How to Create a Multilingual WordPress Website: Plugins and Best Practices

Creating a multilingual WordPress website is an important step for those who want to attract an international audience and improve the accessibility of their content for users who speak different languages. In this article, we will look at the best plugins and best practices for creating such a website on WordPress.

Why Is It Important to Create a Multilingual Website?

Multilingual websites are in demand among businesses and content projects because they enable effective interaction with users around the world. The key benefits include:

Audience expansion: The ability to work with customers from different countries.
SEO benefits: Optimizing the website for search queries in different languages.
Increased trust: Localized versions of a website help build trusting relationships with users.

Ways to Create a Multilingual WordPress Website

Creating separate websites for each language. This method involves creating several standalone websites with different domain extensions or subdomains. The advantage is that it allows you to configure each version of the website as a separate project; however, maintaining this structure requires significant resources and time.
Using multilingual plugins. This is the most popular way to create multilingual WordPress websites. It allows you to manage translations and content from a single website without creating separate versions for each language.

Best Plugins for Creating a Multilingual WordPress Website

1. WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin)

One of the most popular and powerful plugins for creating multilingual websites. Its features include:

Support for more than 40 languages.
The ability to add custom translations.
WooCommerce integration for creating multilingual online stores.
SEO optimization for different languages.

WPML has a simple control panel where you can manage translations of pages, posts, menus, and other website elements. It also supports automatic translation, which significantly speeds up the process.

Advantages:

Flexibility and power.
Support for many languages and functionality for online stores.
Professional support.

Disadvantages:

No free version.
May be difficult for beginners.

Current WPML Pricing:

WPML offers three pricing plans:

Multilingual Blog: $39 per year. Suitable for blogs and simple websites.
Multilingual CMS: $99 per year. Supports complex websites with WooCommerce functionality.
Multilingual Agency: $199 per year. For agencies with an unlimited number of websites.

2. Polylang

This plugin is one of the most commonly used free solutions for creating a multilingual website. Polylang makes it easy to add new languages, create page translations, and manage all website versions through a single admin panel.

Key Features:

Support for manual content translation.
The ability to choose the URL structure (language codes in URLs, subdomains, or separate domains).
Integration with popular SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO.

Advantages:

Ease of use.
A free version with basic functionality.
Good compatibility with other plugins.

Disadvantages:

Automatic translation is available only in the paid version.

Current Polylang Pricing:

The free version is available with limited functionality.
Polylang Pro: €99 per year for one website. Advanced functionality with support for automatic translation and additional options for SEO and WooCommerce.

3. TranslatePress

This is a visual multilingual plugin that lets you edit translations directly from the front end of the website. You can select elements to translate and see the changes instantly.

Features:

Full WooCommerce integration.
SEO optimization for multilingual websites.
Support for automatic translation using Google Translate and DeepL.

Advantages:

Intuitive interface.
Support for visual editing.
The ability to use automatic and manual translation.

Disadvantages:

Paid features may be necessary for full functionality.

Current TranslatePress Pricing:

The free version is available with basic features.
TranslatePress Personal: €79 per year for one website.
TranslatePress Business: €139 per year for three websites.
TranslatePress Developer: €199 per year for an unlimited number of websites.

4. GTranslate

GTranslate is a plugin that uses Google Translate to automatically translate your website. It offers a simple solution for those who want to quickly translate a website into several languages, although translation quality may vary depending on the complexity of the text.

Key Features:

Support for more than 100 languages.
Automatic translation.
SEO support through URLs in different languages.

Advantages:

Easy to install and use.
Support for a large number of languages.
A free version is available.

Disadvantages:

The quality of automatic translation may not always be ideal.
A paid version is required for full functionality.

Current GTranslate Pricing:

The free version offers automatic translation through Google Translate.
GTranslate Pro: from $9.99 to $34.99 per month, depending on the number of supported languages and other features.

Comparison of Paid and Free Plugins

Free Plugins:

Polylang and TranslatePress offer free versions with basic functionality, making them an excellent choice for small projects.
GTranslate also offers a free plan, but with limited SEO support and less accurate translation quality.

Paid Plugins:

WPML and Polylang Pro provide more powerful capabilities for complex projects, with support for WooCommerce, automatic translations, and SEO settings for each language.
TranslatePress and GTranslate Pro also offer more advanced options for optimizing translations and improving the user experience on the website.

What to Consider:

Choosing the right URL structure. The best option is to use subdomains or subfolders for each language. This will improve SEO and allow you to manage website versions more effectively.
Multilingual SEO optimization. Use hreflang tags to indicate to search engines the language of the page content in order to avoid duplicate content. In addition, configure meta tags and headings for each language version of the website.
Automatic translation vs. manual translation. Automatic translation can save time; however, to create high-quality content, it is recommended to use manual translation or consult professional translators.
Content localization. Translation is not simply replacing words. It is important to adapt content to the cultural characteristics of each audience, for example, taking into account local holidays, traditions, and other factors.
Testing each language version. After setting up a multilingual website, be sure to test each version on different devices and browsers to ensure that everything works correctly.

Best Practices for Creating a Multilingual Website Without Plugins

1. Using Subdomains or Separate Domains for Each Language

One of the most flexible ways to create a multilingual website without plugins is to create separate subdomains (for example, fr.yoursite.com for the French version and en.yoursite.com for the English version). Each language version of the website will be managed as a separate WordPress installation. This allows you to:

Have full control over each language version.
Set up unique SEO for each version.
Avoid difficulties with plugin integration.

However, this method requires more management resources, as you will need to maintain several websites simultaneously.

2. Creating Different Pages for Each Language

If you have a small website, you can manually create pages in different languages within a single WordPress installation. For example, you can create separate categories or menus for each language:

The English category will contain all pages in English.
The Русский category will contain pages in Russian. You can create manual links to each version of a page and use WordPress’s internal structure to manage different content versions.

Advantages:

Full control over content.
Does not require installing additional plugins.
Maintains simplicity and flexibility with a small volume of content.

Disadvantages:

For large websites, this approach can become complex and time-consuming.
No automation of translation processes.

Conclusion

Creating a multilingual WordPress website can significantly improve the accessibility of your content for an international audience and have a positive impact on SEO. By using the best plugins, such as WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress, you can easily manage translations and adapt your website for different languages. Remember to follow best practices for website optimization, which will help you succeed in the global market.