So what is a multilingual site and why do we need one?
A multilingual site is a site built in at least two languages, which allows navigation between the different languages through a menu and at the click of a button that switches the system interface to the desired language.
Such sites allow content to be displayed for visitors in the local market as well as for the international market. They are also intended for those whose target audience is not local (for example investors, donors, international companies, tourists or communities abroad), or for those who address populations that speak a particular language (for example, new immigrants).
In the following article I will conduct a comprehensive review of the common ways and known options for creating a multilingual WordPress site. Each of the ways has advantages and disadvantages, so I will try to sum up the subject in the best possible way.
In the concluding part of the article I will present a table that reviews each of the approaches by examining several key parameters, looking at aspects of development / site management / convenience / efficiency / future growth options, and based on them you will be able to decide which approach is the best one for you.
The methods I am going to review in this article are:
- Setting up a site as multilingual by using plugins.
- Defining a site as multilingual by using a WordPress Multisite installation.
- Setting up a site as multilingual by using several separate WordPress installations in a Subdomains or Subdirectories (sub-folders) configuration.
Setting up a site as multilingual by using plugins
There are several common plugins capable of setting up a WordPress site (regular installation) as a multilingual site in WordPress; some plugins offer a free plan with limited options while the full plan of the plugin comes at an additional cost (one-time/annual), and some plugins do not provide a free version at all.
WPML
WPML is one of the more common translation plugins for WordPress, and it provides several very advanced options; most often it is a somewhat complex plugin to set up initially, and it requires the assistance of a technical person with advanced understanding.
The plugin will serve you best for large and complex projects in which special and advanced features are required on the site (dynamic content translated by AJAX requests / translation of plugins and internal menus in the dashboard, etc.)
Translation can be done manually – you can update content in your WordPress system through your dashboard (you can translate each and every post, duplicate it into a translated post, etc.)
Translation can be done by in-house translators – with the help of the Translation Management extension for the plugin, you can create users in the system with "translator" or "translation manager" permissions in order to manage the distribution of translations on the site, and translate components on the site itself directly by accessing it from your WordPress dashboard.
Translation can be done by professional translation services – the Translation Management extension of the plugin also lets you use professional translation services provided by third parties (reputable companies) through the plugin's interface.
In addition, on the paid plans – besides translating the posts and pages that your site's visitors access – you can also translate additional components such as:
- Plugin menus
- Theme menus
- Widgets
- Taxonomies
- Custom Fields
- Creating content with Page Builders
The plugin is very common in the Israeli and global WordPress community, and also allows a link structure of your choice from a variety of options (for SEO Friendly):
- Creating a link structure as domains (for example: Hebrew upress.co.il, English upress.io)
- Creating a permalink structure as a subdomain (for example: Hebrew he.upress.co.il, English en.upress.co.il)
- Creating the permalink structure as a subdirectory (for example: Hebrew upress.co.il/he, English upress.co.il/en)
- Creating the link structure as a parameter by adding a URI (for example: Hebrew upress.co.il/?lang=he, English upress.co.il/?lang=en)
And what's the price, you ask? The plugin does not offer a free version at all, but it offers a full refund within 30 days if you are not satisfied. The plugin's prices range from $30 (per year) for the single-site version (Multilingual Blog) up to $160 for a web design agency (Multilingual Agency).
Polylang
Polylang is a very common translation plugin, and it exists in the official WordPress plugin library (and therefore offers a free version in addition to a paid version); the paid plan offers you the option of translating more content for 99 euros.
With Polylang they also offer a special plan for WordPress stores (WooCommerce). Unlike WPML, the plugin offers you only manual translation of your site, and if you want to use additional translators who will be given permission for this action – you will need another WordPress plugin.
The Polylang editing interface for content is very similar in essence to the WPML editing interface, and it also offers a relatively friendly and convenient user experience.
The free version of Polylang offers relatively extensive options for a free version of this type of plugin, and can even suit most types of sites without the need to upgrade to a paid version.
