How to Fix Chinese Characters Appearing on My Website in Google Search Results

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Why Your Website Appears in Chinese in Google Search Results
• Check for Google Interface and Language Settings
• Diagnose If Your Website Has Been Hacked
• How to Fix a Hacked Website
• Prevent Future Attacks
• Other Possible Causes and Solutions
• Final Checks and Ongoing Monitoring
• Conclusion

Introduction

Imagine searching for your website on Google. Suddenly, you see strange Chinese characters in the search results. This can be confusing and worrying. Many website owners ask, “Why are my search results in Chinese?”

You are not alone, which is wonderful news. This issue happens to many websites, including WordPress sites. It can affect your site’s trust and traffic. Visitors may think your website is hacked or unsafe.

We will assist you in resolving this issue in this tutorial. We’ll describe the causes and solutions. Additionally, you will discover how to prevent it from occurring in the future. Let’s get started.

Why Your Website Appears in Chinese in Google Search Results

Several reasons can cause this issue. It is important to know what is going wrong before you fix it.

1. Google Interface Language: Chinese Setting

Sometimes, the problem is simple. Your Google account or browser language is set to Chinese. This can make your search results show Chinese characters. It affects only what you see, not your actual website.

2. Google Results Vary by Region: Chinese

Google results are different in each country. If you or your visitors search from China or Asia, they may see Chinese results. This happens even if your website is in English.

It is called Google results vary by region in Chinese. Your site may appear normal in the USA but strange in other regions.

3. Incorrect Meta Tags on Your Website

Meta tags tell Google what language your website uses. If your site has the wrong language tag, Google may think your site is in Chinese.

This happens often after a bad plugin update or coding mistake. Always check your meta tags to be sure they match your site’s language.

4. Chinese Spam Hack WordPress

The most serious cause is a Chinese spam hack WordPress attack. Hackers target vulnerable WordPress websites. They inject hidden code into your files.

This code tricks Google into showing Chinese spam content. Your site may look normal to you, but Google sees the spam.

Signs of this attack include:

• Your website shows in Chinese only in Google.
• Strange pages or URLs appear under your domain.
• Unknown Chinese keywords are displayed in your Google Search Console.

Take quick action if you see any of these signs. This type of attack can damage your SEO badly.

Check for Google Interface and Language Settings

Sometimes, your site appears in Chinese because of Google settings. This is the easiest issue to fix.

Step 1: Change Google Account Language

• Log in to your Google account.
• Go to Google Account Settings.
• Select Data & Personalization.
• Find the Language option.
• Set it to English (United States) or your preferred language.

This change ensures your Google search results show in English.

Step 2: Check Google Search Settings

• Open Google Search.
• Click Settings at the bottom right.
• Choose Search settings.
• Under Languages, select English.
• Save the changes.

This helps remove unwanted Chinese characters in Google SERP for your searches.

Step 3: Change Browser Language

Sometimes the problem comes from your browser. The browser tells Google which language to display.

For Google Chrome:

• Click the three-dot menu.
• Go to Settings > Languages.
• Make sure English (United States) is at the top.

For Firefox users noticing Chinese characters in search results Firefox:

• Click the menu button.
• Select Settings > General > Language.
• Choose English as your preferred language.

Changing these settings can instantly fix your display issue.

Diagnose If Your Website Has Been Hacked

If settings are correct and the problem remains, check your website. It’s possible that a Chinese spam hack WordPress attack is targeting your website.

Hackers use hidden scripts to display Chinese spam to Google. This may not be visible to regular visitors.

Common signs of a spam hack include:

A Chinese spam hack WordPress attack can be hard to notice. The visible website may look normal. However, search engines and visitors from certain regions may see different content.

The following are the obvious warning indicators to look out for:

1. Chinese Characters in Google SERP but Normal Site for Visitors

Your website looks fine when you visit it directly. But when you search on Google, the title or description shows Chinese characters in Google SERP.

This happens because hackers hide spam content from site owners. They use special scripts to fool search engines only.

Always check how your site appears on Google, not just the browser.

2. Strange URLs or Extra Pages Added to Your Website

Look for web pages that you never created. These pages may have random strings or Chinese words in the URLs.

Examples include:

• /abc123/index.html
• /free-shoes-in-china/

Hackers create these hidden pages to trick search engines. They try to rank spammy or harmful content under your domain.

Use Google Search Console to spot these pages early.

3. Website Appears in Chinese When I Search on Google Only

Sometimes, your site looks fine when you enter the full URL. But if you search your site name on Google, it shows Chinese characters or Chinese-language results.

This clearly indicates cloaking. Google crawlers see different stuff from hackers than do normal users.

Take quick action to safeguard your website if you observe this.

4. Suspicious Traffic from Unknown Countries

Check your website traffic regularly. If you notice a sudden spike in visitors from unusual countries, it could be a sign.

For example:

• High traffic from China or unknown regions
• Visits to strange URLs you don’t recognize

This could mean hackers are using your site for spam campaigns.

Monitor traffic using Google Analytics or your hosting dashboard.

5. Alerts from Google Search Console About Unusual Activity

Google may warn you if it detects hacked content or malware.

Check Google Search Console for:

• “Hacked site detected” warnings
• Manual actions under Security & Manual Actions tab

Do not ignore these alerts. They help you act before major damage occurs.

