Fix Sitemap Fetching Issue & Googlebot Server Connection Error (WordPress + WooCommerce)
Budget: $2 – $8 AUD
I am looking for an experienced WordPress developer/server expert to fix a Google Search Console crawling and sitemap fetching issue on my WooCommerce website.
Currently, Google Search Console is showing the following errors:
“Couldn't fetch” for multiple sitemap URLs
“Sitemap could not be read – General HTTP Error”
“Page fetch: Failed – Server Connection Error”
Some pages are showing site-wide availability issues
Important Notes:
The same website works perfectly on a different hosting server, and all sitemaps fetch successfully there.
→ This confirms that the issue is related to current hosting/server configuration, not the website content.
The website previously had multiple SEO and sitemap plugins installed (Yoast, RankMath, XML Sitemap Generator, etc.), which likely created conflicts in:
.htaccess rules
sitemap generation
rewrite rules
plugin leftovers
Hosting support claims everything is fine, but Google Search Console is still receiving connection errors.
Your Task:
I need a developer who can:
✔ Analyse and clean conflicting plugin rules
✔ Fix .htaccess conflicts
✔ Ensure only one SEO plugin generates the sitemap
✔ Check server logs related to Googlebot (IP: 66.249..)
✔ Fix any server-level block or timeout affecting Googlebot
✔ Ensure all sitemaps return 200 OK status
✔ Ensure sitemap_index.xml and individual sitemaps fetch properly in GSC
✔ Improve crawlability and response time for Googlebot
Requirements:
Strong experience in WordPress, WooCommerce, RankMath, Yoast
Expertise in Apache server, LiteSpeed, Nginx, and .htaccess
Experience debugging Googlebot crawling, cURL, and HTTP errors
Ability to communicate clearly and provide progress updates
Deliverables:
Fully functional sitemap that fetches without errors
Googlebot crawl issues resolved
Cleaned and optimized .htaccess rules
A short report on what was fixed
Additional Info:
Website is hosted on Hostinger
Should be available for quick communication
Currently, Google Search Console is showing the following errors:
“Couldn't fetch” for multiple sitemap URLs
“Sitemap could not be read – General HTTP Error”
“Page fetch: Failed – Server Connection Error”
Some pages are showing site-wide availability issues
Important Notes:
The same website works perfectly on a different hosting server, and all sitemaps fetch successfully there.
→ This confirms that the issue is related to current hosting/server configuration, not the website content.
The website previously had multiple SEO and sitemap plugins installed (Yoast, RankMath, XML Sitemap Generator, etc.), which likely created conflicts in:
.htaccess rules
sitemap generation
rewrite rules
plugin leftovers
Hosting support claims everything is fine, but Google Search Console is still receiving connection errors.
Your Task:
I need a developer who can:
✔ Analyse and clean conflicting plugin rules
✔ Fix .htaccess conflicts
✔ Ensure only one SEO plugin generates the sitemap
✔ Check server logs related to Googlebot (IP: 66.249..)
✔ Fix any server-level block or timeout affecting Googlebot
✔ Ensure all sitemaps return 200 OK status
✔ Ensure sitemap_index.xml and individual sitemaps fetch properly in GSC
✔ Improve crawlability and response time for Googlebot
Requirements:
Strong experience in WordPress, WooCommerce, RankMath, Yoast
Expertise in Apache server, LiteSpeed, Nginx, and .htaccess
Experience debugging Googlebot crawling, cURL, and HTTP errors
Ability to communicate clearly and provide progress updates
Deliverables:
Fully functional sitemap that fetches without errors
Googlebot crawl issues resolved
Cleaned and optimized .htaccess rules
A short report on what was fixed
Additional Info:
Website is hosted on Hostinger
Should be available for quick communication