Knowledgebase

This guide covers common issues when generating your sitemap, running audits, or accessing results in the Snowtech WHMCS Sitemap & AEO Manager.

Sitemap Not Generating

Possible Causes:

• Insufficient file permissions
• Licence not active or expired
• PHP error during generation
• Invalid or conflicting exclusion rules

Solution:

• Confirm your licence is active in the module Overview
• Ensure the WHMCS root directory is writable
• Review module logs in the Support tab
• Check WHMCS Activity Log for related errors

Permission Denied Writing sitemap.xml

The module must be able to write to your WHMCS root directory.

Common fixes include:

• Ensure correct ownership of your WHMCS files
• Confirm PHP is running under the expected user

Example permission (adjust as appropriate for your environment):

chmod 644 sitemap.xml

Do not apply overly permissive permissions. Always follow your server's security best practices.

Sitemap Shows 404

• Confirm /sitemap.xml exists in your WHMCS root
• Ensure your web server allows access to XML files
• Check .htaccess, NGINX, or security rules are not blocking it
• Clear any LiteSpeed, NGINX, or CDN cache

Audit Not Running or Stuck

Possible Causes:

• Cron not running correctly
• Audit lock still active from a previous run
• Batch limits too high for your server
• Licence check failed without grace fallback

Solution:

• Check cron status in the module Overview or Support tab
• Use Force Unlock if a run is stuck
• Reduce batch size or timeout settings
• Confirm licence status and grace mode availability

Duplicate or Unexpected URLs

• Review inclusion and exclusion rules
• Check WHMCS SEO/pretty URL settings
• Confirm canonical URL configuration
• Use the Diagnostics section to identify duplicate or low-value URLs

Missing Pages in Sitemap or Audit

• Page may be excluded by rule or policy
• Page may be marked as non-public or noindex
• Page may not be discoverable via current configuration

Use the Diagnostics or Coverage view to compare discovered pages versus sitemap inclusion.

Cron Not Running

• Confirm your WHMCS cron is configured correctly
• Verify the PHP CLI path is correct
• Check server cron logs for execution errors
• Ensure the module is enabled for cron-based processing

Large Installations (High URL Counts)

For larger WHMCS environments:

• Allow the module to split sitemap files and use an index
• Use cron-based batch processing for audits
• Adjust batch size and timeout settings
• Ensure sufficient PHP memory and execution limits

Security Notes

• The sitemap contains public URLs only
• No private client data is included
• Audit scans are limited to public, safe endpoints
• Always review exclusions to avoid exposing low-value or sensitive routes

Need Support?

When contacting Snowtech Services, please provide:

• WHMCS version
• PHP version
• Module version
• Description of the issue
• Any relevant error messages
• Recent logs from the Support tab (if available)