Problem with my wordpress website

16 replies
  • SEO
  • |
I have created a lot of Wordpress sites, and never ran into this. I have a Wordpress site that has been ranking #1 for about two years, without me even having to touch it.

It has always had a simple four phrase title in Google search, that I created, using the all in one seo plugin.

However, when I checked it a couple days ago, it still had the four phrase search, but it also had the name of someone that made a comment on my site, in the title on Google.

So it always looked like this: The Best Widgets

Now it looks like this: The Best Widgets | By George1

George1, is one of the hundreds of people that have left a comment on this site.

I have noticed that a lot of the comments, are in the admin area, where you add the content. Is that normal.

I don't usually allow comments on my sites, so maybe that is the way it is supposed to be.

Any help in fixing this, would be appreciated. I am concerned that I will lose my ranking, because of the extra text that makes no sense, in the title.

Thanks You.
Glenn
#problem #website #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Do you have the same text as the page <title> above each individual comment? Look at the Google Cache (text version) of the problem page.
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    • Profile picture of the author gjd6599
      The person who writes a comment, is not showing in the comments that visitors can see, but it is next to every comment that I see, along with the page they commented on, their ip address, and their email, in the admin area. I assume that is necessary.

      It seems weird that this would just pop up, after the site has been up for a couple of years. The name of the person that is showing on the title, is obsessed with my site, and comments almost daily.

      But I don't understand how his name got into the title.

      Thanks Glenn
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by gjd6599 View Post

        The person who writes a comment, is not showing in the comments that visitors can see...
        The name is coming from on-page text somewhere in the HTML source-code. I have a feeling the <title> text is associated with each individual comment multiple times on the page.

        Do a search for the name (ex: George1) from your browser while viewing the HTML source-code, I bet you find the name/text because Google is finding the name/text. Use an incognito browser when searching the live webpage source-code so you don't get skewed admin results.
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        • Profile picture of the author gjd6599
          Hi, I just checked the code, and you are right. I found the name of the person, who is showing in my sites title, two times. I also saw a few other posters names there.

          I was also surprised that a lot of the comments, were also in the page code.

          But why would Google do this after two years. This guy, whose name is in my title now, has been posting since day one.

          Plus why does Google just post what it wants. I thought the all in one seo plugin handled that.

          I am sending you the url, so you can see it, and will send you the login details if you think you have a solution. Check your inbox.

          Glenn
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          • Profile picture of the author yukon
            Banned
            Originally Posted by gjd6599 View Post

            Hi, I just checked the code, and you are right. I found the name of the person, who is showing in my sites title, two times. I also saw a few other posters names there.

            I was also surprised that a lot of the comments, were also in the page code.

            But why would Google do this after two years. This guy, whose name is in my title now, has been posting since day one.

            Plus why does Google just post what it wants. I thought the all in one seo plugin handled that.

            I am sending you the url, so you can see it, and will send you the login details if you think you have a solution. Check your inbox.

            Glenn
            I figured out where Google is pulling the exact comment name from for the SERP title, give me a few min...
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Here's what's happening with Google changing your SERP title...

    Google is looking at your blog post xml feed for the problem page/s. I say page/s because you have 3 pages with the same SERP title problem, including the home page SERP title.

    Inside your blog post xml feed for the page your asking about in OP is 3 instances of the exact problem text showing up at the end of the SERP title (By: {user name}). I'll PM you the exact feed URL so you can see what's going on.

    Why Google is changing the SERP title...

    If you look at your HTML source code your feeds are setup as alternatives (link rel="alternate") to the live webpage. Notice the very end of the URL in the example below (/feed):

    HTML Code:
    <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Your Blog Post Title Here" href="http://domain.com/your-blog-post-title-here/feed" />
    [source]
    Alternate
    Links to an alternate version of the document (i.e. print page, translated or mirror).

    Example: <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="W3Schools News" href="/blog/news/atom">
    BTW, the original problem page you talked about in OP has 47 instances of the problem text (comment name) on the current Google Cache (text version) but that blog post page doesn't show the text By:, only the xml feed shows that exact text (By: {user name}). That's how I know the xml file is the problem.

    Doing a site:domain.com "By: {user name}" search doesn't return any results because the xml feed pages aren't indexed or cached so it won't show any results which meant the text was coming from somewhere else on the domain because Google doesn't just make up text out of the blue.

    I browsed the HTML of the problem page, found the rel="alternate" feed URL & sure enough there's 3 instances of the problem text wrapped in <title> tags on the xml file:
    • <title>By: {user name}</title>

    What Google is doing is combining the live webpage <title> with the <title> inside the xml file. I have no idea why they picked that specific comment name or why it started happening now.

    My advice is, If you don't need that xml feed (I'll PM the URL) remove the xml feed URL from your HTML source code & reindex the page inside Webmaster Tools via Fetch as Google. Google will reindex the problem page URL very fast (minutes) & hopefully update the SERP title since the alternate xml feed is removed.
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    • Profile picture of the author gjd6599
      Hi, if I take that url out, that ends with feed, will that solve the problem? Will it affect anything else on my site? Will people still be able to make comments?

      I also have to ask how I remove that link. I may be able to figure it out, but never did it on any sites I have, so any tips will be helpful.

      Thanks for your help.
      Glenn
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by gjd6599 View Post

        Hi, if I take that url out, that ends with feed, will that solve the problem? Will it affect anything else on my site? Will people still be able to make comments?

        I also have to ask how I remove that link. I may be able to figure it out, but never did it on any sites I have, so any tips will be helpful.

        Thanks for your help.
        Glenn
        I know for a fact Google is pulling the problem text from those feed titles <title> because that text doesn't show up anywhere on the live webpages, it's only inside the xml feed. At the very least, that's the first place I would start, remove the xml file & alternative URL from the HTML source code If traffic doesn't need the xml feed (does anyone actually use the xml feed?).

