how to make WordPress site multilingual

Understanding the Importance of a Multilingual WordPress Site

In today’s global marketplace, having a multilingual website is essential for businesses aiming to reach a broader audience. WordPress, being the most popular content management system (CMS), offers several ways to create a multilingual site. Here’s a detailed guide on how to set up a multilingual WordPress site effectively.

Choosing the Right Multilingual Plugin

1. WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin):
   WPML is a premium plugin that is very robust, supporting over 40 languages and offering the ability to add language variants. It provides powerful features for translating posts, pages, custom types, taxonomy, menus, and even the theme’s texts.

2. Polylang:
   This is another popular option, which allows you to create a bilingual or multilingual WordPress site. You write posts, pages, create categories and post tags as usual, and then define the language for each of them.

3. TranslatePress:
   A newcomer to the scene, TranslatePress allows you to translate directly from the front-end and supports both manual and automatic translations. A standout feature is that all translations are stored locally, speeding up the loading time.

Configuring Your Chosen Plugin

Each plugin will have a slightly different setup process, but generally, you’ll need to:

• Install and activate the plugin.
• Set up default languages and add languages you want to include on your site.
• Configure language switcher options to allow visitors to select their preferred language.

Translating Your Content

• Manual Translation:
  This is often the best way for quality translations, especially if you need to ensure the tone and details align well with your brand and audience. However, manual translation can be time-consuming and costly.

• Automatic Translation:
  Some plugins offer automatic translation features based on machine translation tools like Google Translate. This can be a quick way to make your website accessible in many languages, though the translation may not always be perfectly accurate.

• Professional Translation Services:
  Some plugins integrate with translation services, allowing you to hire professional translators directly through the WordPress dashboard.

Managing Multilingual SEO

To reach a wider audience and ensure the success of your multilingual site, SEO is crucial. Here are some tips:

• Hreflang Tags:
  These HTML tags tell search engines about the language you are using on a specific page, helping the search engine index your site properly.

• Sitemaps:
  Ensure your multilingual plugin generates separate sitemaps for each language. This helps search engines discover content in all languages.

• Local SEO:
  If targeting audiences in specific countries, adapt your SEO strategy to include local search terms and keywords.

Keeping Your Multilingual Site Up to Date

When you update your site, it’s important to synchronize content across all languages. Check all translations and update them if necessary when you update your main site to keep the user experience consistent across all languages.

Performance and Caching

Multilingual sites can be more resource-intensive than monolingual ones. Using caching solutions like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache can help improve the loading times of your multilingual site.

User Experience

• Language Switcher Options:
  Place language switchers prominently on your site to make it easy for users to switch languages. Common placements include the header, footer, or top navigation.

• Consistent Layout Across Languages:
  Ensure that the layout remains consistent across different languages. It can be disorienting for users if the layout changes dramatically when the language changes.

• Testing:
  Regularly test your website in all its translated languages to ensure that all pages display correctly and that the translation makes sense in the context.

Customizing Language Switchers

Customize language switchers for better integration with your site’s design. Most multilingual plugins allow you to modify the appearance and functionality of language switchers without requiring extra coding.

Advanced Translation Management

For large-scale websites, managing translations can become complex. Some advanced plugins offer features like translation management systems that help you assign roles to translators, track translation progress, and integrate seamlessly with professional translation services.

Creating a multilingual WordPress site might seem like a daunting task, but with the right tools and careful planning, it’s entirely achievable. In today’s interconnected world, it’s a wise investment that can expand your reach and connect you to a wider array of customers worldwide.