Do you want to create a multilingual WordPress site?
Having translations can help your website stand out in the global marketplace. As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience, I know first-hand how important it is to cater to international audiences.
In this comprehensive guide, we will dive into the top WordPress translation plugins to make your site multilingual.
Contents
Why Go Multilingual?
Here are some compelling benefits of having a translated website:
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Reach more users globally – According to Statista, 56.2% of the world‘s websites are in English. By supporting more languages, you can tap into non-English speaking visitors around the world.
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Enhance local SEO – Translated content helps you rank higher in local search engines like Google France, Google España, etc. Multilingual plugins also add proper hreflang tags which signals to Google you have translated versions.
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Boost user experience – Studies show that users prefer browsing sites in their native language. Providing translated content leads to higher engagement and conversions.
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Stand out from competition – In my experience managing sites across different industries, having translations gives you a competitive edge especially in the international marketplace.
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Increase sales revenue – According to Common Sense Advisory, 42% of consumers state they won‘t buy from sites that aren‘t in their language. Easy translations means more sales for you.
Clearly, having a multilingual website provides significant benefits. But WordPress doesn‘t have built-in support for translations.
The good news is there are some amazing WordPress translation plugins that can easily make your site multilingual.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Plugin
When selecting a translation plugin, here are some important factors to consider:
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Manual vs automated translation – Manual translation gives you high quality but takes more effort. Automated translation using services like Google Translate offers quick translation but quality isn‘t as good.
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Number of supported languages – Some plugins support unlimited languages while others limit you. Choose one that meets your needs.
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SEO optimization – The plugin should handle hreflang tags, language codes, and translations of metadata properly for optimal SEO.
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User interface – Look for an intuitive translation interface that makes managing multilingual content easy.
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Features – Translation of pages, posts, menus, themes, WooCommerce, RTL support, visual editors, etc.
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Pricing – Some premium plugins can get expensive for big sites. But they offer more value too.
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User reviews – Check what existing users are saying about a translation plugin before deciding.
Top WordPress Multilingual Plugins Compared
Now let‘s compare some of the best multilingual plugins for WordPress:
| Plugin | Automatic Translation | Manual Translation | SEO Optimization | # of Languages | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TranslatePress | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | $159/year |
| WPML | No | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | $179/year |
| Polylang | No | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | $99/year |
| Weglot | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Starts at $19/month |
| MultilingualPress | No | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | $99/year |
1. TranslatePress – Best Overall Translation Plugin
My top recommendation for most users is TranslatePress because of its beginner-friendly interface, SEO-optimization, bulk translation tools, and competitive pricing.
It supports both manual and automated translation using services like Google Translate and DeepL. You can conveniently translate content directly from the front-end visual editor.
TranslatePress handles all the technical SEO aspects like hreflang tag management automatically in the background for optimum multilingual SEO.
From my experience, TranslatePress offers the best all-round value especially for small to mid-size sites that want to go multilingual. Their bulk translation tools can translate an entire site in just a few clicks!
As a webmaster managing 50+ WordPress sites, TranslatePress is my go-to solution for quickly making sites multilingual. Their front-end translation with Google Translate integration makes translation super easy.
2. WPML – Powerful Translation Plugin
WPML is a very powerful and feature-rich multilingual CMS plugin for WordPress. It‘s a great choice for managing large multilingual sites with complex translation needs.
Some of the standout features include:
- Translation management dashboard
- Professional translation services integration (DeepL, Gengo)
- WooCommerce multilingual support
- Translation for themes, plugins and custom fields
- SEO metadata translation
- XML sitemaps for translations
The only downside is WPML has a steeper learning curve compared to other translation plugins. They also offer stellar support which is vital when managing large multilingual sites.
Overall, I recommend WPML for big enterprises that need advanced translation functionality and maximum flexibility.
3. Polylang – Good Free Option
Polylang is one of the most popular free multilingual plugins for WordPress. Here are some notable features:
- Translate pages, posts, menus and widgets
- Language switcher for visitors
- URL translations and hreflang tags
- Supports unlimited languages
- WooCommerce support
The free version is good enough for basic translation needs. For more advanced functionality, Polylang Pro offers extended multilingual options for $99 per year.
In my testing, Polylang provides a cost-effective way for small sites to go multilingual. Although the interface could be more user-friendly.
4. Weglot – Cloud-Based Translation
Weglot takes a cloud-based approach to translations. It works by automatically translating your webpage content on-the-fly.
You don‘t actually edit translations inside WordPress. Instead Weglot manages multilingual content externally through their platform.
The Weglot dashboard offers both manual and automated translation options. Some key features include:
- Translation of WordPress content, themes and plugins
- Language switcher button
- Machine translation using Google/Microsoft Translate
- Hreflang tags for SEO
- WooCommerce product translation
Pricing is subscription-based depending on number of languages, words translated, and features. This can get expensive for larger sites.
Overall Weglot provides a unique approach to WordPress translation through their cloud platform. But the lack of control over translations inside WordPress admin is a limitation.
5. MultilingualPress – Builds Separate Sites
MultilingualPress creates separate WordPress installations for each language using WordPress multisite.
From one central dashboard you can manually translate content, menus,SEO metadata, etc. The benefit of separate sites is faster page load speed due to less resources being loaded.
The plugin also fully handles hreflang tags, language-specific domains, duplication of content between translations, and more.
One drawback is the WordPress multisite structure may feel restrictive if you want more flexibility. This approach also requires higher technical expertise.
For large enterprises with internal WordPress experts I recommend exploring MultilingualPress. But most average users may find it overly complex.
3 Best Free WordPress Translation Plugins
If you‘re looking for free translation plugins, here are the top options:
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Translate WordPress with GTranslate – Uses Google Translate to offer automated translations in over 100 languages. Just install and activate, no configuration needed.
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Google Website Translator – Lets you add the Google Translate widget on your site for easy automated translations inline.
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WP Multilang – Basic multilingual plugin that lets you manually translate strings in WordPress. Comes with language switcher widget.
The main downside of free translation plugins is the quality of machine translations. For business sites I recommend investing in a premium multilingual plugin.
Final Thoughts
Adding multilingual support for your WordPress site provides tremendous benefits when it comes to reaching global audiences.
After testing many translation plugins over the years and reviewing user experiences, TranslatePress is our top recommendation for most users.
We hope this detailed guide has helped you pick the best WordPress translation plugin for your website. Let me know if you have any other questions!
