Problem: The client is experiencing issues with 'Alternate page with proper canonical tag' errors in Google Search Console for translated pages, and is concerned that it might be related to WPML settings. Solution: 1. We explained that according to Google, the 'Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag' status message indicates that Google has found multiple versions of a page with the same canonical URL. Google will index the main version and exclude duplicates, which are not considered duplicate content if canonical tags are implemented correctly. 2. We confirmed that the WPML SEO and Yoast plugins should handle the canonical tags for all languages and asked the client if they are using these plugins. We provided links to the WPML SEO plugin and its documentation:
3. Upon reviewing the client's site sitemap, we found that everything is showing as expected and that the pages in question, which are set to private, are not currently being picked up by Google and are not listed in the sitemap.
If this solution does not apply to your situation, or if it seems outdated, we recommend opening a new support ticket. We also highly recommend checking related known issues, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If further assistance is needed, please contact us in the WPML support forum.
