Why should I create a new language version of my website?
It should be emphasised at the outset that a new language version of your own website is not always necessary or often does not make sense. As the cost of creating a new language version is quite high, the costs should be weighed up against the actual benefits of the multilingual website. The question of whether a multilingual website should be created is easy to answer if there is already a large international audience. You should then check which language most visitors speak and start with a new language version in this language. Another reason for creating a multilingual website would be that the decision follows a clear strategy. An example of this would be a company that wants to offer its services in Germany to other companies from abroad. A multilingual website is a great advantage for the presentation of the available services.
SEO - What needs to be considered when introducing a new language version?
There are a few things to consider when launching a new website translation. First of all, the website should be translated by someone who is fluent in the language of the new version or even a native speaker. Translation tools have come a long way, but should only be used as an aid, as the quality of the translation can otherwise result in a poor user experience. The use of such tools can make the work much easier, as the tool can produce the translation and the translator then only has to correct it. In addition, careful consideration should be given to which content should be translated, as translating the entire content is not always useful and would only be a waste of time.
SEO - Keyword research
Before the texts are translated, however, it should be checked whether the keywords used in the original language version are also the most searched keywords in the new language. This means that new keyword research is necessary in order to successfully fulfil the search queries of potential customers. During the research, it should be noted that the region from which the search queries are to originate should also be adjusted. If a specific target region is planned for the new language version, the search queries in this region should be analysed. In another article, we have already explained how a keyword analysis can be carried out.
SEO - Useful translation tools
Useful translation tools are, for example, the translators DeepL, SYSTRAN translate or Google Translator. These can be used as a supportive aid when translating the website.
SEO - Create sitemap
The next step is to list the multilingual pages in the sitemap so that search engines can categorise them correctly and deliver the correct language version to a searching user. For WordPress sites, the free Google XML Sitemaps plugin can be used for this. The image shows the sitemap of the MISSION OM website. The English translations of all subpages are included.
SEO - Hreflang tag
To ensure that search engines do not treat the new language version as duplicate content, it is advisable to use the hreflang tag in the head. This tells Google that it is a language version of the actual website and that the content has therefore been duplicated. The code for the MISSION OM homepage looks like this:
The tag hreflang=”en” therefore means that an alternative version of the page exists in English.
How can multilingual websites be managed?
We recommend using a plugin for the implementation and maintenance of multilingual websites with WordPress. We can recommend the paid multilingual plugin ‘WPML’, as it does a large part of the technical SEO work automatically. This tool also makes it very easy to maintain the different languages. A translation of the current page can be created simply by clicking on the plus next to the language version.
A screen then opens in which the individual texts can be translated. The operation is intuitive and once a translation has been created, the different versions of the multilingual websites are visible. The versions of the current page can be managed and edited here. The priority of the translation work can also be set if an external person is doing the translations.
Conclusion
SEO for multilingual websites is relatively easy to implement. It should be ensured that the right keywords are focussed on in a translation so that a good organic ranking of the new language version is possible from the outset. The technical implementation of the new language version should also be taken into account. For successful SEO, the sitemap and hreflang tags should be set. With these little tricks, nothing stands in the way of a satisfactory user experience.
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