there are three main ways to create a multilingual sitewith WordPress.
- using a plugin (recommended) – WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress, etc
- subdomain or subdirectory approach – separate sites for each language
- 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
plugin | price | key Features |
---|---|---|
WPML | paid ($3-$10/year) | most robust multilingual support, excellent SEO optimization |
Polylang | free/Paid | free version supports basic multilingual features, easy to use |
TranslatePress | free/Paid | real-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
- Purchase and install the WPML plugin
(
available for downloadat wpml.org)
- Select the languages you want to add
in WPML > Languages
- Add strings to translate
in WPML > String Translation
- Set SEO settings
in WPML > Settings
(you can change URL structure)- you can set URL structure like
mydomain.com/en/
,mydomain.com/fr/
, etc
- you can set URL structure like
- 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
plugins > Add New > Search for Polylang
, install and activate it- select the languages you want to add
in Settings > Languages
- add multilingual translations from existing content (pages, posts)
- add navigation menus for each language
in 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
plugins > Add New >
Install and activateTranslatePress
- set which languages to add
in Settings > TranslatePress
- edit the text to be translated directly
in page edit mode
- 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
- set up domain
- subdomain method: create
en.mydomain.com
and install WordPress separately - subdirectory method: Build a new site at
mydomain.com/en/
path
- subdomain method: create
- run a WordPress site for each language
- add
hreflang
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
- add the following code to your
wp-config.php
filedefine('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);
- enable
network
settings in your WordPress admin - add sites with subdomains or subdirectoriesfor each language
- 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?)
method | recommended for | key Features |
---|---|---|
WPML (Paid) | SEO optimized, works with WooCommerce | powerful multilingual features, easy to manage translations |
Polylang (free) | simple multilingual sites | free to use, more limited features than WPML |
TranslatePress (free/paid) | requires real-time translation | Google Translate API available |
subdomains/Subdirectories | fully independent site operation | SEO powerful, difficult to maintain |
multisite | multilingual blogs, portals | run 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! 💪