How to Build Multilingual WordPress Sites for International Clients 

If you own a WordPress website, it’s important to establish communication with a global audience. This is why you need to build multilingual WordPress sites that target international clients. If you’re running a business or sharing valuable information, reaching a global audience means connecting with people in their language. 

Here’s your go-to guide for setting up and managing a multilingual WordPress website so your content can resonate with a diverse audience. We’ll also explore why having a multilingual WordPress site is key to expanding your online presence with WordPress development. 

So, let’s get started. 

Understanding Multilingual Websites

Let’s start by understanding a multilingual website and why you might need it for international clients.

A multilingual website represents your content in multiple languages, helping you reach audiences globally. You can translate your website manually or with the help of a plugin to make the process easier. 

As your website grows, naturally, reaching a broader audience becomes essential. Relying on just one demographic can limit your potential, so why not make your content accessible in other languages?  

Offering information in your audience’s local language enhances their experience and gives you a competitive edge. Tailoring content to different cultures and regions shows respect and understanding, which builds trust and strengthens your brand. Plus, from an SEO perspective, a multilingual website opens doors to ranking higher in search engines across multiple regions. 

Why Building a Multilingual Site is a Smart Move for Your Business?

Okay, now let’s explore the benefits of building multilingual WordPress Sites for International clients. Creating a multilingual website comes with some significant benefits for your business, including: 

Boosted Site Traffic

A multilingual site helps search engines connect your language-specific content with people who speak those languages. By creating content in multiple languages, you attract visitors worldwide, showing search engines that your content is valuable. This boost in quality can lead to higher search rankings, ultimately driving more sales to your site. 

Interesting read: The Importance of Reciprocal Links in Search Engine Optimization

Increased Sales

People are far more likely to engage with and buy from sites they can understand. By making your website accessible in different languages, you’re opening up your brand to non-English-speaking customers, allowing them to explore your products and services in their native language.

Tools for multilingual lead generation and email marketing make connecting with these new customers easier, sharing targeted offers in their preferred language, and boosting sales.

Check it out: Best WordPress SEO Agencies to Boost Your Website Rankings

Competitive Edge

While many businesses work to stand out through product or service enhancements, translating your website is a strategic way to expand into markets that competitors may overlook.

A multilingual site allows you to reach new customers and showcase your brand in regions your competition might not target.

Enhanced Brand Trust

Research shows that 42% of online shoppers prefer to purchase in their own language and are often wary of sites with translation errors. By offering a high-quality multilingual experience, you’re building familiarity and trust, helping your brand feel more approachable and reliable for new customers. These benefits can have a powerful impact on how your brand performs in global markets! 

Better User Experience

Visitors who can easily navigate your site in their preferred language create a seamless, enjoyable experience. This can reduce bounce rates and encourage users to explore your offerings more.

Providing content that feels native to each audience shows that you’re invested in meeting their needs, which can strengthen loyalty and improve overall engagement.

How to Build Multilingual WordPress Sites Manually 

While there are multiple plugins out there with which you can build a multilingual WordPress website in no time, you can also do it manually. Why? You must know the basics of creating a Multilingual website to use it effectively. 

Set Up a WordPress Multisite

So, to start building a multilingual WordPress site, you first need to set it up. Instead of mixing all translations on one site, a WordPress Multisite setup lets you create separate sites for each language. 

• To start, activate Multisite on your WordPress installation and head to Network Admin → Dashboard. Select Sites from the sidebar and click Create a New Site. This new subsite will be dedicated to a specific language.

• Fill out the details for this site. To keep things organized, consider using a language code in the URL—like “de” for German. 

• Once you’ve entered everything, click Add Site. The new site will be listed under Sites. Repeat these steps for each additional language you want to add!

Related: Understanding And Resolving WordPress Multisite Issues

Add Content to Your Translated Sites

Once you’ve set up your subsites, it’s time to add translated versions of your content.

Begin by updating the front-end and back-end languages for each subsite. 

• Go to Settings → Network Settings in your dashboard. Most WordPress themes are ready for multilingual use, so check if your theme supports the language by visiting its WordPress page and selecting Translate theme_name in the sidebar to see the available languages. 

