Home Page NOT INDEXED in Google (previously was) - need some help please

[mprough]

The page genuinely contains the following tag:

 <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" />

This is the entire indexing issue and you need to correct it ASAP or your rank will tank.

My guess is that includes/templates/your_template/html_header.php has been changed and broken.

Look for the code

 <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" />

and examine the block, the entire code for this area should look like

<?php if (defined('ROBOTS_PAGES_TO_SKIP') && in_array($current_page_base,explode(",",constant('ROBOTS_PAGES_TO_SKIP'))) || $current_page_base=='down_for_maintenance' || $robotsNoIndex === true) { ?>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" />
<?php } ?>

~Melanie

[shags38]

Interrogating the home page with browser dev tools gives a 404 - this ties in with the code I referenced in header_php.php, so my uncertainty is looking less certain!

(especially as I have just replicated it in my ZC v1.5.8a install, using Always Show on Main Page = 1 & Opens with Category = 999 )

Simon, you are an absolute Champion !!!! ... as we would say in Australia 'your blood is worth bottling' :) making those two changes did the trick - great pick up;
Admin > Configuration > Layout Settings > Categories - Always Show on Main Page = 0
Admin > Configuration > Layout Settings > Main Page - Opens with Category = [blank]

my settings previously were 1 and 0 respectively - on my other sites without the issue they are 0 and 0

This must be something specific to 1.5.6 /7 /8 versions?? as I upgraded this site from 1.5.5f to 1.5.7b back in early July and the settings in 1.5.5f were 1 and 0 respectively without any issues.

So the home page has been 404 and non indexed since then (about 10 weeks) - no wonder orders dried up and ranking disappeared and backlinks were non existent!

I am not a developer (pretty obvious) and most zenners are, however it makes me wonder if others have had / are having / or may have in the future the same issue
and not realize it until the damage is done - like I said, in prior versions this was not an issue.

If you have the ear of the likes of DrByte or mc123456789 or any others that are involved in the development team of zen-cart then maybe you could alert them to this potential 'frailty'. I'm not sure if there is a process for reporting this type of thing, if there is maybe give me a heads up on that process and I will do it.

Again, many many thanks - you may have saved the business for which I am grateful.

cheers,
Mike

[shags38]

many thanks Melanie for replying - I had certainly taken a look at that but there was no fix within that area - please take a look at the reply from simon1066 and my response back to him - he solved the issue and I personally think it uncovers a 'potential frailty' in version 1.5.7b and quite possibly all versions after v1.5.5f

again, thank you.
cheers,
Mike

[mc12345678]

What php version is being seen by your site? Can be found in the admin by selecting the link named version. The php version is expected in the upper part of the window on the left side.

[shags38]

What php version is being seen by your site? Can be found in the admin by selecting the link named version. The php version is expected in the upper part of the window on the left side.

php 7.1.33