If you see these signs, your site may be compromised.

Tools to check your site:

• Google Search Console (look at the Security and Coverage sections).
• Sucuri SiteCheck (free malware scanner).
• Wordfence (WordPress security plugin).

Do not ignore these warnings. A hacked site can lose traffic and reputation fast.

How to Fix a Hacked Website

If you suspect your site has been hacked, act quickly. A Chinese spam hack WordPress can harm your traffic and SEO. Your visitors may stop trusting your website.

Step 1: Backup Your Website

Before doing anything, create a full site backup. In the event that something goes wrong, this safeguards your data. One-click backups are available from a lot of hosting companies. Plugins like BackupBuddy and UpdraftPlus are also options.

Step 2: Scan Your Website for Malware

Use reputable security software to check for spam and malware. Popular tools include:

• Sucuri SiteCheck (free and easy to use)
• Wordfence Security (powerful WordPress plugin)
• MalCare (another good WordPress option)

These tools will alert you if there are malicious files or code.

Step 3: Remove Infected Files

If malware is found, you must clean your site. You can:

• Manually remove suspicious files via FTP or your file manager.
• Replace hacked files with fresh copies from official WordPress themes or plugins.
• Use your security plugin’s clean-up tools.

If you’re not comfortable, contact a professional WordPress security expert.

Step 4: Change All Passwords

Change passwords for:

• WordPress admin accounts
• FTP/SFTP accounts
• Database access
• Hosting control panel

Use strong, unique passwords for each account.

Step 5: Remove Chinese Snippets from Search Results

If you cleaned your site, tell Google your site is safe.
Here’s how:

• Log in to Google Search Console.
• Go to the Security & Manual Actions tab.
• Check for any warnings or penalties.
• Fix all issues and request a review.
• Use the Removals tool to temporarily hide unwanted spam URLs.

This step helps you remove Chinese snippets from search results faster.

Step 6: Request Google Reindexing

After cleaning your site, update Google’s index:

• Navigate to Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool.
• Enter your home page URL.
• Click Request Indexing.

Repeat for any more impacted pages. Google will re-crawl your website. It helps restore your correct content in search results.

Prevent Future Attacks

Once your site is clean, protect it from future attacks. A hacked site often gets targeted again.

Secure Your WordPress Website

The following easy actions will help you harden your site:

• Update WordPress, plugins, and themes.
• Eliminate any unnecessary plugins or themes.
• Use only reputable themes and plugins.
• Install a security plugin such as Sucuri or Wordfence.
• In WordPress, disable file editing.

By including this line in your wp-config.php file, you may prevent file editing:

define(‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true);

Strengthen Login Security

Make your login page safer by:

• Using strong, unique admin passwords.
• Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA).
• Restricting login attempts in order to prevent brute-force attacks.

Disable XML-RPC if Not Needed

The XML-RPC function allows remote connections. Hackers often exploit it.

• Disable it if you don’t use apps or external publishing tools.
• Many security plugins offer an option to disable XML-RPC.

Monitor Your Website Regularly

Stay alert by setting up monitoring tools:

• Check the status of your website with Google Search Console.
• Enable email alerts from your security plugin.
• Check your website traffic and performance weekly.

Being proactive saves you from future surprises.

Other Possible Causes and Solutions

Sometimes, your site shows Chinese because of technical settings.

CDN or Hosting Issues

Verify your settings if you utilize a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

• A misconfigured CDN may serve cached Chinese content.
• Clear the cache and set your preferred language.

Incorrect Language Meta Tags

A small mistake in your website’s meta tags can confuse Google.

• Check that your site’s <html lang=”en”> tag is correct.
• Set it to match your website’s language, usually English.

Google Results Vary by Region Chinese

Google may serve different results depending on region or IP address.

• Your site may look fine in the USA but show Chinese elsewhere.
• You cannot fully control this, but a clean, secure site reduces risk.

Always monitor your site regularly to stay safe.

Final Checks and Ongoing Monitoring

After cleaning and securing your site, check if everything works correctly. You want to be sure there are no remaining issues.

Recheck with Google Search Console

For website owners, Google Search Console is a useful free tool.
Follow these steps:

• Open Google Search Console and log in.
• Look for any manual actions or security alerts.
• Examine the pages on your website using the URL Inspection Tool.
• Look for any unexpected Chinese characters in Google SERP.

If everything looks normal, your site is safe.

Monitor Regularly

Problems can come back if you do not stay alert. Set up regular checks:

• Use a security plugin to run weekly scans.
• Watch website traffic for unusual spikes or drops.
• Check for strange URLs or pages showing in search results.
• Use Google alerts to get updates about your domain.
•  Examine the pages on your website using the URL Inspection Tool.

Conclusion

Seeing your website appear in Chinese when I search can be scary. You know how to solve it now, though. Most cases are easy to fix by changing language settings.

For more serious problems like a Chinese spam hack WordPress, the steps we shared can help. You can clean your site and remove Chinese snippets from search results.

Always stay alert and update your site regularly. Maintaining the security of your WordPress website safeguards both your reputation and visitors.

Seek expert assistance if you are unsure or if the issue recurs. 24×7 WP Support can help you secure and repair your website quickly.

A clean and secure site will help you regain visitor trust and grow your online presence.