        Are you running any xml feed plugins? If so change the settings or disable the plugin & check your live webpage HTML to see If that removed the xml feed URL.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    BTW, the only feed that was a problem included comments, so If you have a feed plugin look for turning off comments feeds.
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    • Profile picture of the author gjd6599
      I didn't find the url you mentioned yet, and I have checked most of the site code, but I just noticed that I have a plugin on my site, that I don't have on my other sites, called Sociable, and it says it will, Automatically add links on your posts, pages and RSS feed to your favorite social bookmarking sites. That is a quote from the plugin.

      Could that be the problem. I assume that plugin has been there since the site was created.

      Also would the url you mentioned to delete, be in my wordpress template code, or would I find it by going into the hosting account, with my external tool. I use the flexsqueeze template.

      Glenn
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by gjd6599 View Post

        I didn't find the url you mentioned yet, and I have checked most of the site code, but I just noticed that I have a plugin on my site, that I don't have on my other sites, called Sociable, and it says it will, Automatically add links on your posts, pages and RSS feed to your favorite social bookmarking sites. That is a quote from the plugin.

        Could that be the problem. I assume that plugin has been there since the site was created.

        Also would the url you mentioned to delete, be in my wordpress template code, or would I find it by going into the hosting account, with my external tool. I use the flexsqueeze template.

        Glenn
        If it's not a plugin generating the URL it's happening from the wp_head code that adds default code to the live webpage HTML:

        Code:
        <?php wp_head(); ?>
        Search Google for removing specific parts of the default WP head code:

        Usually I would suggest to turn off comments but your comments look legit & probably helping to pick up additional longtail keyword traffic.
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        • Profile picture of the author gjd6599
          I found the code you mentioned, in my template code. <?php wp_head(); ?> I use the flexsqueeze theme, so most of the code can be accessed while in the site. I removed that code, and saved the site, and my header disappeared, and my side bar disappeared, and the content on the site turned green, like the header is.

          I am not sure why, but I guess that isn't working. I deleted the social plugin I mentioned. I am not sure what else i can do.

          The template I use is a paid template I have been using for years, so I think I will contact the developer, since he is still creating new versions of this template. Maybe he has an answer.

          If you think of anything else, I will keep checking back.

          If not I really want to thank you for trying so hard to help me. I really do appreciate it.

          UPDATE: Go look at the site now. This morning I added some text to the title, hoping it would squeeze out the posters name. It looks like it worked. However, how do I get rid of this | at the end of the title. I went into my seo plugin, but I did not see it there.

          Thanks Again
          Glenn

          Glenn
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          • Profile picture of the author yukon
            Banned
            Originally Posted by gjd6599 View Post

            I found the code you mentioned, in my template code. <?php wp_head(); ?> I use the flexsqueeze theme, so most of the code can be accessed while in the site. I removed that code, and saved the site, and my header disappeared, and my side bar disappeared, and the content on the site turned green, like the header is.

            I am not sure why, but I guess that isn't working. I deleted the social plugin I mentioned. I am not sure what else i can do.

            The template I use is a paid template I have been using for years, so I think I will contact the developer, since he is still creating new versions of this template. Maybe he has an answer.

            If you think of anything else, I will keep checking back.

            If not I really want to thank you for trying so hard to help me. I really do appreciate it.

            UPDATE: Go look at the site now. This morning I added some text to the title, hoping it would squeeze out the posters name. It looks like it worked. However, how do I get rid of this | at the end of the title. I went into my seo plugin, but I did not see it there.

            Thanks Again
            Glenn

            Glenn
            The theme must be doing something in one of the theme files for the wp_head because default code shouldn't be messing up anything visual on the live webpage. That WP code goes inside the <head> on the live HTML source code.

            I checked the problem xml feed, it hasn't changed, the <title> text is still the same.

            Contact the theme developer & let him know what's going on with the SERP title & the comment xml file. I'm sure the developer knows exactly where the xml/URL code is located (probably in the functions.php theme file).
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            • Profile picture of the author gjd6599
              Hi, try clearing your cookies, and look again. I changed the title this morning, and it left no room for the posters name. It finally changed, so I guess Google was ok with it.

              But the seo plugin seems to make me put this, | at the end of the title, and I can't seem to get around it.

              Here is what the title looks like now.
              Too Many Tv Commercials - What Can We Do? |

              But it is better than it was.

              I tried to sent you my functions php file to you, but it won't let me, because it is 91,125 characters. Oh Well.

              Thanks Again
              Glenn
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              • Profile picture of the author yukon
                Banned
                Originally Posted by gjd6599 View Post

                Hi, try clearing your cookies, and look again. I changed the title this morning, and it left no room for the posters name. It finally changed, so I guess Google was ok with it.

                But the seo plugin seems to make me put this, | at the end of the title, and I can't seem to get around it.

                Here is what the title looks like now.
                Too Many Tv Commercials - What Can We Do? |

                But it is better than it was.

                I tried to sent you my functions php file to you, but it won't let me, because it is 91,125 characters. Oh Well.

                Thanks Again
                Glenn
                The SERP title has changed. I see the Google cache date is also updated (Jan 12, 2015).

                If it was my site, I would still look into dealing with the xml file because odds are it will eventually happen again. We already know Google is looking at those comment titles in the xml file.

                Check with your theme developer & find out where the xml file URL code is located in your theme source code.
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                • Profile picture of the author gjd6599
                  I took your advice, and sent the creator of my template a message. Usually takes a day or two, to get a reply.

                  Thanks for all your help.

                  I will send you a pm, with the final outcome, because you spent so much time trying to help me.

                  Glenn
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