How to Translate a WordPress Website

WordPress basics for beginners

Editorial StaffSeptember 27, 2025

504 7 minutes read

Unlock global reach for your WordPress site by learning how to translate it for different languages.

Introduction
Prerequisites
Setup
Plugin
Languages
Content
Strings
Testing
SEO
Conclusion
Resources
FAQ

Your audience probably doesn’t all speak the same language, but your default WordPress installation is monolingual. If you only publish in one language, you’re leaving traffic, leads, and revenue on the table. The good news: you can translate WordPress website without rebuilding it from scratch.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to plan your multilingual setup, install and configure a translation plugin, translate your content, and make sure everything still works for visitors and search engines. You don’t need to be a developer, but you should be comfortable working in the WordPress dashboard.

We’ll focus on a plugin-based workflow that works with most popular translation plugins (WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress, and similar), and we’ll also touch on when a Multisite network might be a better fit for your project.

Prerequisites

Before you start translating, make sure your WordPress site is stable and ready. Changing languages affects URLs, menus, and content structure, so you want a clean baseline.

A working WordPress site with administrator access.
Ability to install and activate plugins (or access to someone who can).
A recent full backup of your site (files + database).
A clear list of target languages (e.g., English > Spanish & French).
Decisions about who will translate (you, staff, freelance translator, or machine translation).

Warning: Always create and test a full backup before installing translation plugins or changing URL structures. If something breaks, you’ll need a restore point.

Step 1: Decide How You Want to Translate

There are three common ways to translate a WordPress site. Choosing the right approach now avoids painful migrations later.

Option 1: Single site + translation plugin (recommended for most)

This is the most popular approach. You keep one WordPress install and use a translation plugin to store multiple language versions of each page, post, and menu. It’s easier to manage and usually integrates well with SEO plugins.

Option 2: WordPress Multisite network

With Multisite, each language can live in its own site (for example, example.com for English and example.com/es/ or es.example.com for Spanish). This is powerful for complex organizations that need different plugins, themes, or admins per language. To understand when this structure makes sense, read more about what WordPress Multisite is before committing to it.

Option 3: Separate sites on separate domains

Some brands run fully separate sites per language or country (for example, example.fr and example.de). This gives maximum flexibility but is more expensive and time-consuming to maintain.

Note: This tutorial assumes you’re using a single-site installation with a translation plugin, since that’s the fastest and least technical option for most site owners.

Step 2: Install and Activate Your Translation Plugin

Once you’ve chosen your strategy, it’s time to install a translation plugin on your WordPress site.

Log in to your WordPress dashboard as an administrator.
Go to Plugins > Add New.
Search for your preferred translation plugin by name, or simply type “translate” to see popular options.
Click Install Now, then Activate.

TranslatePress plugin installation modal in WordPress admin, showing 'Activate' button to translate your website. — The TranslatePress plugin installation modal in the WordPress admin interface, ready for activation.

If you’re new to plugin management, you can follow our dedicated guide on installing a WordPress plugin for more detail on the process.

Most translation plugins will launch a setup wizard after activation, asking you for your current site language and which new languages you want to add.

Optional: Install via WP-CLI (advanced)

If you have SSH access and WP-CLI installed, you can install a plugin from your terminal instead of the dashboard:

# Run this in your SSH terminal inside the WordPress directory
wp plugin install polylang --activate

Pro Tip: Choose a translation plugin that supports string translation, a front-end language switcher, and SEO-friendly URLs so you don’t outgrow it later.

Step 3: Configure Site Languages and URL Structure

Next, you’ll define your default language, add other languages, and choose how your multilingual URLs will look. This is critical for both user experience and SEO.

1. Confirm your default site language

Go to Settings > General.
Find the Site Language dropdown.
Set it to your primary content language (for example, English (United States)).

This is the baseline WordPress uses for admin screens and some theme strings.

2. Add new languages in the plugin settings

Each plugin has its own menu, but typically you’ll find it under Settings or in a new top-level menu like Languages or Translate. Add each language you plan to support and set a language code (e.g., en, es, fr).

3. Choose URL structure per language

You will usually have three options for multilingual URLs:

Subdirectories: example.com/es/ (most common and easy to maintain).
Subdomains: es.example.com.
Custom domains: example.es, example.fr, etc.

Most site owners should pick subdirectories unless there’s a strong business or branding reason to use subdomains or separate ccTLDs.

Note: Avoid changing URL structure later if you can. It can create redirect chains and temporarily hurt your rankings while search engines recrawl your site.

Step 4: Translate WordPress Website, Pages, Posts, and Taxonomies

With languages configured, you can start translating your content. Most translation plugins add language controls directly to the post and page editor.

1. Translate WordPress Website key pages first

In the dashboard, go to Pages > All Pages or Posts > All Posts.
Locate a high-value page such as your homepage, services page, or most-visited blog posts.
Click the + icon or Translate link under the language you want to add.

You’ll see a new editor screen where you can enter the translated title, content, excerpt, and sometimes the URL slug.

2. Translate slugs, categories, and tags

Where your plugin allows it, translate the URL slug to match the new language instead of leaving the original slug. This improves click-through rates and helps users trust your content. Many plugins also let you translate categories and tags so archive pages appear correctly in each language.

