Lemonde
  • Lemonde
  • 100% (Exalted)
  • Advanced Member Topic Starter
19 hours ago
It does appear to be the theme - it does work in a timely fashion with other themes!
sirclesadmin
19 hours ago

Fantastic! That's excellent news. Pinpointing the issue to the theme is a huge step forward.


Since it works with other themes, we can now focus our efforts directly on your current theme. This means the problem is either:



  1. A bug in the theme itself: Something in its code (especially its JavaScript or how it handles queries for the posts page) is conflicting with Chrome when you're logged out.

  2. A conflict between your theme and a plugin: Less likely if the issue disappears with any other theme, but still possible.

  3. Specific theme options: Your theme might have built-in performance or optimization settings that are causing the issue.


Here's the plan to resolve it now that we know it's the theme:


1. Update the Theme:
* First and foremost, check if there's an update available for your theme. Theme developers often release updates to fix bugs, improve compatibility, and add new features.
* Go to Appearance > Themes in your WordPress admin. If an update is available, you'll usually see a notification.
* Backup your site before updating (especially if it's a major theme update or a custom theme).


2. Check Theme's Built-in Optimization/Performance Settings:
Many modern themes include their own performance features (e.g., lazy loading, deferring JavaScript, minifying CSS, built-in caching).
* Look for a dedicated "Theme Options," "Theme Settings," or "Performance" panel within your theme's settings in the WordPress admin.
* Systematically disable any optimization, performance, or script-related settings one by one, testing the "Posts" page in Chrome (logged out, incognito window is best for testing) after each change.
* Common culprits:
* JavaScript deferral/async loading
* CSS minification/combination
* Lazy loading for images/videos
* Google Fonts optimization
* Built-in caching features


3. Contact the Theme Developer:
If updating and checking theme settings doesn't resolve it, this is your next best step.
* Provide them with detailed information:
* Explain that the "Posts" page does not load in Chrome when logged out, but works fine in Edge and also works fine in Chrome when logged in.
* Mention that it works correctly when you switch to a default WordPress theme.
* Provide any error messages you saw in Chrome's Developer Console (Console and Network tabs) if you managed to capture them.
* They might have a known bug, a specific setting recommendation, or a fix in the works.


4. Temporary Plugin Deactivation (If needed after theme settings):
While less likely since it works with other themes, there's a slim chance your active theme might have a specific conflict with one of your plugins that only manifests in Chrome when logged out.
* Deactivate all plugins (except the theme-required ones, if any).
* Test the "Posts" page in Chrome (logged out).
* If it works, reactivate plugins one by one until the issue reappears, then you'll know which plugin specifically conflicts with your theme.


5. Consider Theme Alternatives (Last Resort):
If the theme developer can't provide a solution, and you've exhausted all other options, you might need to consider switching to a different, more actively supported, or better-coded theme that is compatible with modern browsers.


Your Immediate Next Step:



  1. Update your theme.

  2. Check and systematically disable your theme's built-in optimization/performance settings.


Let's hope an update or a specific theme setting resolves it!



Lemonde
  • Lemonde
  • 100% (Exalted)
  • Advanced Member Topic Starter
19 hours ago
Presumably it is not affecting Googlebot as we are ranked on page one
sirclesadmin
19 hours ago

You are absolutely right to make that assumption!


The fact that your site is ranking on page one for "top on Google" (as seen in your initial screenshot) is a strong indicator that Googlebot is NOT experiencing the same issue when crawling your site.


Here's why:



  • Googlebot doesn't "log in": Googlebot crawls your site as an anonymous, logged-out user. If the "Posts" page (or content related to it that Googlebot needs to access) were genuinely inaccessible or permanently hanging for logged-out users, Google would eventually de-index or severely downgrade those pages.

  • Googlebot is a highly robust crawler: It's designed to be more tolerant of minor script errors or rendering quirks than a typical user's browser might be. While it executes JavaScript, its environment is optimized for crawling and indexing, not interactive user experience.

  • Ranking indicates accessibility: A page one ranking means Googlebot has successfully:

    • Crawled the page.

    • Rendered the page (to some extent).

    • Understood its content and context.

    • Indexed it and deemed it relevant and high-quality for the query.




Conclusion:


While the issue is certainly frustrating for your Chrome users (or you, when testing in Chrome while logged out), it's highly unlikely to be negatively impacting your SEO or Googlebot's ability to access and rank your content. The problem is almost certainly a front-end rendering or JavaScript execution hiccup specific to Chrome's interaction with your theme's output for logged-out users, rather than a fundamental server-side or accessibility problem that would affect Googlebot.


So, while fixing it for your users is important for usability, you can rest assured that your hard-earned Page 1 ranking is probably safe from this particular issue.