Google Search Console Sitemap Errors for Blogger (2025): Causes & Fixes — Step-by-Step

“A sitemap is a map — but a broken map will only lead to confusion. Fix the map, and you’ll guide Google straight to your best posts.” — The Blogging 6 Sense

If you use Blogger and you’ve seen Google Search Console (GSC) throw errors after submitting your sitemap, you’re not alone. In 2025, Google’s indexing systems are smarter but also stricter about correct sitemap formats, HTTPS consistency, and canonical signals. This post explains the most common sitemap submission errors Blogger users face, why they happen, and exactly how to fix them — step by step.

Quick primer: Which Blogger sitemap URL should you submit?

For a standard Blogger site (yourblog.blogspot.com) the primary sitemap is:

https://YOURBLOG.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml

For the Atom feed-based sitemap (older format) you can use:

https://YOURBLOG.blogspot.com/atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1&max-results=500

If your blog has more than 500 posts, Blogger paginates sitemaps — use ?page=1, ?page=2, etc. (we’ll cover this below).

Common sitemap submission errors and their exact fixes

1) “Couldn’t fetch” / “Could not retrieve”

Symptoms: GSC can’t fetch the sitemap URL and throws a temporary or persistent error.

Causes: wrong URL, HTTP/HTTPS mismatch, temporary network/server issues, or Google temporarily failing to reach Blogger.

Fixes:

1. Confirm the exact URL — use the https:// variant if your blog uses HTTPS. Submit the exact verified property in GSC (http vs https, www vs non-www).
2. Open the sitemap URL in your browser. If it loads, copy-paste the URL into GSC. If not, wait and retry — Blogger sometimes has transient issues.
3. Ensure there’s no accidental redirect loop. If you use a custom domain, ensure DNS and custom domain settings are correct in Blogger.
4. Retry after a few hours — often temporary. If persistent, check Blogger Status pages or community forums for platform outages.

2) “Sitemap appears to be an HTML page”

Symptoms: GSC rejects the sitemap because it returns HTML instead of XML.

Causes: You submitted a wrong URL (for example a blog homepage or a feed that returns HTML), or your sitemap was proxied through a custom domain or redirect that returns HTML.

Fixes:

• Submit the correct XML sitemap: https://YOURBLOG.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml.
• If you used a feed URL like /feeds/posts/default, switch to the Atom sitemap format with proper query parameters: https://YOURBLOG.blogspot.com/atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1&max-results=500.
• Ensure your custom domain (if any) does not rewrite or serve the sitemap as HTML. Use the blogspot domain to verify first, then add the custom domain property in GSC and re-submit.

3) “Indexed, not submitted in sitemap”

Symptoms: Google has indexed pages that are not listed in your submitted sitemap.

Causes: Google discovered pages via links or other sitemaps; or your sitemap is incomplete (e.g., paginated sitemap pages missing).

Fixes:

1. Submit all paginated sitemap pages: /sitemap.xml?page=1, /sitemap.xml?page=2, etc., if you have many posts.
2. Submit label-based sitemaps for important categories: /search/label/SEO?max-results=500.
3. Regenerate and resubmit the primary sitemap after major content changes.

4) “Redirect error” or “Sitemap fetch error (redirect)”

Symptoms: GSC fails to follow a redirect chain or finds an unexpected redirect.

Causes: Submitting sitemap under a non-verified/non-preferred property (www vs non-www or http vs https), or using a custom domain whose DNS/redirects are misconfigured.

Fixes:

• Submit the sitemap under the same property you verified in GSC (match protocol and host exactly).
• If you use a custom domain, ensure Blogger’s custom domain setup is complete and the canonical URL resolves correctly.
• Fix redirect chains at the server or DNS level — avoid redirect chains like http → https → www → non-www.

5) “General HTTP error” or 5xx responses

Symptoms: GSC shows server errors when fetching sitemap or sitemap URLs returning 5xx.

Causes: Blogger back-end or CDN problems, transient server overload, or sometimes a firewall/hosting problem if you use a custom domain.

Fixes:

1. Retry later — if it’s a transient server issue it usually resolves in hours.
2. Check GSC’s Coverage > Server errors to see affected URLs and time stamps.
3. If you have a custom domain with third-party hosting, contact your host or check CDN settings (Cloudflare rules can sometimes block Googlebot).

Best-practice sitemap setup for Blogger (2025)

Follow these steps to make your sitemap submission clean and future-proof:

1. Use the canonical Blogger sitemap: https://YOURBLOG.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml.
2. If you have >500 posts, submit paginated sitemaps: sitemap.xml?page=1, page=2, etc.
3. Submit label sitemaps only for labels you actively use for navigation: /search/label/TOPIC?max-results=500.
4. Always verify and submit under the exact site property (https + www/non-www) in Google Search Console.
5. Ping Google after major updates: https://www.google.com/ping?sitemap=https://YOURBLOG.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml.

How to submit and re-submit a sitemap in Google Search Console (quick steps)

1. Open Google Search Console and choose the verified property for your blog.
2. Go to “Sitemaps” in the left menu.
3. Enter the sitemap path (e.g., sitemap.xml or sitemap.xml?page=1) and click Submit.
4. Wait 24–48 hours and check the status. Use “Inspect URL” for sample pages to confirm indexing.

Pro tips for faster indexing after sitemap fixes

• Internal linking: Add contextual links from high-traffic posts to the new or unindexed pages.
• Social signal: Share updated posts on social channels and in your email list — traffic can help prioritization.
• Fetch & Request Indexing: Use URL Inspection → Test Live URL → Request Indexing for priority posts (use sparingly).
• Keep sitemaps small & canonical: Only list canonical, final URLs in sitemaps.

Special cases & advanced fixes

Broken sitemap due to custom domain forwarding

If you point a custom domain to Blogger but the DNS or redirect settings are wrong, Google may see an unexpected response when fetching the sitemap. Solution: verify the custom domain property in GSC and submit the sitemap under that property; correct any DNS CNAME or A-record mistakes in your registrar.

Large blogs with many posts (pagination & sitemaps)

For blogs with thousands of posts, submit multiple sitemap pages and consider creating topic-based label sitemaps for priority categories. Make sure each sitemap page contains only canonical URLs and has a manageable size (under 50k URLs per sitemap).

“Indexed, not submitted in sitemap” after migration

If you moved from Blogspot to a custom domain or another CMS and see this message, ensure old URLs redirect to new ones via 301s, update sitemaps to list new canonical URLs, and resubmit them. Use the Removals tool only if sensitive content accidentally indexed.

Troubleshooting checklist (copy & paste)

• ✅ Use exact property in GSC (https + host match)
• ✅ Open sitemap URL in browser to confirm XML
• ✅ Submit all paginated sitemap pages if >500 posts
• ✅ Ensure no redirect loops or 5xx errors
• ✅ Check robots.txt for accidental blocks
• ✅ Use Inspect URL to test sample pages
• ✅ Resubmit sitemap and monitor Coverage report

FAQ

Q — My sitemap is XML but GSC still shows errors. What next?

Check the exact error message in GSC. If it's a fetch/HTTP error, open the sitemap URL in a private browser. If it’s an HTML error, confirm the file served is XML. Also confirm you submitted under the verified property matching protocol and host.

Q — I submitted sitemap.xml but older posts show “indexed, not in sitemap.” Is that bad?

Not necessarily. Google can index pages from links even if they’re not in your sitemap. However, include all canonical posts in your sitemap to help Google prioritize crawling.

Q — How long after fixing a sitemap error will Google re-index my pages?

Often re-crawl happens in hours to days. Request Indexing for priority pages. For bulk changes, sitemap updates and internal linking will prompt re-crawl over several days to weeks.

Q — Should I use the ping URL every time I publish?

It’s harmless to ping Google after major updates. For many small posts, rely on sitemaps and internal linking instead of pinging repeatedly.

“Fix the map, and the visitors will follow. Sitemaps aren’t magic — they’re direction.” — The Blogging 6 Sense

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