Deleted pages appearing in internal search results

  • Resolved logicmanagerdev

    (@logicmanagerdev)


    2 years, 12 months ago

    Pages that do not exist are appearing in the default WordPress search results. Their permalinks contain the post ID instead of the slug (ie [ redundant link removed ]) and go to a 404. I can’t find the page/post on the backend. All of the trashcans are empty. I am not sure when or how the original pages were deleted, since they predate me. I’ve tried clearing the WPEngine cache. The non-existing pages appear in results if you search them by name or a keyword that used to be on the page.

    Does anyone know why this could be happening?

    The website uses the Avada theme. Some plugins that are active include: Link Whisper Free, Rank Math SEO, Search & Filter Pro, Smart WooCommerce Search, Yoast Duplicate Post. The search plugins are not being used for the affected search bar.

    • This topic was modified 2 years, 12 months ago by Jan Dembowski.
    • This topic was modified 2 years, 12 months ago by Jan Dembowski. Reason: Moved to Fixing WordPress, this is not an Everything else WordPress topic

    The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

  • I suggest you to try a plugin like WP Optimize, but if the page is still stuck, it sounds like your database is in a strange state for that page:

    https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/wp-optimize/

    Thread Starter logicmanagerdev

    (@logicmanagerdev)

    Thank you, that plugin did not fix the issue, but I still find it useful.

    After poking around in the database, I discovered the post type of the mysterious pages is avada_portfolio. It is quite annoying that page builder elements are returned in frontend search results. Looks like I will have to use a plugin to limit search results to specific post types.

    Wow, I’m glad you found the elusive deleted pages ??

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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