3. Review machine translations

If you use automatic translation, don’t publish blindly. Read through each translated page, fix obvious errors, and adapt idioms, currency, and units (for example, miles vs kilometers) so the text feels natural to native speakers.

Warning: Poor translations can damage your brand as much as no translation at all. When possible, have a native speaker review your most important pages.

Step 5: Translate Menus, Widgets, and Theme Strings

Translating only the content area isn’t enough. Navigation labels, buttons, and widget titles need to match the user’s language as well.

1. Menus

Go to Appearance > Menus.
Select the menu for your default language.
Use the translation plugin’s menu options (often language tabs or a “Synchronize” feature) to create a version of that menu for each language.
Translate each menu item label and assign the translated menu to the correct theme location (e.g., Main Menu, Footer Menu).

2. Widgets

Some plugins let you show or hide widgets per language or translate widget titles directly. In Appearance > Widgets or the site editor, look for language visibility settings or translation fields tied to your plugin.

3. Theme and plugin strings

Strings such as “Read more”, “Add to cart”, or “Search” are often stored in theme or plugin language files. Your translation plugin may include a String Translation screen where you can search for these phrases and provide translations without editing code.

Pro Tip: Keep menu structures as similar as possible between languages. Users should always find key pages in the same place, even if labels are translated.

Step 6: Test the Front-End Language Switcher

Visitors need a simple, obvious way to switch languages. Most translation plugins offer a language switcher you can place in a menu, header, footer, or as a floating button.

1. Place the language switcher

Open your plugin’s Language Switcher settings.
Choose the style (dropdown, list of flags, text labels, or both).
Assign the switcher to a menu location, widget area, or specific block in your header.

2. Test every language

Visit your homepage while logged out (or in an incognito browser tab).
Switch to each language using the language switcher.
Click through key pages to confirm you’re seeing the correct translations and menus.
Test on mobile to make sure the language switcher is visible and usable in the responsive menu.

Note: If you’re using a caching or CDN layer, clear the cache after adding languages and the switcher so visitors don’t see outdated navigation.

Step 7: Optimize Multilingual SEO

Translating your site is only half the job. You also need clean URL structures, correct metadata, and language signals so search engines know which version to show to which users.

1. Translate SEO titles and meta descriptions

If you use an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, make sure it integrates with your translation plugin. Translate the SEO title and meta description fields for each language, not just the visible page content.

2. Enable hreflang and multilingual sitemaps

Many translation plugins automatically output hreflang tags and multilingual XML sitemaps. Verify that each language version of a page points to its alternates and that your Search Console property is reading the correct sitemap for your main domain.

3. Localize keywords and on-page content

Don’t just translate keywords literally. Research how people in each market search for your products and services, then adapt headings, introductions, and calls to action accordingly. For more ideas, see our guide to local SEO for small businesses and apply the principles to your translated pages.

Warning: Avoid automatic language redirects that send users to a different language based solely on IP. They can confuse both visitors and search engines and sometimes prevent indexing of alternate versions.

Wrap Up Your WordPress Translate WordPress Website Project

Translating a WordPress website can feel intimidating, but when you break it into clear steps—choosing an approach, installing a translation plugin, configuring languages and URLs, translating content and navigation, and tuning SEO—it becomes a manageable project.

Start with a small group of high-impact pages, test your language switcher thoroughly, and refine your process before translating your entire site. Over time, a well-structured multilingual site will help you serve international visitors better, build trust, and grow traffic from new markets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rely only on automatic translation for my WordPress site?

Automatic translation is a good starting point, but it’s rarely good enough on its own for important pages. Machine translations often miss nuances, legal wording, and brand voice. Use automatic translation to create drafts, then have a human editor (ideally a native speaker) review and improve critical content such as your homepage, product pages, and pricing information.

Why is my language switcher not showing on the front end?

First, confirm the language switcher is enabled in your translation plugin’s settings and assigned to a visible location (such as the main menu or header). Next, check your theme’s menu assignments to make sure the correct menu is active for each language. If you use a caching plugin or CDN, clear all caches after placing the switcher. Finally, temporarily switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four to rule out theme conflicts.

Some pages are still in the original language. What did I miss?

This usually happens when not every page has a translation created or published. In your Pages and Posts screens, filter by each language and look for items without a translated version. Also check whether your plugin uses a draft state for translations—sometimes the content exists but isn’t published yet. Once each critical page has a published translation, the language switcher should stop sending users to untranslated content.

Is it safe to give translators access to my WordPress admin?

Yes, but you should create limited user roles for translators instead of sharing an administrator account. Many translation plugins add a special Translator role that can only edit translations, not change site settings or install plugins. Always use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication where possible, and remove old translator accounts when they are no longer needed.

How long does it take to translate a small WordPress site?

A simple brochure site with 5–10 pages can often be translated in a few hours if you already have the content ready and you’re familiar with your translation plugin. Larger sites with dozens of posts, WooCommerce products, or complex menus can take days or weeks, especially if you involve professional translators and detailed review. Plan extra time for testing and SEO checks after the translations are in place.

How to Translate a WordPress Website

WordPress basics for beginners

Prerequisites

Step 1: Decide How You Want to Translate