Problem: You want to change the default language of your site from English to Dutch without affecting your SEO performance. You are also looking to automatically redirect visitors from the Netherlands to the Dutch version of your site. Solution: To change the default language while maintaining SEO, you can adjust the URL structure settings in WPML. If your current URL structure is:
https://your-site.com/ → English
https://your-site.com/nl/ → Dutch
After changing the default language, it will look like:
https://your-site.com/ → Dutch
https://your-site.com/en/ → English
To keep the language folder for the default language, enable the option "Use directory for default language" in WPML → Languages → Language URL format. This will preserve the /nl/ path for Dutch, while the English version will include /en/. Note that changing the default language will impact the URL structure for at least one of your languages. For more information, visit Directory for Default Language. If your goal is to redirect visitors from the Netherlands to the Dutch version, refer to the supported methods here: Automatic Redirect Based on Browser Language.
If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we recommend opening a new support ticket. 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. For further assistance, please visit WPML Support Forum.
Problem: You are using WPML on your website and have translated all content automatically, but the translations and menu are not visible online. The language switcher only shows English, and you are also concerned about the size of the flag icon in the menu. Solution: 1. Ensure that your menus are translated. For guidance on translating menus, please check this guide. 2. To display all languages in the language switcher, you need to translate the homepage into the respective languages. Once translated, the language switcher should display all available languages. 3. The issue with the flag size in the language switcher is due to custom CSS in your theme. You might need to adjust the CSS to correct the flag size.
If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we recommend opening a new support ticket. We also advise 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. For further assistance, please visit our support forum at WPML support forum.
