Solving the Issue: Yoast SEO’s Sitemap 404 Error in WordPress**

KEYWORD: How to Fix the 404 Error with Yoast SEO’s Sitemap in WordPress

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Tags: Yoast SEO, XML sitemap, WordPress, permalink structure, SEO plugins

Importance of Resolving the Yoast SEO Sitemap 404 Error

The Yoast SEO plugin is widely used among WordPress users to optimize their websites for search engines. However, if you encounter a 404 error with the Yoast SEO sitemap, it can have a negative impact on your website’s search engine visibility and ranking. Therefore, it is crucial to address this issue to ensure that search engines can properly crawl and index your website’s content. In this article, we will guide you on how to easily resolve the Yoast SEO XML sitemap 404 error in WordPress.

Understanding the Default XML Sitemap in WordPress

WordPress comes with a default XML sitemap that can be submitted to search engines such as Google. Although this sitemap serves its purpose, popular SEO plugins like All in One SEO and Yoast SEO offer more advanced XML sitemap functionality. These plugins generate their own XML sitemaps, replacing the default WordPress XML sitemap.

How to Resolve the Yoast SEO Sitemap 404 Error

Step 1: Refresh the Permalink Structure

At times, WordPress fails to update the permalink structure when changes are made, which can result in the Yoast SEO sitemap 404 error. To fix this, follow these steps:

1. Go to your WordPress admin area and navigate to Settings » Permalinks.
2. Click the Save Changes button to refresh the permalink settings.

After completing these steps, check if you can access your XML sitemap page without encountering the 404 error.

Step 2: Add Code to the .htaccess File

If refreshing the permalink structure did not solve the error, you can manually redirect users to the Yoast SEO sitemap page by adding code to your .htaccess file. Here’s what you need to do:

RedirectMatch 301 /sitemap.xml$ /index.php?sitemap=1

Note: If your WordPress website is installed in a subdirectory, modify the code accordingly.

Step 3: Use a Separate Plugin

If the previous methods don’t resolve the error, you can try using a separate plugin to generate XML sitemaps for your website. Follow these steps:

1. Install and activate the XML Sitemaps plugin.
2. If you are currently using Yoast SEO, the plugin will prompt you to disable Yoast SEO’s sitemap functionality. Click the Toggle Yoast SEO’s XML Sitemap button.
3. Go to the SEO » General page and scroll down to the XML Sitemaps option. Turn it off.
4. Save your settings by clicking the Save Changes button.
5. Configure the XML sitemap settings under Settings » XML-Sitemap.

-The default settings usually work fine, but you can customize them if necessary.

-Submit the XML sitemap URL to the Google Search Console and other search engines.

Step 4: Switch to All in One SEO

If none of the above methods work, you can consider switching to All in One SEO, an alternative to Yoast SEO. Follow these steps:

1. Install and activate the All in One SEO for WordPress plugin.
2. Follow the setup wizard to configure the plugin.
3. Import SEO data from Yoast SEO to retain your meta tags and titles.
4. Go to All in One SEO » Sitemaps to configure the XML sitemap settings.
5. Verify if the sitemap 404 error has been resolved by clicking the Open Sitemap button.
6. Customize the sitemap settings if required, and submit the sitemap URL to search engines.

Conclusion

By following the step-by-step instructions provided in this article, you can easily fix the Yoast SEO sitemap 404 error in WordPress. Resolving this issue is crucial for enhancing your website’s search engine visibility and ranking. If you encounter any other WordPress-related issues, you can refer to our comprehensive WordPress troubleshooting guide. For more helpful WordPress tips and tutorials, remember to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.