• Under Language Settings, find the Default Language field, choose the new language from the dropdown, and hit Save Changes. WordPress will automatically download the correct language file for the subsite if the theme and plugins support that language.

• If you’re not using a multilingual tool, you must create content and pages manually. While tools like Google Translate can help with the initial translation, you must copy and adjust the text manually to ensure accuracy and context. 

Add Links to Your Translated Sites

Now, let’s make it easy for visitors to switch between languages! A straightforward way is to add custom links to each translated site on your main homepage.

• Go to your main site’s dashboard, then to Appearance → Menus. Under Add Menu Items, select Custom Links. Here, add the URL of your subsite and set a clear label for the link, like “Deutsch” for a German version. 

• Once done, click Add to Menu. This way, visitors can easily navigate between languages right from your homepage!

Plugins to Build Multilingual WordPress Sites for International Clients 

Multilingual WordPress websites have quite a complex development process because translating many web pages in different languages can be overwhelming if done manually. This is why we have many multilingual plugins to make this process quicker and easier. 

So, below are two top plugins that help you easily build multilingual websites.

Weglot

Weglot is a popular translation plugin, especially trusted by e-commerce and SaaS companies. It quickly detects and translates all your website content into your chosen language, giving you a single dashboard where you can edit translations as needed. Plus, it generates a unique URL for each language, which helps search engines guide visitors to the most relevant version of your site. 

WPML

WPML makes creating a multilingual site easy, as long as you have the right tools! Its Translate Everything mode allows you to translate your entire site automatically in minutes. You can choose from 65 pre-configured languages and switch to Translate Some mode if you prefer more control.

This option lets you manually translate content, assign specific tasks to individual translators, or work with professional translation agencies. By collaborating with their authors, WPML ensures compatibility with themes and plugins, so you don’t have to worry about integration issues.

Read: How To Add FAQs To Your WooCommerce Store?

How to Make a Multilingual WordPress Site Using a Plugin

Okay, we have seen the manual process of building a Multilingual WordPress website and the list of plugins to make the process easier.

Now, let’s see how you can do this with a plugin. You can begin with any plugin of your choice. Here, we will use Weglot to help you understand the plugin setup process. 

Set Up the Plugin

Start by using plugins and signing up for an account on their site. Once you’ve confirmed your email, use the link sent to access the setup wizard.

Follow these steps:

• Add a project name and choose your website platform. If you are a Woplease rdPress website owner, it’s important to establish communication.
• Weglot will then provide an API key. Install and activate the Weglot plugin in your WordPress dashboard, then head to the Weglot menu.
• Enter your API key, select your website’s default language, and choose target languages. Click Save Changes to activate the language switcher on your site, allowing visitors to view translated content with a simple click.

Also know: How to Integrate Third-Party APIs in WordPress.

Customize Plugin Settings

In your WordPress dashboard, you’ll find options to adjust Weglot’s settings, like the look and placement of the language switcher, flag icons, and language labels.

For example, you can display language options with circular flag icons and preview your choices with the Button Preview option. Custom CSS can also be used to style the button.

Under Language Button Position, control where the switcher appears on your site, use the Appearance menu, shortcodes, or Weglot’s Switcher Visual Editor for placement.

You can also enable features like Auto Redirection, which directs users to the localized site version based on their browser’s language. When finished, be sure to Save Changes.

Also know: How to Add Best Website Animation Effects to WordPress with Plugins and Custom CSS

Translate Website Content

Weglot uses advanced machine translation and lets you edit translations manually. Go to the Weglot menu in your WordPress dashboard and select Edit My Translations.

This opens Weglot’s translation editor, where you can manage translations for specific words and phrases. By default, you’ll see all automatically translated text.

To make changes, hover over an entry, select See details, and edit in either Styled View or Raw HTML View for more formatting control.

Know: How to AI Translate Your WordPress Website

Enable Additional Translation Features

Weglot provides advanced tools to fine-tune translations, like the Glossary feature, which ensures specific words or phrases stay in their original language.

