Over the previous few days or so there was a spike in complaints round Google Search Console reporting an invalid sitemap error for sitemaps URLs that needs to be legitimate. Some are saying including an enable earlier than the sitemap URL within the robots.txt file fixes the difficulty however many are curious as to why.
There may be this thread on the Google Webmaster Help Forums gaining traction with complaints from quite a few site owners and SEOs. The primary one that posted wrote, “I’ve legitimate sitemap and robots.txt despite the fact that instrument displaying bellow error on Search Console. Can some one please assistance on this, we tried all however nothing is working, that is actually pressing repair for us.”
Here’s a screenshot of that error:
The answer of us discovered was so as to add enable earlier than the sitemap URL line in your robots.txt, so to switch your sitemap with this line
Enable: sitemap: https://”your-domain-name”/sitemap_index.xml
Listed here are some posts on X with complaints about this as effectively:
@googlesearchc @rustybrick
Did not up to date something since lengthy in Robots.txt file however not too long ago seen syntax error in Search Console report.Additionally validated robots file utilizing third get together instrument for errors however did not discover any.
Comparable thread: https://t.co/heS5US2ylR pic.twitter.com/TrZt6hvTVV
— Milan Dhrangadharia 🇮🇳 (@milan_0015) November 30, 2023
Similar challenge right here.
— Mobilanyheter (@mobilanyheter) December 3, 2023
Google has not but chimed in on this subject within the discussion board thread.
However a Google prime contributor, Dave, wrote yesterday, “There was a reporting bug in search console on this new report, it is apparently now been fastened so over the following couple of days you must see this error go away. Tell us in case you’re nonetheless seeing points after that.”
Many nonetheless see the difficulty this morning.
Discussion board dialogue at Google Webmaster Help Forums.