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This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client needed to stop creating new archive links in multiple languages and manage those that had already been made, as they did not want these archives to appear on Google.
Solution:
We recommend using the Rank Math SEO plugin to exclude the unwanted language archive URLs from the XML sitemap. This will prevent the archive pages from appearing in search engine results. Here is the step-by-step guide:
1. Install and configure the Rank Math SEO plugin if you haven't already.
2. Follow the instructions in their documentation to exclude content from the sitemap: https://rankmath.com/kb/exclude-content-from-sitemap/

If you encounter any issues with Rank Math SEO or need further assistance, please contact their support team.

Please note that the solution provided might be irrelevant if it's outdated or not applicable to your case. If this is the situation, we encourage you to open a new support ticket with us. We also highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins.

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.

This topic contains 1 reply, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Lucas Vidal de Andrade 1 year, 5 months ago.

Assisted by: Lucas Vidal de Andrade.

Author Posts
February 20, 2024 at 7:20 am #15320727

abhishekS-6

In our attempt to remove links from GSC, we discovered that some archives had already been produced in other languages and were visible on Google. Since we don't want these archives to appear on Google, we need to know how to stop creating new archive links and manage those that have already been made for other languages.

This is our archive, for instance (we also had others that needed to be corrected).

hidden link ( which we need )
hidden link ( not required )
hidden link ( not required )
hidden link ( not required )

These are only few for examples.

February 20, 2024 at 4:13 pm #15324049

Lucas Vidal de Andrade
WPML Supporter since 11/2023

Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Portuguese (Brazil) (Português )

Timezone: America/Sao_Paulo (GMT-03:00)

WPML automatically generates archive pages in the additional languages configured for the site. That ensures that your content will be translated and that the translations work properly. To prevent these archive pages from appearing in search engine results, you can use the Rank Math SEO plugin to exclude the unwanted language archive URLs from the XML sitemap.

Please check their documentation:
hidden link

This should help remove those extra language archives from appearing in Google Search. If you have any other questions regarding Rank Math SEO, please get in touch with their support 🙂