Do you develop international WordPress websites? Then you need this!

When you develop or develop international WordPress websites, there are a number of important things to take into account. Before we elaborate on exactly what these are, we would first like to discuss the difference between multilingual ('multilingual') and multiregional ('multi-regional') websites. A multilingual website is a website that offers content in more than one language. An example of this is a Indian company that offers both an English and a French language version of the content. A multi-regional website is a website that explicitly targets users in different countries. Some websites are both multilingual and multi regional. For example, a website can have different versions for the United States and for Canada and both English and French versions of the Indian content.

Expanding a WordPress website for multiple countries and / or languages can be quite a challenge. You have to create multiple versions of your website, which means that any bugs can easily be duplicated as well. It is therefore essential that you test the original version of your WordPress website as thoroughly as possible before building a second version in a different language.

Now let's take a look at what you need if you want to develop international WordPress websites ...

# 1. Content in the correct language

If you want your WordPress website to be found in a specific country, it is important to make sure that your content is also available in that country's language. This not only has to do with the findability of your website, but also with the fact that people are usually more open to a website if the content is in their own language. That gives more confidence, for example.

If you want to translate content, there is one thing you should absolutely avoid: Google Translate. Or any automatic translation tool. Such tools are great for looking up a word, but anything but suitable for translating complete texts. And of course you have to offer high quality content, right? It is better to first write the content in India and then have it translated by a recognized translation agency or a professional freelance translator. It is best to choose a translation agency that specializes in translating websites . In addition, there are also tools that ensure that your WordPress website translation remains clear and that it makes importing translations easier. Visit wordpress development services india

# 2. Knowledge of the most popular search engines in the country

We all know which search engine is most commonly used in the India: Google! With a market share of no less than 96%, we can easily ignore other search engines here, but Google is not the largest in every country. In fact, Google is blocked in China. There Baidu is the largest search engine. In Hong Kong it is different again; there, Google is the main search engine for the English-speaking population and Yahoo for the Chinese-speaking people. It is therefore important that you carefully research which search engines are used in the country where you want your website to be found. And this brings us to the next point ...

# 3. An international SEO strategy

An international WordPress website naturally also requires an international SEO strategy.

If you want to be found in another country or in another language, it is necessary to set the 'hreflang' correctly. This HTML meta element tells the search engines in which country and in which language your web pages should be found. Hreflang looks like in the code:

rel = "alternate" hreflang = "x"

You can then replace the “x” with both the country and the language. For example, were you targeting Hindi speaking users in India, it would look like:

rel = "alternate" hreflang = "fr-IN"

In addition, you also need to know which keywords to use in your content. Keywords that you use on the hindi version of your WordPress website usually do not apply to the versions that are aimed at other countries and languages! A good way to find the right keywords is to use Google's Global Market Finder . You simply select your location, language and then enter a hindi keyword. If you then click on 'Find opportunity', you will see all suggestions and search volumes for other countries.

Another useful tool for developing international WordPress websites is Google's Consumer Barometer . This tool provides insight into the way in which search engines are used in other countries.

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# 4. Relevant domain name extensions

Suppose you are going to develop a WordPress website in five different languages. Of course, managing one website is a lot easier than managing five websites. Still, it is essential that you have the right domain name extension for every country. So for a French website www.yourdomainname.fr . This may take more time and money, but it works much better for international SEO purposes than, for example, www.jedomeinaam.com/fr or fr.yourdomainname.com.

Another important point regarding domain name extensions: if you offer the same content to the same users, but use multiple URLs (for example, yourdomainname.fr and yourdomainname.com/fr/ to offer French-language content to users in France), you must ensure that search engines do not see this as duplicate content. You then have to choose one version and the search engines refer to the website to be indexed by means of a redirect, or use the rel = canonical link element.

# 5. Good local hosting or a CDN

Hosting is an important aspect when it comes to international WordPress websites. Google is more likely to disadvantage a French website that has an IP address in the India, so obtaining an IP address in France is worth it in that case. Another option is to use a Content Delivery Network (CDN). This also ensures shorter loading times and therefore a more user-friendly website.

# 6. The right social networks

Using social networks is essential for the success of your WordPress website these days. But here too, you have to take into account the differences per country. You have probably linked the Indian website to Facebook, since it is one of the most popular social networks here. But in Russia, for example, much more use is made of Vkontakte. In China, where Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are blocked in many areas, QZone is the most used social network. What you should also keep in mind is that search engines all work with different algorithms. As mentioned, Baidu is the largest search engine in China. Baidu picks up a 'social signal' based on time, relevance and relationship to the query.

Finally

As you can see, there is still a lot to consider when developing international WordPress websites. So it is not a matter of simply throwing your content into Google Translate and adding a nice button with a flag for another language. If you take the time and effort to observe the above, you will be well on your way to making your global WordPress websites a success!

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