![[NERD-METHOD]](/brand/logos/short.svg){kind=small}
Role of [NERD-METHOD]
Identifying the runtime owner, repairing WordPress/WPML behaviour, dev/prod verification and rollback preparation.
Keep the reader’s place when switching website languages
Repaired language switching in blog and case archives: retain the page number, or use the last existing page when the target archive is shorter.
Navigation was verified on 5 October 2026; SEO and enquiry impact were not measured.
Evidence as of: 2026-10-05
The original task
On a multilingual website, a reader opening the second or a later archive page would switch languages and land at the start of the list. The language editions also had different page counts. The task was to preserve position and define sensible behaviour when the target language had no matching page number.
How we found the cause
We inspected the actual language-switch links and archive behaviour. The native WPML selector returned the translated archive permalink without the page number. Hreflang metadata was not the cause of the reset. The repair was placed with the existing behaviour owner, preserving the native shortcode and header appearance.
What we changed
A language-link filter, restricted to archives, was added to the existing archive module. Valid page numbers are retained; numbers beyond the target language’s range are clamped to its last page. Page counts come from the first non-empty target-archive query. The language context is restored after the query.
How it was verified
On 5 October 2026, the repair was verified in the test environment before the live website. Before the change, eight of twelve scenarios lost the page number; afterwards, all twelve passed in both environments. Checks covered links, the destination page and its search-engine address. Source-page card sets were preserved.
What the reader experienced
Browser journeys switched RU → UK on page two of both the blog and case archives, retaining page two at the destination. Desktop, tablet and mobile were reviewed. A page beyond the target archive’s range goes to its last available page. The previous file and rollback instructions were retained.
What the evidence covers
This is a specific navigation repair verified on the live website on the stated date. It does not establish acceptance of a full website migration, backup restoration or all hosting work. Indexing, ranking, enquiry and revenue effects were not measured. Current website state requires a separate check.
Discuss your task
We agree the scope, price and acceptance checks after your brief.