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Where can I find a step-by-step guide to making a WordPress Multilingual site WITHOUT plugins?
I’m in the process of launching my own service business website in WordPress.
All the pages are built in english, now I want to add another language while optimizing SEO for both languages.
I’ve found a *ton* of (affiliate linked) guides out there to install a plugin to do it for you, but when you dig a little bit and see how much extra bloat it adds, in my opinion its not worth it.
When you actually find a guide to to do it without a plugin, they arent particularly detailed, or they disregard SEO entirely.
So, I’ve decided to go with a subdirectory instead of a subdomain, which means I need to convert the site into a multisite.
**Does this mean I have to buy an additional theme, plugins, etc that I already have, since they are licensed to just one domain?** Probably a stupid question but this is how I think haha.
**I also want to add hreflang to the pages, but not sure the best way.** I think I want to go the XML route and add everything there (to keep the site faster overall).
**In your personal experience, is this really the best way, or should I just add it to the header?**
**Does anyone know of a detailed, SEO based guide to setting up what I’m looking for?**
Any other tips that I dont even know to ask about would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
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4 Replies
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How many languages and which ones in particular (to know how similar they are)?
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This is definitely a scenario where a plugin is the way to go. As explained by someone else, Italian and English are unlikely to see confusion, but if there are specific countries being targeted in English you may still benefit from robust tagging.
Managing hreflang in WP without a plugin is a lot more trouble than using WPML.
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Just use Polylang, you really can’t go wrong there. Hreflang tags are automatic, it adds the bare minimum to your backend – much less than WPML or setting up a multisite. Free version will more than likely meet your needs.
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So I hear a lot of people saying to go for the plugin…but is that really the *best* solution, or just the *easiest*?
There are so many times that I installed a plugin, only to uninstall it later and do it manually haha.
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