Duplicate Content and Non-Canonical Errors with WPML

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

Problem:
The client is experiencing issues with duplicate content and non-canonical errors in Semrush after duplicating English content to four additional languages using WPML. This duplication seems to have created non-translated blog duplicates, affecting the website's SEO.
Solution:
We reviewed the client's website and found that WPML is functioning correctly, with only one duplicated page and the rest being in various stages of translation. We recommend running a new scan or refreshing the results in Semrush. If the issue persists, contacting Semrush support for clarification on outdated results is advisable. For managing non-translated content and avoiding future non-canonical errors, we suggest checking our documentation on best practices for handling translations in WPML.

Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your specific case. We 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. If the issue persists, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum for further assistance.

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Tagged: Not WPML issue

This topic contains 7 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Andrey 11 months, 3 weeks ago.

Assisted by: Andrey.

Author	Posts
May 1, 2024 at 10:29 am #15583577
ivannaS	Dear WPML Support, I am writing to you today to seek assistance with a duplicate content and non-canonical error issue on my website. Background: I recently duplicated my English content to four additional languages: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, and Russian. I am using the WPML plugin for managing multilingual content. However, I'm seeing non-canonical errors in Semrush, indicating 777 incorrect pages found in my sitemap.xml. Concern: It appears that WPML might have created duplicate pages for the non-translated blogs. This is causing the non-canonical errors and potentially impacting my website's SEO. Request: I would appreciate it if you could advise on how to identify and delete these duplicate pages for translation within WPML. I am deleting now manually each blog post, and it consuming my time, can i delete duplicate pages automatically, Additionally, could you suggest any best practices to ensure proper handling of non-translated content and avoid non-canonical errors in the future? Information: Website URL: hidden link WPML Version: [Your WPML Version (you can find this in WPML > About)] WordPress Version: [Your WordPress Version (you can find this in wp-admin > Dashboard > Updates)] Thank you for your time and assistance.
May 1, 2024 at 2:47 pm #15584271
Andrey WPML Supporter since 06/2013 Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)	Thank you for contacting WPML support. To check if any pages have been duplicated, please navigate to WPML → Translation Management and select 'Pages' from the filter. Here you can identify any duplicated pages. After that, go to Pages → All Pages, select the language and delete the duplicated pages using the bulk actions. For optimizing multilingual sites using Yoast SEO and WPML, please refer to this guide: https://wpml.org/documentation/plugins-compatibility/using-wordpress-seo-with-wpml/.
May 6, 2024 at 6:16 am #15595094
ivannaS	Thank you for your response. Could you please check from your backend if there are any remaining duplicated posts? I've deleted the duplicates, but it seems to have caused broken links. There are 4195 broken links. How can we resolve this issue? After we install wpml plugin we have got all this issues, can you please from your side help us solve them, Additionally, I'm curious if there's a way to apply translations only to pages and not to posts. Is this a possibility? Looking forward to your guidance. Best regards,
May 6, 2024 at 12:08 pm #15597191
Andrey WPML Supporter since 06/2013 Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)	Thank you for your feedback. How and did you detect broken links? We do not have access to your website. If the links have been deleted, then they should no longer exist. Additionally, I'm curious if there's a way to apply translations only to pages and not to posts. Is this a possibility? If you don’t want to translate your whole site, the option Translate What You Choose gives you more control over what you translate and who will translate it. Here's the details: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/#translate-what-you-choose
May 6, 2024 at 1:51 pm #15597703
ivannaS	Thank you for your prompt reply. I noticed the broken links through SEMrush, which highlighted them as potentially harmful for our SEO. Given this, it's crucial that we address them promptly. Would it be helpful for me to provide you with access to our website so you can investigate and resolve these errors from your end? Looking forward to your guidance on this matter. Best regards, Ivanna
May 6, 2024 at 1:54 pm #15597749
Andrey WPML Supporter since 06/2013 Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)	Thank you for your feedback, Ivanna. I am happy to assist you with your issue. If everything seems fine from our side, then you may need to contact SEMrush to investigate why you are encountering the problem. In order for me to provide better assistance, I would need temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to your website. Ideally, it would be great if you could provide access to a test site where the issue has been replicated. You will find the necessary fields for providing access below the comment area when you log in to leave your reply. Please be assured that the information you provide will be kept private and only you and I will have access to it.
May 7, 2024 at 1:52 pm #15602520
Andrey WPML Supporter since 06/2013 Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)	Thank you for updating me. I will take a look and let you know.
May 7, 2024 at 8:27 pm #15603880
Andrey WPML Supporter since 06/2013 Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)	I have reviewed your website and found no broken URL and one duplicated page. The rest of the pages are either not translated or are being translated or fully translated. It appears that WPML is functioning correctly on your website. I am not very familiar with how SEMrush works. However, I suggest you run a new scan or refresh the results. If you still see any warnings, contacting their support team to inquire why the results are not up-to-date might be a good idea.