How do I resolve the "Sitemap could not be read" error in Google Search Console for my new site?

All answers to this question.

This error is often caused by a tiny syntax error in the XML header or a character encoding issue. Ensure your file is strictly UTF-8 encoded and that you aren't using any unescaped special characters like ampersands in your URLs. While 30,000 URLs is within the 50,000 limit, a large file can sometimes time out during the fetch. In my 2024 projects, I've found that splitting sitemaps into smaller chunks of 10,000 URLs and using a Sitemap Index file often resolves "could not be read" status issues instantly. It also makes it easier to track which sections of your site are indexing properly.

   Answered 2024-03-16 by Jennifer Miller

Have you tried using a Sitemap Validator tool to see if there are any specific lines in the code that are breaking the XML structure? Sometimes even a missing closing tag can cause this.

   Answered 2024-03-18 by Robert Taylor

• Robert, that was exactly it! I ran it through a validator and discovered a nested tag error in the field for some entries. After cleaning up the automated script that generates the XML, Google was able to fetch it without any issues. It's funny how one small bracket can stall the indexing of an entire domain. Thanks for the steer towards the validator; it saved me hours of manual searching.

     Commented 2024-03-20 by Michael Brown

Check your robots.txt file to make sure you aren't accidentally blocking the crawler from accessing the sitemap URL itself. It happens more often than you'd think!

   Answered 2024-03-22 by Amanda White

• I totally agree, Amanda. If Googlebot can't reach the file because of a Disallow rule, it will report a read error every time. Always verify your robots.txt first.

     Commented 2024-03-24 by Sarah Jenkins