Problem: The client is using WPML to translate their website into multiple languages and is facing issues with the visibility of their translated homepages on Google Search. The translated pages are not indexed by Google, and strange URL parameters like '?method=ical' and '?ref=balancegurus' are appearing, potentially affecting SEO. Solution: 1. We recommended updating the WPML plugin and its add-ons to the latest version, 4.7.2, to ensure all recent bug fixes and improvements are applied. Instructions for updating can be found here: http://wpml.org/faq/install-wpml/ 2. We suggested creating a Google Webmaster account, submitting the sitemap, and monitoring the URLs to check which are not indexed and why. 3. We identified that the 'Browser automatic redirect' feature might be causing issues with page indexing. We advised disabling this feature, which can be found under WPML → Languages. More information on how this setting affects Google indexing can be found here: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/automatic-redirect-based-on-browser-language/how-browser-language-redirect-affects-google-indexing/ 4. The URL parameter '?ref=balancegurus' appears to be linked to external promotions, suggesting an external or internal addition of these parameters. 5. We confirmed that keeping the SEO option 'Display alternative languages in the HEAD section' checked is beneficial.
If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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 further assistance is needed, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.
Problem: The client is managing their database and noticed three lines listed as 'Unused': nid_icl_links_post_to_post, nid_icl_links_post_to_term, and nid_icl_translation_downloads. They are unsure if these can be deleted and are also experiencing high load times on their site. Solution: We recommend not deleting or altering any database tables as these might be used by WPML or other plugins in the future. To address the site's performance issues, we installed the Query Monitor plugin to identify slow queries and ran the WPML Troubleshooting options to clean up the database and fix language assignment errors, which reduced the number of queries and slightly improved site speed. We also found that disabling WPML did not change the load time, indicating that WPML is not the cause of the slowdown. We suggest disabling plugins one-by-one to see which one significantly affects load times. Additionally, we noted that the plugin "Checkout Plugins - Stripe for WooCommerce" is causing warnings and that "Advanced Custom Fields Multilingual" is unnecessary unless "Advanced Custom Fields" is in use.
If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, please check the related known issues and ensure you have the latest versions of themes and plugins installed. If problems persist, we highly recommend opening a new support ticket here.
Problem: The client was experiencing an issue where a loading wheel displayed instead of the usual translation marker when trying to translate a training course. Clicking on the wheel led to a strange page instead of the usual translation block. This issue persisted even after deleting and re-adding text blocks and clearing caches. Solution: We recommended creating a staging site to safely test solutions without affecting the live site. After gaining access to the staging site, we identified and fixed a database issue related to language settings. We advised the client to: 1. Edit the homepage in the original language. 2. Make a minor change to the content. 3. Save these changes and update the translation. This process resolved the issue. We assured the client that this problem was likely a one-time issue caused during the WPML installation and should not recur. Additionally, we provided a video tutorial demonstrating the steps to update the translation correctly.
If this solution does not resolve your issue, or if it seems outdated or irrelevant to your 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 problems persist, please open a new support ticket.
Problem: The client is unsure whether to reactivate the WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency plugin that was previously deactivated by our support team. The client wants to know if it is necessary for their site, which includes products translated with WPML but not with WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency. Solution: If you're running an online shop with WooCommerce and you wish to translate products into other languages and sell in multiple currencies, we recommend using the WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency plugin. You can find more information here: WooCommerce Multilingual documentation. However, if everything on your site is working as expected without this plugin, and you have used a different plugin for translations, such as Loco Translate, you may not need to reactivate WooCommerce Multilingual. In this case, it is safe to remove the plugin. If this solution doesn't look relevant to your situation, please open a new support ticket and we will be happy to assist you further.