One difference, for example, is that in the paid version you will not be able to edit plugins and design templates by default (advanced options), and these will require third-party extensions of additional plugins:
- Polylang Theme Strings
- Theme and plugin translation for Polylang
Beyond that, Polylang lets you translate pages / posts that were built using page builders (Elementor and the like).
Also, similar to WPML, the plugin offers editing of the permalink structure of translated pages as chosen by the site administrator in order to achieve optimal SEO results. (Same as WPML)
Polylang's prices range from the free version (which provides quite enough options) up to 139 euros for a single site for the most extended version.
Weglot
The third and last plugin that I will review is the Weglot plugin.
If we talked about the previous plugins' interfaces and the experience of using them: the two previous plugins I discussed offer a similar user experience and interfaces, while Weglot offers a completely different user experience and user interface, and its pricing also works a bit differently.
Weglot offers a manual translation option, and options for "automatic" translation by professional translators who offer their services for a fee.
The Weglot interface works by logging into their system (in the cloud, not your site) and from there connecting to your site through a WordPress plugin using an API Key that you receive (a unique identifier for your site).
Inside the Weglot management interface you can edit all the content on your site from anywhere at any time.
There are two interfaces you can work with in the Weglot system: the first is an interface you reach by logging in to their panel, which gives you access to your posts and lets you edit them as you choose, and the second is a visual editor interface (similar to Elementor) that lets you edit the content "live" inside the post/page itself.
Weglot can also translate pages built with Page Builders without any problem, and also supports the well-known Yoast SEO plugin in order to be as friendly as possible with regard to SEO as well.
Weglot's pricing is based on the number of languages you want to translate your site into and on the number of words you translate. The price ranges from 10 euros for the starter version up to 500 euros for the enterprise version.
Setting up a multilingual site using plugins – summary of this method.
Advantages:
Managing a single WordPress installation – an advantage in terms of security, convenience and maintenance (FTP or access management, updating plugins or the WordPress core in the future).
Disadvantages:
Performance – if you are creating a site with a large number of languages, this method is less recommended in terms of performance; the database can become heavy and every database query will be delayed accordingly.
Making future changes – future changes to the site structure \ permalink structure \ design changes and so on will require the help of a technical person (a programmer), and will usually be somewhat complex.
Setting up a site as multilingual by using a WordPress Multisite installation
So after in the first part of the article I reviewed the options for creating and translating multilingual sites using plugins that deal only with that,
In this part I will describe another, less common way to create a multilingual site, using the popular and well-known WordPress extension – Multisite.
For those who are not familiar with it, WordPress Multisite is an extension, configurable through several settings in the WordPress core files, that allows the site administrator to create several separate sites under the management of a single WordPress installation, and to create users who can manage and edit each site separately.
Multisite requires moderate technical knowledge for the initial setup, but once it is set up you can create several sites in different languages (with the same design or a completely different one) and give your site administrators separate access to each and every site.
After that – ongoing maintenance will be fairly simple and without any special complexity.
Defining a site as multilingual by using a WordPress Multisite installation – a summary of this method.
Advantages:
Managing a single WordPress installation – an advantage in terms of security, convenience and maintenance (FTP or access management, updating plugins or the WordPress core in the future).
Disadvantages:
Making future changes – future changes to the site structure \ permalink structure \ design changes and so on will require the help of a technical person (a programmer), and will usually be somewhat complex.
Setting up a site as multilingual by using several separate WordPress installations in a Subdomains or Subdirectory (subfolders) configuration.
There are users who prefer to manage their multilingual sites as completely separate sites.
With this method, separate WordPress installations are set up for each language; for example, a site with 3 languages will actually be 3 sites (3 WordPress installations).
Similar to WordPress Multisite, with this method you do not need to rely on one translation plugin or another, for the simple reason that in this case you translate every post and page on the desired site and simply upload it in the translated language in which you want to set up your additional site.
(for example: a site with 3 languages – you enter the desired language, create a new post and enter its content directly in the desired language).
In fact, this method can be carried out in 2 general configurations:
- Configuring separate WordPress installations based on subdomains or separate domains.
For example (he.upress.co.il, en.upress.co.il, fr.upress.co.il), or for example (upress.co.il, upress.io, upress.fr) - Configuration of separate WordPress installations based on Subdirectories
For example (upress.co.il/he, upress.co.il/en, upress.co.il/fr)
In terms of SEO – there is a common assumption among SEO professionals that if you want to build a multilingual site, it is better to do so under the main domain, in the form of subdirectories. Because the main domain has "power and reputation", the additional site in the new language will be promoted and enjoy a reputation like the main site.
In terms of convenience and operation – if we want to provide FTP access for a developer, in a setup of subdomains or separate domains, you will need to create several FTP accounts (for each site separately).
In terms of databases, of course we will have to manage several separate databases (as many as the number of sites) and not a single database, unlike using a plugin \ Multisite.
Setting up a site as multilingual by using several separate WordPress installations in a Subdomains or Subdirectory configuration – a summary of this method.
Advantages:
Performance – in terms of performance this method will be the most recommended; every site works against a single file system and database, and the time to retrieve data from the database will be the shortest.
Making changes in the future – future changes to the site structure / link structure / design changes, etc. will not require the assistance of a technical person (programmer), and will usually be simpler to carry out.
Disadvantages:
Price – if you choose to use premium plugins (such as a cache plugin) you will need to purchase them in multiples of the number of sites you manage, but you will also save yourself the "cache plugin or the developer's hour".
Managing multiple WordPress systems – a disadvantage in terms of security, convenience and maintenance (FTP or access management, updating plugins or the WordPress core in the future).
General topics to take into account.
A few general points to consider in whichever way you choose to make your site bilingual:
- In terms of data encryption (SSL) – creating sites, in terms of link structure, on subdomains or separate domains requires an SSL certificate for each subdomain or domain you create. (Wildcard SSL certificates exist at a higher price, for a full domain covering all of its subdomains)
- As for connecting to a CDN – if you want to connect to CDN services such as Cloudflare or Incapsula, you can do so without any problem in a link structure based on subdomains or separate domains, by pointing the DNS of the service you want to work with, and it will work without any problem.
With a permalink structure based on subdirectories or URIs, it will not be possible to separate the languages, and you will have to either route the entire domain through a CDN or not route it at all. - In terms of SEO – pay attention to "duplicate" content and use the correct tags that will help Google and the other search engines identify that it is indeed duplicate content but in a different language, in the case of duplicating content between sites \ languages, and while the post is still not "ready for publication" you must ensure the correct order of operations, and therefore it is worth consulting with an SEO specialist.
In summary
In this article I presented several possible ways to set up multilingual WordPress sites. Each has advantages and disadvantages, which I arranged for you in a table with each of the options, for your convenient review.
| Translation plugins | Multisite installation | Separate installations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial setup: | simply | Requires technical knowledge | Multitasking |
| Performance: | low | Medium | Excellent |
| Component prices: | 30-140$ | Free | Free |
| Ongoing maintenance: | Convenient | Medium | Simple but scattered |
| Security: | Good | Good | risky in subfolders |
| Access management: | Very convenient | Medium | Simple but scattered |
| SSL certificate: | Simple setting | Simple setting | Multitasking |
| Making future changes: | Less convenient | Requires technical knowledge | simply |
Ultimately you need to make up your own mind about how to set it up, the project budget, future management and your personal considerations, according to the parameters that meet your needs and ultimately give you advantages.
Note: The decision to set up a multilingual site is a weighty one and will accompany you throughout the site's entire "life cycle"; after setup it will be very difficult to change the way of working and to make architecture changes related to the language structure.
I hope I succeeded in summing up the multilingual topic in the best way, and that you now understand a bit better the terms, the future actions and the parameters you will need to take into account.
Thank you for reading. If you have questions or comments about this article, I would be glad if you shared them with us and I will respond accordingly.
