how to Create a Multilingual WordPress Site at a Glance

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there are three main ways to create a multilingual sitewith WordPress.

  1. using a plugin (recommended) – WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress, etc
  2. subdomain or subdirectory approach – separate sites for each language
  3. multisite setup – manage multiple sites from one WordPress

we’ll explain the pros and cons of each method and how to set them up in detail.

building a multilingual site using the 1️⃣ plugin (easiest way)

to run a multilingual site in WordPress, it’s usuallyeasiest and most effective to use a multilingual plugin.

🚀 Compare our recommended plugins

pluginpricekey Features
WPMLpaid ($3-$10/year)most robust multilingual support, excellent SEO optimization
Polylangfree/Paidfree version supports basic multilingual features, easy to use
TranslatePressfree/Paidreal-time translation support, AI translation (Google Translate) available

💡 **WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin)** is the best choice for creating SEO-friendly multilingual sites.

🔹 Installation and Setup

  1. Purchase and install the WPML plugin(available for downloadat wpml.org)
  2. Select the languages you want to addin WPML > Languages
  3. Add strings to translatein WPML > String Translation
  4. Set SEO settings in WPML > Settings(you can change URL structure)
    • you can set URL structure likemydomain.com/en/, mydomain.com/fr/, etc
  5. translate each page/post to add multilingual content

📌 Pros
✅ Provides SEO optimization (supports Google multilingual search)
✅ Fully compatible with WooCommerce (shopping cart)

📌 C ons
❌ Paid plugin ($39 to $99 per year)

✅ Method 2: Polylang plugin (free to use)

💡 Polylangis a free-to-use multilingual plugin.

🔹 Install and set up

  1. plugins > Add New > Search for Polylang, install and activate it
  2. select the languages you want to addin Settings > Languages
  3. add multilingual translations from existing content (pages, posts)
  4. add navigation menus for each languagein the menu settings

📌 Pros
✅ Free to use
✅ Great for simple sites

📌 C ons
string Translation feature is paid (fewer translation options than WPML)

✅ Method 3: TranslatePress plugin (supports real-time translation)

💡 TranslatePressis a plugin that allows real-time translation by utilizing the Google Translate API.

🔹 Install and set up

  1. plugins > Add New > Install and activateTranslatePress
  2. set which languages to addin Settings > TranslatePress
  3. edit the text to be translated directlyin page edit mode
  4. AI translation (Google Translate API) available

📌 Pros
✅ Offers real-time translation functionality
intuitive UI for editing translations

📌 C ons
❌ Extra cost for automatic translation (Google API usage fee)

2️⃣ Subdomain / subdirectory method (run a separate site)

example:

  • subdomain method: en.mydomain.com, fr.mydomain.com
  • subdirectory method: mydomain.com/en/, mydomain.com/fr/

📌 How to set it up

  1. set up domain
    • subdomain method: create en.mydomain.com and install WordPress separately
    • subdirectory method: Build a new site at mydomain.com/en/ path
  2. run a WordPress site for each language
  3. addhreflang tags to optimize SEO

📌 Advantages
✅ You can run completely independent sites
✅ SEO optimization for each language is possible

📌 C ons
❌ Difficult to maintain (need to manage each language site separately)

3️⃣ Utilize the WordPress Multisite feature

by setting up WordPress Multisite, you can run multiple language sites on a single WordPress.

📌 How to set it up

  1. add the following code to your wp-config.php file
    • define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);
  2. enable network settings in your WordPress admin
  3. add sites with subdomains or subdirectoriesfor each language
  4. connect languages using the plugin MultilingualPress

📌 Pros
✅ Manage multiple language sites from one WordPress
✅ Plugins, themes can be shared

📌 C ons
❌ Somewhat complicated to set up, increases server resource usage

🚀 Final Choice Guide (Which is the Best?)

methodrecommended forkey Features
WPML (Paid)SEO optimized, works with WooCommercepowerful multilingual features, easy to manage translations
Polylang (free)simple multilingual sitesfree to use, more limited features than WPML
TranslatePress (free/paid)requires real-time translationGoogle Translate API available
subdomains/Subdirectoriesfully independent site operationSEO powerful, difficult to maintain
multisitemultilingual blogs, portalsrun multiple language sites on one WordPress

📌 Recommended combinations: ✅ WPML + SEO optimization → professional multilingual site
✅ Polylang (free) + cache optimization → small multilingual site
✅ TranslatePress + AI translation → build an automatic translation site

🔹 Conclusion

there are many ways to create a multilingual site in WordPress, but using a plugin is the most efficientway.
For SEO optimization and ease of maintenance, the WPML pluginis the most recommended.
however, you can also utilize **free plugins (Polylang, TranslatePress) to add multilingual capabilities while saving money.

💡 Not sure which one is best for you? ✅ Simple blog → Polylang (free)
✅ Shopping malls, corporate sites → WPML (paid)
✅ Automatic translation support → TranslatePress + Google Translate API

🚀 S etting up your multilingual site will be much easier if you follow this method! 💪

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