If machine translations are inaccurate, you can also order professional translations through your Weglot account, starting at €0.13 per word.

Note: Weglot’s free plan includes enough features to make your site accessible worldwide. Upgrading to a premium plan (from €15–€699/month) unlocks even more options, including team collaboration, custom languages, and adjustable tone of voice.

Some Best Practices for Multilingual Websites 

Building a multilingual WordPress site is easy, but maintaining it is another thing. Translating your website alone is not enough; you must also localize the content and aim to enhance your search engine rankings. 

Let’s see some tricks and tips to enhance your multilingual WordPress website. 

Use Dedicated URLs

When creating multilingual pages, it’s best to have separate URLs for each language instead of relying on cookies or browser settings to switch languages. Google recommends dedicated URLs, as they make it easier for search engines to understand and index the different language versions.

Adding hreflang tags to these pages helps Google direct the right audience to the correct version, making international visitors feel prioritized and respected.

Account for Cultural Differences

Not every word or phrase translates smoothly across languages, especially when it comes to idioms or regional slang. To avoid misinterpretations, pay close attention to the cultural context of your content.

This means carefully reviewing phrases and images to ensure they are appropriate and relevant to each audience. Small adjustments based on cultural nuances show that you understand and respect each audience’s uniqueness.

Localize Images and Graphics

Images and icons can carry different meanings across cultures, so consider creating visuals specific to each region. Certain colors and symbols have varied cultural interpretations.

Tailoring visuals to align with local preferences and cultural associations can strengthen engagement and make your content feel more authentic.

Maintain Consistency in Style and Tone

While translations should adapt to local dialects, the core brand voice should remain consistent across languages. This keeps your brand identity intact while allowing room for subtle language adaptations to connect with each audience personally.

Consistency in tone builds trust and helps users feel at ease navigating the different language versions of your site.

Test Language Settings and Experience

A user-friendly experience is essential for a multilingual website. Regularly test each language version, focusing on navigation, content clarity, and load speed.

User testing in each region can reveal areas for improvement and ensure that your content resonates with the intended audience.

Know about the following: What are the local SEO best practices

Troubleshooting Common Issues in Multilingual WordPress Sites

You may encounter a few roadblocks even with the right multilingual plugin or manual setup. Here are some common issues users face when building a multilingual WordPress site and how to solve them:

Language Switcher Not Working

A non-functional language switcher can disrupt the user experience. This issue often stems from incorrect placement, JavaScript conflicts, or theme incompatibility.

Fix it by:

• Ensure the language switcher is placed using the plugin’s recommended method (shortcode, widget, or menu item).
• Checking if the switcher works on a test site with a default WordPress theme to rule out conflicts.
• Using a floating language switcher for better visibility across devices.

Translation Issues with Page Builders

If you are using page builders like Elementor, WPBakery, or Divi, the translation process may break layouts or fail to display translated content.

Fix it by:

• Choosing a multilingual plugin that fully supports your page builder. WPML and Weglot, for example, offer excellent compatibility.

• Manually translate widgets or dynamic elements that are not picked up automatically.

• Updating the plugin and page builder to the latest versions for improved integration.

Theme Compatibility Problems

Not all WordPress themes are fully multilingual-ready. If your theme lacks support for translation, your site may not display correctly in other languages.

Fix it by:

• Selecting a WordPress theme labeled “translation-ready” or “compatible with multilingual plugins.”
• Checking if the theme includes .po and .mo language files, which allow translation of static text.
• Using a child theme to make customizations without breaking future updates or translations.

Pro Tip: Always test your multilingual site in staging mode before pushing changes live. This helps catch issues with automatic translation, plugin conflicts, or untranslated elements.

Conclusion 

Building a multilingual WordPress site is a smart way to expand your global reach and engage a wider audience. By selecting the right plugin, following best practices, and conducting thorough testing, you can create a seamless and impactful multilingual experience.

If you’re looking for professional help setting up or optimizing your multilingual WordPress Site, don’t hesitate to contact the Seahawk team for expert guidance and support.

FAQs About How to Build Multilingual WordPress Sites