Unexpected Japanese Characters in Google Search Results for My Shopify Site

Technical Q&A

Topic summary

A Shopify store owner discovered Japanese characters (“ヴィンテージヴァンテージ y2k…”) appearing in their Google search results, despite their site being entirely in English. They’ve already checked standard SEO settings in Shopify admin, theme code, product/collection metadata, and installed apps without finding the source.

Suggested troubleshooting approaches:

  • Check if the store was previously translated into multiple languages; if so, add no-index code to non-English pages to prevent Google from indexing them
  • Review URLs shared on social media platforms (Instagram, Pinterest), as these platforms sometimes modify URL content
  • Examine meta tags from previously installed apps, particularly those used for creating/editing collections, which may have left behind Japanese metadata

Current status: One responder indicated the issue no longer appears in their search results, suggesting it may be resolving or intermittent. The store owner should verify if the problem persists on their end.

Summarized with AI on October 28. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi Shopify Support Community,

I’m encountering a strange and concerning issue with my Shopify website’s appearance in Google search results. For some reason, Japanese characters are showing up in the SEO snippet (specifically, it seems to be displaying “ヴィンテージヴァンテージ y2k… Warning: Undefined array key -19 in /www/wwwroot…”).

This is completely unexpected, as my website content and target audience are entirely in English. I haven’t intentionally added any Japanese text to my site’s SEO settings or content.

My website is https://www.vspackaging.com.au/.

Has anyone else experienced a similar issue? I’m looking for guidance on how to identify the source of this unwanted text and, more importantly, how to remove it so that my search results display correctly.

My store is built on the Shopify platform. I’ve already checked the following areas:

  • Shopify Admin > Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit code: I’ve reviewed recent code changes but haven’t found any obvious Japanese text.
  • Shopify Admin > Online Store > Preferences: My homepage title and meta description are in English
  • Shopify Admin > Products/Collections/Pages: The titles and meta descriptions for my products, collections, and pages also appear to be correct.
  • Installed Apps: I’ve reviewed my installed apps, but none seem directly related to translation or SEO in a way that would explain this.

Could this be a theme-related issue, or could there be something else I’m missing? Any advice on where else to look or steps I can take to resolve this would be greatly appreciated. It’s crucial for my website’s visibility and credibility that the search results are accurate.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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2

Hi @vspackaging

You can check this issue via two ways I shared below:

  1. Have you translated your store page contents before via different languages? If so, this issue indicates Google thinks your page contents under different languages are related each other and listed via the pattern you shared in the screenshot. The way to resolve this issue is to locate the related language page and add no-index code on page backend to let Google not index them again.

  2. Have you added store URLs on some social media platforms before? Some platforms like Instagram or Pinterest will modify the URL contents and cause the error links. You need to double check these urls and correct them in time.

By the time, when I manage to replay your issue in the screenshot, it seems to be okay already. Please further check on your end also if this issue exists still. Thank you!

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3

Hi @vspackaging . It seems the Japanese text in your search results could be from an app you previously used to create or edit collections, possibly leaving behind some Japanese meta tags.

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I recommend double-checking the meta tags carefully or contact the app’s support to get this resolved. :slightly_smiling_face: