"Sitemap is HTML" in Search Console: how to fix it
Sitemap is HTML means the address you submitted returns a web page, not a sitemap file. Submit the XML file instead, or find what replaces it with a page.
By Bruno Amorim · ·
Where you see it
In Indexing > Sitemaps, click the sitemap. The details page shows Sitemap is HTML.
What it means
Google downloaded the address and got an HTML web page. A sitemap must be an XML sitemap, an RSS or Atom feed, or a plain text list of URLs.
Google's Sitemaps report help page does not list this message, but site owners see it in the report when this happens.
Common causes
- You submitted the page that shows your site's map to visitors, such as
/sitemapor/site-map, not the XML file. - The XML address shows a different page: your home page, a 404 page, a coming soon page, a login page, or a security challenge.
- A cache plugin or CDN stored a web page for the sitemap address.
- Your sitemap plugin adds a style sheet so the file looks like a page in your browser. That alone is not the problem: the file is still XML. View the page source to check.
Find the cause
- Open the address in a private browser window. Right-click and choose View Page Source. A sitemap starts with
<?xmland has<urlset>or<sitemapindex>. A page starts with<!DOCTYPE html>or<html>. - Run Test live URL in URL Inspection on the address, then View tested page to see what Google got.
How to fix it
- Find your real sitemap address. Your platform or SEO plugin shows it.
- If that address shows a page, turn off the coming soon or maintenance mode, the login, or the challenge for it.
- Exclude sitemap addresses from your cache plugin or CDN cache, then clear the cache.
- In the Sitemaps report, submit the XML address. Remove the wrong one: click it, click the more options button, then Remove sitemap.
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WordPress
WordPress itself serves /wp-sitemap.xml. Yoast SEO and Rank Math serve /sitemap_index.xml instead, and Yoast turns off the WordPress one. Submit the address your site really uses. WordPress turns its sitemap off when Settings > Reading > Discourage search engines from indexing this site is checked. Rank Math tells you to exclude sitemaps from caching, so cached copies don't go stale. WordPress pages not indexed
Shopify
Shopify makes your sitemap at /sitemap.xml and links it to smaller sitemaps for products, collections, blogs, and pages. Submit only sitemap.xml, in the Search Console property for your primary domain. Google can't read the sitemap while the store is in private mode with a password page. Shopify pages not indexed
Squarespace
Squarespace makes your sitemap at /sitemap.xml on your primary domain. It only loads when the site is set to Public. Trial sites and parking pages have no sitemap. Squarespace pages not indexed
Catch sitemap problems before they cost you pages
On paid plans, CrawlCoach downloads your sitemaps every day and reads Search Console's sitemap data for each fix list. When a sitemap stops loading, Search Console reports errors in it, or Google stops reading it, the fix goes in your fix list with the steps and a link to the right guide. See plans and prices.
Questions
My sitemap looks like a web page in my browser. Is that the problem?
Not always. Many sitemap plugins add a style sheet so the XML looks like a table. View the page source: if it starts with <?xml and has <urlset> or <sitemapindex>, the file is fine. If it starts with <html>, the address really returns a page.
Which address do I submit on WordPress?
The one your sitemap tool serves: /sitemap_index.xml for Yoast SEO and Rank Math, or /wp-sitemap.xml for WordPress's own sitemap. Open it first to check that it loads as XML.
Sources
Checked on October 8, 2026. Search Console's wording can change after that date.
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Related sitemap errors
- Sitemap could not be readSitemap could not be read means Google's download failed. The details below it, such as General HTTP error or an HTTP error with a code, tell you why.
- Couldn't fetchCouldn't fetch means Google could not download your sitemap file at all. Open the address yourself, run a live test in URL Inspection, fix what blocks it, and resubmit.
- XML and format errorsThese errors mean the sitemap file is not valid XML, or not in the sitemap format Google expects. Most come from a plugin or theme printing extra text, or from an unescaped &.