Creating a website that connects with the non-English speaking audience has immense benefits for a business. Not only do you increase your reach internationally, but you also ensure your message is well delivered. However, a successful multilingual site can be achieved by using the best strategies and tools. In this article, we explore how to make multilingual website easily, including the solution and plugins that work.
A multilingual WordPress website is optimized to serve visitors the same content in multiple languages. With WordPress’s multiple language capability, the site automatically redirects the user to the language based on their region. Users also have the option to select their preferred language using a drop-down menu. The best practices for creating a multilingual website range from manual translation to using a WordPress multilingual plugin.
To create a multilingual WordPress website, you need the following key items:
Once you have purchased a domain name and found a good hosting provider, you can go ahead to create the website. This will include basic steps of developing a website, such as finding the right theme, installing basic plugins, and adding pages. The next bit is to make the website multilingual.
Several WordPress multilingual plugins are available for translating your website into multiple languages. However, choose a plugin that helps you easily manage translations without affecting user experience. Let’s have a look at the top three WordPress multilingual plugins and how to set them up.
One of the best WordPress translation plugins is Weglot, which uses powerful neural machine translation to translate your original website content. Instead of asking you to create multiple versions of the same article, Weglot automatically translates your page and post text. It also instantly translates other content such as menus, theme elements, footers, widgets, lead generation forms, image alt text, metadata, and more.
To get started, visit the Weglot website and create a new account by entering your email address and password. You will be directed to the Projects page, where you can start your new translation project. Specify WordPress as the type of website builder you are connecting to. Then, follow the step-by-step process on the screen for installing and setting up the Weglot plugin on your WordPress site.
After installing and activating Weglot in your WordPress site, it will automatically display a language switcher. You can click on it to switch to the desired language, and the plugin will instantly translate the entire page.
Another great translation plugin is TranslatePress, which will also instantly translate your WordPress site directly from the front-end. However, this plugin allows you to combine machine and human translations. You can use Google Translate or other AI-powered tools to generate machine translations and manually edit the parts that artificial intelligence missed.
TranslatePress allows you to use a live editor to translate visual aspects of your website. After installing and activating the plugin, add the Extra Languages add-on. This will give you more options on how to translate your website. You have the option to choose the default language of your website and the languages to translate into. Then select whether you want to display language names in the native language and whether to display the default language name in the URL as a subdirectory.
WordPress Multi-lingual (WPML) is one of the oldest WordPress multilingual plugins. Once you have installed and activated WPML, it will automatically detect your WordPress site’s language. It then provides you with the translation language to choose from, and a language switcher for users to choose which language they want.
A WordPress multilingual setup can be a little confusing, especially without the necessary language to set up the plugins of your site. You will need to complete several steps and indicate how you want the plugin to translate your website. However, don’t let that scare you away because the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Hiring WordPress experts like WPDepend simplifies the entire process by ensuring that the plugins are properly installed and all parts of your website are working in unison for a better user experience.
A seasoned technology writer and marketing consultant with over a decade of experience helping businesses grow online. I specialize in content marketing, SEO, web design, and e-commerce development. I am enthusiastic about using cutting-edge technology to acquire high-quality traffic, generate leads, and increase sales for my clients.
