that you update your sitemap accordingly. The sitemap should reflect the current permalink structure of your website.
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Verify Rewrite Rules: If you are using an NGINX or Apache server, ensure that you have the correct rewrite rules in place. You can refer to the Rank Math knowledgebase article on XML sitemaps with NGINX or XML sitemaps with Apache for detailed instructions.
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Exclude Sitemap Files from Caching: If you are using a caching plugin, make sure that you have excluded the sitemap files from caching. Caching the sitemap files can cause them to return a 404 error. You can refer to the Rank Math knowledgebase article on excluding sitemaps from caching for guidance.
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Ensure Pages Are Set to Index: Check if all your posts and pages are set to be indexed. If they are set to “noindex,” it can result in an empty sitemap. To set your posts and pages to index, go to Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta and enable the Index checkbox in the Robots Meta settings.
If you have tried these steps and the issue persists, I recommend replying to the ticket you opened or reaching out to our support team directly through this link. They will be able to provide further assistance and investigate the issue more thoroughly.
I hope this helps resolve the issue with your sitemap. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.
Sources:
Why the Sitemap_Index.xml is Throwing a 404 Error » Rank Math
Using Video Sitemaps in 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.
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.
