"Sitemap could not be read" in Google Search Console
"Sitemap could not be read" (shown as Couldn't fetch in the Sitemaps list) means Google couldn't download the sitemap file at the address you submitted. On WordPress, the usual causes are the wrong address (often an old SEO plugin's sitemap), Discourage search engines from indexing this site being ticked, something blocking Google, or a cached error page. Right after you submit, it can also be temporary. Open the address in a private window, fix what you find, then resubmit.
What the statuses mean
The Sitemaps report in Search Console shows the result of Google's last attempt for each sitemap you submitted:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Success | Google fetched and read the sitemap with no errors. |
| Couldn't fetch | Google couldn't download the sitemap file at all. Click the row and the details page says Sitemap could not be read. |
| Has errors (or Sitemap had X errors) | Google downloaded the sitemap but found problems in it. The details page says Sitemap can be read, but has errors and lists them. Google still uses the entries it could read. |
Click a sitemap's row to see the details and the error name. Google's full list: Sitemaps report.
Check the sitemap yourself first
- In the Sitemaps report, click the sitemap and copy its exact address.
- Open that address in a private window. You should see a list of links (WordPress shows it as a styled table).
- A "Page not found" page: the address is wrong, or WordPress's sitemap is turned off. See the causes below.
- A login, password, or "coming soon" page: Google can't get past it either.
- It jumps to a different address: submit that address instead.
- If the sitemap loads, test it the way Google sees it. Paste the sitemap address into the inspection search bar at the top of Search Console and press Enter. Click Test live URL, then expand Page availability. You want Crawl allowed? to say Yes and Page fetch to say Successful.
URL Inspection only works for addresses in the property you're looking at. If it refuses, see The address doesn't match your property.
Common causes on WordPress
You submitted an old or wrong address
WordPress makes its own sitemap at yourdomain.com/wp-sitemap.xml. SEO plugins often replace it with their own address: Yoast SEO uses sitemap_index.xml, for example. If you switch plugins or rebuild the site, the old address can stop working, and Search Console keeps trying the one you submitted.
On a Dirigible site with Dirigible SEO and Yoast turned off, sitemap_index.xml, sitemap.xml and Yoast's other sitemap addresses redirect to wp-sitemap.xml, so old links keep working. Still, submit wp-sitemap.xml itself, and remove the old entry:
- In the Sitemaps report, click the old sitemap.
- Click the more options button and choose Remove sitemap.
- Paste the new address into Add a new sitemap and click Submit.
Removing a sitemap from the report doesn't remove your pages from Google.
"Discourage search engines" is ticked
Go to Settings → Reading and look at Search engine visibility. If Discourage search engines from indexing this site is ticked, WordPress turns its sitemap off, and wp-sitemap.xml shows "Page not found". It's easy to leave ticked when a site goes live. Untick it, click Save Changes, and check the sitemap loads.
On a Dirigible site, Dirigible SEO's redirects from the old addresses also stop while this box is ticked.
Something blocks Google
Google can't read a sitemap behind a login, and it respects your robots.txt file. Check for:
- A coming-soon or maintenance mode plugin left on.
- Password protection on the whole site, from your host or a plugin.
- A security plugin or firewall that blocks Google's crawler.
- A
robots.txtrule that blocks the sitemap. Openyourdomain.com/robots.txtand look for aDisallowline that covers it.
After you fix it, run the live test again.
An old error is cached
Many hosts keep a copy of each page at the edge so the site loads fast. Rocket.net, for example, serves sites through Cloudflare. If Google saw an error (a "Page not found" page, a maintenance page) and the host cached it, the error can keep showing after you fix the cause. Purge the site's cache in your hosting dashboard or caching plugin, or wait for it to refresh. Then check the sitemap in a private window and run the live test again.
Adding something like ?v=2 to the end of the address isn't a reliable way to get past the cache, so don't submit the sitemap that way.
It's temporary
Google fetches a new sitemap straight away, and sometimes that first try fails. When a fetch fails, Google keeps retrying for a few days. A Temporary error usually needs nothing from you. If the same error is still there after several hours, resubmit the sitemap. If the sitemap loads fine and the live test passes, give it a day or two before changing anything.
The address doesn't match your property
The report only shows sitemaps inside the property you're looking at. A sitemap at https://www.yourdomain.com/ doesn't belong to a property for https://yourdomain.com/. Submit the sitemap in the property that matches your site's address exactly, including https and www. See Add your WordPress site to Google Search Console.
Your site has a manual action
Google doesn't read sitemaps on a site with an unresolved manual action. Check the Manual actions report in Search Console.
"Has errors": the sitemap loads, but something in it is wrong
Click the sitemap to see the errors. The common ones on WordPress:
- URLs not followed. Google couldn't follow some links, often because they redirect too many times. Google asks you to list the final address of each page, not one that redirects. If every link redirects, check Settings → General: Site Address (URL) should match the address your site really uses, including
httpsandwww. - A parsing error. The sitemap file isn't valid XML. On WordPress, a plugin or theme printing a warning or extra text at the top of the file can cause it. Open the sitemap and look at the very top of the page.
The sitemap lists pages you don't want in Google
A sitemap should list the pages you want in search results. Pages marked noindex, or pages that redirect, don't belong in it. These don't show as sitemap errors. They show in the Indexing → Pages report: filter it by All submitted pages to see which pages from your sitemap Google left out, and why.
Dirigible SEO already leaves out pages marked Private Page (Do Not Index) and pages whose Canonical URL points somewhere else, plus categories and tags hidden the same way.
After you fix it
Resubmit the sitemap in the Sitemaps report and check back in a few days. A sitemap only tells Google which pages exist. It doesn't guarantee they'll be indexed. If pages show up as not indexed, see "Crawled – currently not indexed" in Google Search Console.
Redesigning or moving the site? Check the sitemap again after launch. See Keep your SEO when you redesign or move a website.
