Why Your Translated Pages Aren't in the Sitemap (And How to Fix It)

If you're using the GTranslate plugin for WordPress, you might have noticed that your translated pages (like example.com/es/ or example.com/fr/) are not appearing in your XML sitemap. This is a common concern, especially for SEO, as search engines like Google use sitemaps to discover and index pages.

This guide explains why this happens and what your options are for resolving it.

Why Translated URLs Are Often Missing from Sitemaps

The core issue stems from how different versions of the GTranslate plugin handle URL structures.

• Free Version: The free version primarily uses a language switcher that translates page content on the fly without changing the page's base URL. Since the URL itself doesn't change, there are no new, unique URLs for sitemap plugins to detect and list.
• Paid Version Features: Paid versions of GTranslate offer alternative URL structures, such as sub-directories (example.com/es/) or sub-domains (es.example.com). However, many third-party SEO and sitemap plugins (like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, etc.) are not automatically configured to recognize and include these dynamically created URLs in the sitemaps they generate.

Essentially, the sitemap plugin generates a list based on the primary posts and pages it finds in your WordPress database, but it may not be aware of the translated variations generated by GTranslate.

Common Solutions and Workarounds

Based on community discussions, here are the most common approaches to this problem.

1. Check Your .htaccess File (If You Disabled Sub-directories)

If you previously used sub-directories and then turned the feature off, but the old URLs (like /fr/) are still accessible, this can cause confusion and indexing issues. The solution is to manually clean up your website's .htaccess file.

1. Connect to your website via FTP or your hosting provider's file manager.
2. Locate the .htaccess file in your website's root directory.
3. Open the file and look for any rewrite rules added by the GTranslate plugin.
4. Carefully remove those specific lines.
5. Save the file and test if the old translated URLs now correctly redirect or return a 404 error.

Note: Always back up your .htaccess file before making any changes.

2. Ensure the Language Selector is Available

For translation to work on all pages, including custom post types and their subpages, the GTranslate language selector must be present. If you have a highly customized theme, the selector might not be loading on certain templates. Ensure it is included in your theme's header or footer so it loads on every page, which allows the translation scripts to function correctly.

3. Understanding the Limits of the Free Version

It is important to understand that features like adding translated URLs to sitemaps are a function of the paid service from the 'Translate WordPress with GTranslate' team. The official support responses on WordPress forums consistently state that their live chat support is the designated channel for assistance with paid version features, including pre-sales questions about URL structures and sitemap indexing.

For users of the free plugin, the functionality is limited to the on-the-fly translation without altered URLs.

Conclusion

The missing translated URLs in your sitemap is a known configuration challenge. For free users, this is an expected limitation. For those using paid features, the issue often requires configuration or support from the service provider, as it involves how the plugin interacts with other parts of your site, like SEO plugins and server settings.