Google index

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

Problem:
The client reported that Google only indexes the English pages of their multilingual site, even when manually indexing other languages. The '/EN/' slug appears despite other languages being set up, and WPML is configured correctly.

Solution:
We recommended the following steps to address the issue:
1. Ensure the WPML SEO Add-on is active by checking under Plugins → Installed Plugins. If not present, install and activate it from Plugins → Add New → Commercial tab.
2. Verify the presence and correctness of 'hreflang' tags on translated pages by viewing the page source and searching for 'hreflang'.
3. Check the WPML's Language URL format under WPML → Languages and ensure 'Different languages in directories' is selected.
4. Disable the Browser Language Redirect temporarily under WPML → Languages to avoid confusion during indexing.
5. Re-save permalinks under Settings → Permalinks and re-submit sitemaps in Google Search Console.

Additionally, we advised against using the Browser Language Redirect feature as it does not distinguish between users and search engine bots, which can affect SEO and indexing. This is documented in our guides:

If these steps do not resolve the issue or if the information seems outdated, we highly recommend opening a new support ticket. Also, check related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verify the version of the permanent fix, and confirm that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. For further assistance, please visit our support forum.

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.

Tagged: Known issue, Not WPML issue

This topic contains 5 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by homeP 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Bobby.

Author	Posts
January 30, 2026 at 4:14 pm #17778933
homeP	Google only indexes English pages. Even when I manually index for other languages, /EN/ is displayed. WPML is configured correctly. hidden link hidden link Sitemaps are loading correctly in Google hidden link hidden link
January 31, 2026 at 12:13 am #17779655
Bobby WPML Supporter since 04/2015 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: America/Los_Angeles (GMT-08:00)	Hi there, Please go to WPML->Languages->Browser language redirection and deactivate the feature, this feature will affect the indexing as Google will prioritize the version that get's redirection. For more information, review the following documentation: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/automatic-redirect-based-on-browser-language/#potential-interaction-with-google-indexing
January 31, 2026 at 7:42 pm #17780551
homeP	Thank you, but we want to keep this feature. Otherwise, the user will always be redirected to the default language, which is German! Please provide a professional solution.
February 2, 2026 at 8:50 am #17782838
homeP	The problem isn't Google. The problem is the module. The module needs to be able to recognize indexing engines like Google, Bing, etc., and not redirect them. So please provide a solution for how to configure this problem professionally.
February 3, 2026 at 1:32 am #17785417
Bobby WPML Supporter since 04/2015 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: America/Los_Angeles (GMT-08:00)	Hi there, I completely understand your concern. The Browser Language Redirect feature does not distinguish between users and search engine bots, and this is expected behavior, not a bug. Because search engines may follow these redirects, WPML does not recommend using Browser Language Redirect if SEO and indexing are important. This is clearly documented here along with references directly from Google: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/automatic-redirect-based-on-browser-language/ https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/automatic-redirect-based-on-browser-language/how-browser-language-redirect-affects-google-indexing/ Unfortunately there isn't something we can change within our code that would alter the behavior.
February 8, 2026 at 9:06 am #17802747
homeP	The problem is the WPML module. The module is unable to recognize which search engine is an indexing engine. We have several e-commerce websites, etc., where we also use language redirection. The indexing doesn't cause any problems there because Google, Bing, etc., are recognized, and no redirects are performed. You should consider updating the WPML module.