Multilingual WordPress: benefits & how to set it up

It is becoming increasingly common for a website to be available in at least two languages. Unfortunately, WordPress does not offer a built-in solution for this. However, anyone familiar with the platform is aware of the almost endless possibilities offered by plugins. As a result, it’s possible to make WordPress multilingual using various plugins, which allow for easy implementation of an international approach. At least, that’s what the plugins claim – but do they really deliver on their promises? Today, I’d like to introduce you to my top five favourites, which you can use to set up your WordPress website in multiple languages. But first, let’s clarify why you need a multilingual website.

Setting up a multilingual WordPress site raises many questions

What sounds quite simple at first glance reveals its complexity upon closer inspection. Even experienced developers can find themselves reaching their limits here, which is why various implementation options have become established. The most common of these are probably WordPress plugins that enable a multilingual site. This means you no longer have to worry about page structure or the technical implementation, and you save a huge amount on development costs. A real blessing, then, but why do you need a multilingual website in the first place?

The benefits of multilingualism

Making your website available in several languages offers a number of obvious advantages; let’s take a closer look at them.

Benefits of an international outlook

The internet knows no national borders in the traditional sense, and there’s a good chance that your products or services could also attract interest abroad. Simply by setting up a bilingual WordPress site, you can already reach customers internationally and generate sales. However, a multilingual website that covers all the languages spoken by your target audience is, of course, better than a bilingual one.

Improving the user experience

By offering content in the native language of your entire target audience, you ensure a better user experience. This, in turn, can have a positive impact on your conversion rate. Whilst browsers usually offer an automatically translated version, you should do everything you can to discourage your visitors from using this feature. The browser’s automatic translation can be helpful in exceptional circumstances, but it is really only a stopgap measure; the quality of the translation is often inadequate and the user experience is noticeably impaired. That is why you should invest in a high-quality translation.

SEO visibility through multilingualism

Another advantage that should not be underestimated is the increase in SEO visibility. By making your content available in different languages, you have the opportunity to appear more frequently on search engine results pages straight away. This means you have the potential to rank for keywords in other languages using content you have already created.

Another argument in favour of a bilingual setup in German and English is the higher search volume. As the English language is widely spoken, the search volume for English keywords can far exceed that of German keywords. This generally applies to languages spoken by large populations.

Furthermore, competition in other foreign languages is often less intense than in German or English. It is therefore easier to achieve high rankings on search results pages in those languages. This makes it possible to tap into new markets quickly.

There are a few things to bear in mind when setting up a multilingual site that’s SEO-friendly. Fortunately, the plugins I’d like to recommend for multilingual WordPress are already set up just right here.

Making WordPress multilingual without a plugin

Even without plugins, you can set up your WordPress site to be multilingual, but this requires specialist expertise; you should work with specialists who have the necessary knowledge of site structure, multilingual search engine optimisation and programming skills. We’d be happy to advise you on multilingual websites.

However, multilingual functionality can be achieved much more easily using plugins; these are usually the more cost-effective option as well.

WPML, Polylang, Weglot, TranslatePress or MultilingualPress – which plugin is the best for multilingual WordPress?

All five plugins promise a multilingual website without the usual heavy workload, but how reliable are the translation tools, and which ones do we recommend to our clients? Let’s take a closer look at the respective pros and cons of the various plugins.

WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin)

WPML is one of the best-known and most widely used multilingual plugins for WordPress. It offers comprehensive features for managing multilingual content and is particularly well-suited to large-scale websites.

As a premium plugin, WPML offers a choice of three pricing models. “Multilingual Blog” is suitable for small websites such as niche blogs; with this option, you only get the standard translation controls, but the cost is €39 per year. With “Multilingual CMS”, you can access all of WPML’s features across three different websites; this licence costs €99 per year. For agencies, the “Multilingual Agency” licence is of particular interest, as it allows the plugin to be used on an unlimited number of websites. When renewing after one year, you’ll receive a further discount; the costs are then as follows:

• Blog: €29.00
• CMS: €74.00
• Agency: €149.00

Advantages:

• Comprehensive language support: WPML supports over 65 languages and allows you to add additional languages easily.

• Versatile translation options: You can translate posts, pages, custom post types, taxonomies, menus and widgets.

• Easy integration: WPML is compatible with most WordPress themes and plugins, including WooCommerce, making it ideal for multilingual e-commerce websites.

• Automatic translation: WPML offers the option of using automatic translations via services such as Google Translate or DeepL, which speeds up the translation process.

• SEO-friendly: WPML ensures that your multilingual pages are indexed correctly by search engines and supports SEO-optimised URL structures.

Disadvantages:

• Cost: WPML is a premium plugin and requires an annual licence fee, which may be expensive for smaller websites or blogs.

• Complexity: Due to the wide range of features, setting up and managing WPML can be somewhat complex for beginners.

• Performance requirements: On very large websites, WPML can affect loading times, which is why a good hosting environment is essential.

Polylang

Polylang is another widely used multilingual plugin for WordPress and stands out for its user-friendliness and flexibility. It offers a solid alternative to WPML, particularly for users looking for a free solution.

