Add a Language to a WordPress Site: A Step-by-Step Guide

To add a language to a WordPress site, changing “Site Language” under Settings > General is not enough: that setting changes the language of the admin area and theme strings, not the content, and it does not create a second language version. A real second language needs a separate address for every page in that language, translated content, menus and SEO fields, and a language switcher so visitors can move between languages. This guide takes you through the steps for an existing site in order: preparation, URL structure, choosing a plugin, translating priority content, menus and forms, SEO settings and monitoring after launch.

“Site Language” vs a multilingual site

WordPress's own language setting translates the admin area and the theme's fixed strings, such as “Read more” or date formats, into the language you choose. If your whole site is in one language, that is the right setting. But if you want to publish English and German versions of the same page side by side, you need a multilingual plugin or a WordPress Multisite setup. Many searches for “install language WordPress” come from mixing up these two needs. This guide covers the second scenario: adding a new language version to your site.

Preparation: which language, which content?

Before adding the second language, answer two questions. First, which visitors will this language serve? Tourists, customers abroad or foreign residents in your country need different content. Second, which pages will be translated first? You do not have to translate everything at once, but publishing a half-empty language version loses trust. For most sites, the home page, service or product pages, about, contact and a few of the highest-traffic pages are the right starting point.

A second language can also affect customer touchpoints outside the website: form notifications, booking emails, invoices and screens at your venue. A padel club welcoming tourists might, when adding English to its site, also plan bilingual announcements and sponsor images on its Multi Score Screen court displays. Seeing the same language at every step of the journey builds trust with the new audience.

Choose the URL structure

Every language needs its own address. There are three common options: a subdirectory (example.com/de/), a subdomain (de.example.com) or a separate country domain (example.de). For most businesses a subdirectory is the most practical: one site, one SSL certificate and one domain to manage. Whichever you choose, decide before launch; changing the URL structure later means redirects and ranking risk. Specifying the language with a URL parameter (?lang=de) is not a recommended approach.

Choose and install a plugin

Multilingual plugins differ in content model, WooCommerce support and pricing; we compare the options in our WPML vs Polylang article. Our own AYM Multilingual allows manual translation for up to two languages on its free Lite plan, a good way to try a second language. Paid plans add AI translation, unlimited languages and imports from WPML and Polylang. Installing the plugin on a staging copy first and testing it with a few pages is the safest way to avoid surprises on the live site.

Adding the second language step by step

1. Back up: take a full backup of the database and files.
2. Define the language: set up the new language and URL structure in the plugin; do not change the default language.
3. Translate priority pages: start with the home, services, about and contact pages and have a native speaker review them.
4. Map menus and footer: create a menu per language and translate header and footer texts.
5. Do not forget forms: translate form fields, error messages and notification emails.
6. Fill in SEO fields: write titles, descriptions and slugs separately for each language.
7. Add the language switcher: make sure it leads to the equivalent of the current page.
8. Check and publish: test hreflang tags, the sitemap and the mobile view.

SEO settings: helping the new language get found

For the new language to appear in search, every page must reference its equivalents with reciprocal hreflang tags, every language must be in the sitemap and canonical tags must point to each page's own language URL. Translated titles should match what people really search for in that language; word-for-word translation often misses the right keyword. After launch, submit the sitemap in Search Console and watch the indexing of the new language's pages for a few weeks.

Language switcher and user experience

Where the switcher sits, how languages are written and where a visitor lands after choosing all affect how much the new language is used. Write languages in their own names, keep the switcher in the same place on every page and send visitors to the equivalent of the page they were on. We cover the details in our language switcher design article. If you use automatic redirects by browser language, treat them as a suggestion, not a forced move, and remember the visitor's choice.

After launch: maintenance and new content

A second language is not a one-off project but an ongoing workflow. Every new page or blog post needs its translation planned too, or the language versions drift apart over time. The translation health check in AYM Multilingual lists untranslated or outdated content. Split your analytics by language as well, so you can see how many visits and conversions each language brings and judge the return on the investment.

Is there a way without a plugin?

Setting up each language as a separate site in WordPress Multisite is a plugin-free alternative, but installation and maintenance are more technical. We weigh up its pros and cons in our article on multilingual WordPress without a plugin. If you would like your second language set up professionally, see our multilingual WordPress service.

Share:XLinkedInWhatsApp