Why Google Won't Fetch Your WordPress Sitemap and How to Fix It

If you've submitted your WordPress sitemap to Google Search Console but it's not being fetched or indexed, you're not alone. This is a common point of confusion for many site owners. Based on community discussions, this guide will walk you through the most likely causes and their solutions.

Why This Happens

Google does not automatically discover and index every sitemap on the internet. Simply creating a sitemap with a plugin like RankMath or Yoast SEO is only the first step. The indexing process is initiated by you through Google Search Console. If you haven't registered your sitemap there, or if there is an issue with the sitemap itself, Google will not fetch its contents.

How to Fix It: The Most Common Solutions

1. Register Your Sitemap with Google Search Console

This is the most critical step. You must explicitly tell Google your sitemap exists.

1. Log in to your Google Search Console account.
2. Select the property (your website) from the dashboard.
3. In the left sidebar, navigate to Sitemaps under the 'Indexing' section.
4. Enter the URL of your sitemap (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml).
5. Click Submit.

After submission, it may take some time for Google to process it. Check back later to see the status and any discovered URLs.

2. Check for Sitemap Errors

Once submitted, Google Search Console will report any errors with your sitemap. Common issues include:

• Sitemap Size: A single sitemap file must be under 50MB (uncompressed) and contain no more than 50,000 URLs. If your site is larger, you must split it into multiple sitemap files. Most SEO plugins handle this automatically.
• Invalid URLs: The sitemap should only contain valid, accessible URLs. Check for any URLs that return a 404 (not found) or 500 (server error) status.

3. Rule Out Plugin and Theme Conflicts

In some cases, a conflict with another plugin or your theme can prevent the sitemap from being generated correctly.

1. Temporarily deactivate all plugins except your SEO plugin (e.g., RankMath).
2. Switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
3. Check if your sitemap is accessible. If it is, reactivate your plugins and theme one by one to identify the culprit.
4. For a safer method, use the Health Check plugin to troubleshoot without affecting your live site's visitors.

4. Seek Plugin-Specific Support

If the issue persists, the problem may be specific to your SEO plugin. The 'Networking WordPress' team and other community volunteers often recommend seeking help in the dedicated support forum for your plugin, as its developers are best equipped to handle bugs and configuration issues.

• Rank Math Support: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/seo-by-rank-math/
• Yoast SEO Support: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wordpress-seo/

Final Thoughts

Successfully getting Google to index your sitemap is a two-part process: ensuring the sitemap is technically sound and then formally submitting it through the correct channel (Google Search Console). By following these steps, you can resolve the most common issues that prevent Google from fetching your sitemap.