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How to Create a Multilingual WordPress Website Without Plugins: A Beginner’s Guide

Creating a multilingual WordPress website is a fantastic way to reach a global audience, improve user experience, and boost your SEO rankings. While many people rely on plugins like WPML or Polylang to achieve this, did you know you can create a multilingual WordPress website without plugins?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step-by-step, making it easy for beginners to follow. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional multilingual website that’s SEO-friendly and engaging for your readers. Let’s dive in!

Why Create a Multilingual WordPress Website?

Before we get into the “how,” let’s discuss the “why.” Here are some compelling reasons to create a multilingual website:

  1. Expand Your Audience: Reach non-English speakers and tap into global markets.
  2. Improve User Experience: Visitors are more likely to stay on your site if they can read content in their native language.
  3. Boost SEO Rankings: Multilingual websites can rank higher in local search results.
  4. Build Trust: Offering content in multiple languages shows professionalism and inclusivity.

Now that you know why it’s important, let’s explore how to create a multilingual WordPress website without relying on plugins.

Step 1: Plan Your Multilingual Website

Before jumping into the technical steps, it’s crucial to plan your multilingual website. Ask yourself:

  • Which languages do you want to support?
  • How will you organize your content? (e.g., subdomains, subdirectories, or separate pages)
  • Who will translate your content? (You, a professional translator, or an automated tool?)

For this guide, we’ll focus on creating separate pages for each language, which is the simplest method for beginners.

Step 2: Set Up Your WordPress Website

If you haven’t already, set up your WordPress website. Ensure you have:

  • A domain name and hosting plan.
  • WordPress installed and configured.
  • A clean, responsive theme (e.g., Astra, Neve, or GeneratePress).

Once your website is ready, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Create Pages for Each Language

The core idea of creating a multilingual website without plugins is to manually create pages for each language. Here’s how:

  1. Create a New Page: Go to Pages > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Add Content in the Primary Language: Write your content in the default language (e.g., English).
  3. Duplicate the Page: Create a copy of the page for each additional language.
  4. Translate the Content: Manually translate the content or use a translation service.

For example, if your default language is English and you want to add Spanish, create a page called “Home” (English) and another called “Inicio” (Spanish).

Step 4: Organize Your Pages

To keep your website organized, you can use one of the following methods:

Option 1: Use Subdirectories

Create a subdirectory for each language. For example:

  • English: www.yourwebsite.com/home
  • Spanish: www.yourwebsite.com/es/inicio

Option 2: Use Subdomains

Set up subdomains for each language. For example:

  • English: www.yourwebsite.com
  • Spanish: es.yourwebsite.com

Option 3: Use a Language Selector Menu

Add a language switcher to your navigation menu, allowing users to choose their preferred language.

Step 5: Add a Language Switcher

A language switcher is essential for helping users navigate between languages. Here’s how to add one manually:

  1. Go to Appearance > Menus in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Create a new menu or edit an existing one.
  3. Add custom links for each language page (e.g., /home for English and /es/inicio for Spanish).
  4. Label the links with the corresponding language (e.g., “English” and “Español”).
  5. Save the menu and assign it to your header or footer.

Step 6: Optimize for SEO

Creating a multilingual website is only half the battle; you also need to optimize it for search engines. Here’s how:

  1. Use hreflang Tags: Add hreflang tags to your website’s <head> section to tell search engines which language each page is in. For example:
    htmlCopy:-
    <link rel=”alternate”hreflang=”en”href=”https://www.yourwebsite.com/home” />
    <link rel=”alternate”hreflang=”es”href=”https://www.yourwebsite.com/es/inicio” />
    Run HTML
  2. Translate Meta Titles and Descriptions: Ensure your meta titles and descriptions are translated for each language.
  3. Optimize URLs: Use language-specific URLs (e.g., /es/inicio for Spanish).
  4. Submit a Sitemap: Create and submit a sitemap to Google Search Console for each language.

Step 7: Test Your Multilingual Website

Before launching, thoroughly test your website to ensure everything works correctly:

  • Check all links in the language switcher.
  • Verify that translated content displays correctly.
  • Test your website on different devices and browsers.
  • Use tools like Google Translate to double-check translations.

Step 8: Maintain Your Multilingual Website

Creating a multilingual website is an ongoing process. Here are some tips for maintaining it:

  • Regularly update translated content when you add new pages or posts.
  • Monitor your website’s performance using tools like Google Analytics.
  • Engage with your audience to ensure the translations are accurate and culturally appropriate.

Pros and Cons of Creating a Multilingual Website Without Plugins

Pros:

  • No need to rely on third-party plugins.
  • Full control over your website’s design and functionality.
  • Lightweight and faster loading times.

Cons:

  • Manual translation can be time-consuming.
  • Requires basic knowledge of HTML and WordPress.
  • Limited scalability for large websites.

Final Thoughts

Creating a multilingual WordPress website without plugins is a rewarding process that gives you full control over your site’s content and design. While it requires some manual effort, the benefits of reaching a global audience and improving user experience make it worth it.

By following this guide, even beginners can create a professional, SEO-friendly multilingual website. So, what are you waiting for? Start building your multilingual WordPress website today and unlock new opportunities for growth!

Call to Action: If you found this guide helpful, share it with your friends and leave a comment below. Have questions or need further assistance? Let us know—we’re here to help!

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Sarfraz

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