With the free basic version, you already have access to the essential features; the Pro version charges per website:

• 1 page: €99.00
• 3 pages: €198.00
• 5 pages: €297.00
• 25 pages: €495.00

Polylang for WooCommerce is the non-Pro version and allows you to translate your WooCommerce shop; the pricing is exactly the same here:

• 1 page: €99.00
• 3 pages: €198.00
• 5 pages: €297.00
• 25 pages: €495.00

For online shops wishing to use the Pro version, the Polylang Business Pack is available at the following prices:

• – 1 page: – €139.00
• – 3 pages: – €269.00
• – 5 pages: – €399.00
• – 25 pages: – €649.00

Advantages:

• Available free of charge: Polylang offers a free basic version, which is sufficient for many users. There is also a Pro version with advanced features.

• User-friendliness: Polylang’s interface is intuitive and easy to use, making it simple to set up and manage multilingual content.

• Integration: Polylang is compatible with many themes and plugins and integrates well with WordPress’s native features.

• SEO support: Polylang enables SEO-friendly URLs and supports multiple languages for search engine optimisation.

Disadvantages:

• No automatic translation: Unlike WPML, Polylang does not offer a built-in automatic translation feature.

• Limited features in the free version: Some advanced features, such as support for WooCommerce, are only available in the paid version.

• Compatibility issues: In rare cases, Polylang may not be fully compatible with certain plugins or themes.

Weglot

Weglot is a SaaS-based translation service that offers a quick and easy way to create a multilingual website. It automatically synchronises with your WordPress website and generates translated versions of your content within minutes. Pricing with Weglot is based on the number of words and the languages used. If you pay annually, the price is reduced by the cost of two months’ subscription.

In my experience, Weglot’s translations are usually of a high standard and can even deliver SEO results on their own. However, for optimal localisation, the translation should still be reviewed. Texts such as country-specific idioms or branding copy are updated across all pages simply by entering them once in Weglot, which can save a great deal of time. All in all, Weglot is aimed primarily at website operators looking for a quick and easy solution for a multilingual WordPress site, which, in my experience, usually meets our clients’ requirements.

Advantages:

• Quick set-up: Weglot can be set up in just a few minutes and requires no technical knowledge.

• Automatic translation: Weglot provides instant automatic translations and allows you to edit them manually if required.

• Support for many languages: Weglot supports over 110 languages and offers an SEO-friendly structure for multilingual websites.

• Simple interface: The user interface is user-friendly and makes it easy to manage translations.

• Compatibility: Weglot is compatible with almost all WordPress themes and plugins.

Disadvantages:

• Cost: Weglot is a paid service based on a monthly subscription, which can be expensive for smaller websites.

• Reliance on third-party providers: As a SaaS service, Weglot relies on external servers, which could, in rare cases, lead to availability issues.

• Limited control: As Weglot is an external service, you have less control over the translation process compared to plugins such as WPML or Polylang.

TranslatePress

TranslatePress is another powerful plugin that stands out for its intuitive user interface and the ability to carry out translations directly on the website.

Although TranslatePress does have a free version, as this does not offer SEO support, I cannot recommend it. TranslatePress’s pricing is as follows:

• Staff: €79.00
• Business: €139.00
• Developer: €199.00

Here, too, the packages are again linked to the number of websites: whilst the Personal plan supports just one site, the Business plan supports three, and the Developer plan offers an unlimited number of sites.

Advantages:

• Live translation editor: TranslatePress offers a visual translation editor that allows you to translate content directly on the page, making the process very user-friendly.

• Automatic translation: Support for automatic translations via Google Translate or DeepL.

• Compatibility: The plugin is compatible with all WordPress themes and most plugins, including WooCommerce.

• SEO support: SEO-friendly URL structures and full control over the SEO settings for each language.

• Simplicity: The user interface is simple and intuitive, making it easy to set up and manage.

Disadvantages:

• Cost: The free version offers basic features, whilst advanced features are included in the Pro version, which is a paid service.

• Performance requirements: On large websites, TranslatePress may affect performance, particularly when automatic translations are used.

• Limited integrations: Some advanced integrations, such as support for custom fields, are only available in the Pro version.

MultilingualPress

MultilingualPress takes a different approach to the other plugins by using WordPress Multisite to manage each language as a separate website. This provides a robust and scalable solution for multilingual websites.

This approach is more suited to advanced users and is not generally recommended. However, it may be appropriate, for example, for large online shops managed by different teams. Here, too, prices are based on the number of pages:

• Standard (1 multi-page): €99.00
• Pro (2 multi-page documents): €299.00
• Agency (9 multi-page spreads): €599.00

Advantages:

• Independent websites: Each language is managed as a separate website within a multisite network, offering a high degree of flexibility and scalability.

• SEO optimisation: A fully SEO-optimised structure with unique URLs for each language.

• User-friendliness: Translations are managed via a central user interface, which simplifies the management process.

• Powerful: As each language is a separate website, you can set specific settings and resources for each language.

• Compatibility: Supports all WordPress themes and most plugins.

Disadvantages:

• Complexity: Setting up a multisite network and managing multiple websites can be complicated for beginners.

• Resource-intensive: As each language constitutes a separate website, the resource requirements may be higher than with other solutions.

• Cost: MultilingualPress is a premium plugin and requires a licence fee, which can be expensive for smaller websites.

What’s the best tool for a multilingual WordPress website?

Ultimately, it depends on the specific requirements of your website. All five plugins are worth recommending, although my personal favourite is Weglot. Thanks to Weglot’s user-friendliness, even complete novices can make changes very easily. The automatic translation is also getting better and better, which can save an enormous amount of effort. This is also Weglot’s main focus, which is why I would recommend Polylang for a relatively small website. This allows you to create and manage a manually translated version of the website using the free licence. If you’re not put off by complexity and prefer to be independent of third parties, WPML is a good choice.