How to Expand Your WordPress Site’s Reach through Translation

If you’re running a WordPress site, you may be interested in reaching more diverse audiences by translating your content to different languages. Here we offer a guide on how to translate your WordPress site.

1. Ponder Over Your Translations

Before you embark on translating your site, there are various considerations you need to make. Firstly, decide which languages to translate to. Additionally, consider your intended audiences and their locations. Next, think about the quantity and type of content on your site – this can be a daunting task, so it’s often wise to prioritise pertinent pages.

2. Come To Grips With Your Translation Options

There are several ways you can translate your WordPress site. You could hire a translator, use either a plugin or a translation service provider. Though professional services can be expensive, they often guarantee accuracy. Plugins, on the other hand, offer a cheaper option and can be used to translate specific sections of your site while translation service providers connect you with expert translators to handle the job.

3. Try a Translation Plugin

Most WordPress website owners opt for translation plugins – this is a popular option for a reason. Plugins such as WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress can conveniently translate your website directly from your WordPress dashboard, which makes them user-friendly options for non-technical users.

4. Time to Translate Your Content

Once you have opted for a translation method, it’s time to start translating the content. With translation plugins, translating your posts and pages becomes a breeze. Browse to the page or post you intend to translate, and select the translation option. From this point, you can either translate manually or use machine translation services.

5. Ensure Accuracy

Given how important accuracy and credibility are in translation, it’s essential to ensure that your translations make sense before publishing them. In cases where you are employing professional translation services or having a translator handle the job, accuracy should not be a significant issue. However, if you opt for manual or machine translations, it’s best to have a native speaker reviews your translations for accuracy.

6. Implement a Language Switcher

Implementing a language switcher will enable visitors to switch between languages with ease. You can add a language switcher to your site through plugins or widgets. It’s crucial that your language switcher is well visible so that visitors can switch languages conveniently.

7. Update Your SEO

It’s crucial to update your metadata when translating your website to optimise it for search engines. This entails translating your SEO titles, descriptions and meta tags. Doing this will boost the accessibility of the content to the target audience, hence increasing search rankings.

Conclusion

Translating your WordPress site provides an effective way to reach a broader audience and increase your online visibility. Whether you opt for professional translation services or a translation plugin, accuracy is key. Also, you may consider the user experience when adding a language switcher to your site. With these steps, effective translation of your WordPress site is guaranteed, and a global audience is within reach.