Creating a multilingual site
In case you serve the international audience, creating a multilingual site can help you improve your brand image and prove a customer-centric mindset of your business. More languages available on your website will attract more potential clients as well.
There are two ways of creating a multilingual site on Weblium — creating language versions on the subdomains or within the same site. Follow the instructions below to choose the option that suits you best.
Tip: We recommend creating a site first in one main language and only then proceeding with this guide. This way, pages already made in the primary language will be copied to the new language versions.
Important: When creating a multilingual website in this way, making a multilingual online store and blog is not available. Also, pop-ups do not have a multilingual function, so they must be created separately. Then, specific pop-ups must be connected to particular pages of language versions (or to connect it to specific elements on pages as a click action).
You can create a multilingual site within the same site using our feature of a multilingual site. This way, you can create separate language versions of your site: In the editor, they will be conveniently separated into different sections, and on the published site, each language version's page will have its own URL (link). For example, if the page in English has the https://example.com/about link, the French version will be https://example.com/fr/about. Content of other language versions is translated manually. Still, all pages from the main language will be duplicated to a new language version of the site, — so all you need to do is translate pages' texts and change images, if necessary.
Open your site settings, go to the Multilingual site section and click on the Add a new language button:
In the opened window, select the language in which your site is currently written and which site's language version you want to add. You can also choose the flag you need — it will be displayed only in the editor for your convenience when switching languages. After selecting the current and the new language, click the Add button:
You will then receive a message that a new language has been added to your site.
Note: After adding a language version, all pages will be duplicated into a separate section of your site, where you can edit pages of another language version.
Important: The text of the pages is not translated automatically. Below will be shown how to open the pages to translate them manually.
Now you can manage the language versions of your site:
⠀⠀1) the new language version is hidden from your site visitors by default. When you finish creating and translating it, you can turn on this switch to make the pages available on your published site;
⠀⠀2) change the language of the language version (important: this will change all pages' links of this language version);
⠀⠀3) create a new language version based on another already created language version of the site;
⠀⠀4) set the SEO region of the language version (a recommendation for search engines, in which country it should display the pages of this language version);
⠀⠀5) delete the language version and all its pages.
Also, in these settings, you can add more language versions of the site using the Add a new language button:
Note: A maximum of 5 languages can be created.
Now go to the editor to change the created language version. After opening the editor in the upper left corner, in the drop-down list, click on the flag of the language version you need to open:
Tip: Hidden language versions are indicated by a crossed-eye icon.
You have switched to a new language version of your site. Here, you can sequentially open all the pages and translate their texts into the language you need. For example, if the main site version is written in English, and the added language version should be in French, then you should open each page in the French language version and translate all content into French on them. Pages of different language versions are independent: If necessary, you can delete some pages of a language version or, on the contrary, add new pages to only one language version without copying them to other languages.
Please note that all pages of new language versions have a URL (link) with a language identifier after the site root (your domain). For instance, if the main version of the site in English has a link https://example.com/about, then this link will look like https://example.com/fr/about in the French language version (added the `fr/`part). If necessary, the URL of the page (the about part in the example) can be changed in this page's settings.
Note: There is currently no way to specify your own language identifier (for example, change the fr/ part of the link). It is set automatically depending on the site's language version.
If later you create a new page in one language version, you can copy this page to other site's language versions in order to translate it there into the desired language. Thus, there is no need to separately create new identical pages in different languages from scratch if these pages differ only in language; you can create a page 1 time and copy it to other languages:
Important: We recommend adding new pages of language versions of your site by first creating a page in one language, then copying it to the required language versions after completing the page, and then translating them into other languages. This method will not only speed up your work, but also ensure that the pages are automatically linked to each other in the language menu.
When you have finished working on the language version, go to the multilingual site settings (step number 1 above), toggle on the language version visibility, and publish your site.
Done! The language version of the site is available to your customers.
Tip: You can check features related to the multilingual site: setting hreflang attributes and SEO region.
As of today, you can have a global header and footer for each language version of the site separately. They will act independently of each other.
Note: Making a header sticky at the top of the screen or making it transparent is available only for the global headers. These options are not currently available for non-global site headers.
After adding a global site header, translate it into the desired language; if necessary, add and configure a language menu and do other settings for the site header if needed.
Tip: A [language menu][(https://help.weblium.com/en-us/article/adding-a-language-menu-1ok03fk/?bust=1708780746560#1-adding-a-language-menu) will allow your customers to switch to other language versions of your site quickly.
After the work is completed, global headers may look like this:
Tip: Suppose you already have a global block (header and/or footer) on the site, after which you added an additional language version. In that case, you can immediately begin editing your global block on each language version separately. You do not need to add another global header or footer to a specific language version of the site.
Done! Publish the site for the changes to appear live.
This method requires creating separate websites for each language version. Thus, your main site will be hosted on the domain, while sites in other languages will be hosted on subdomains. For example, a website in English may have an example.com domain, while the French version will have a fr.example.com subdomain, and so on.
Important: This method is less recommended. Its advantages: the ability to translate an online store and a blog into each language version. Disadvantages: you need to create a separate site for each language version with a separate Pro subscription for each site, hreflang and SEO region features are not available.
Choose the main language of your content and create a site with it. In the header of the site, add the "Language links" element.
Duplicate the main site for all other languages.
Add the content on all sites so it corresponds to the chosen language.
Connect the domain to the main site and subdomains to other sites.
On the main site, select the language in the header and click Add link:
In the Go to field add a link to the home page in the corresponding language. For example, if the main site is in English, when clicking on FR your site visitors will be redirected to the French version of the site. Thus, you should add a link to the https://fr.example.com website.
Repeat the previous step for all languages adding the links to the needed versions of the site. This way, all site versions will be linked to each other.
There are two ways of creating a multilingual site on Weblium — creating language versions on the subdomains or within the same site. Follow the instructions below to choose the option that suits you best.
Tip: We recommend creating a site first in one main language and only then proceeding with this guide. This way, pages already made in the primary language will be copied to the new language versions.
Multilingual site within one site
Important: When creating a multilingual website in this way, making a multilingual online store and blog is not available. Also, pop-ups do not have a multilingual function, so they must be created separately. Then, specific pop-ups must be connected to particular pages of language versions (or to connect it to specific elements on pages as a click action).
You can create a multilingual site within the same site using our feature of a multilingual site. This way, you can create separate language versions of your site: In the editor, they will be conveniently separated into different sections, and on the published site, each language version's page will have its own URL (link). For example, if the page in English has the https://example.com/about link, the French version will be https://example.com/fr/about. Content of other language versions is translated manually. Still, all pages from the main language will be duplicated to a new language version of the site, — so all you need to do is translate pages' texts and change images, if necessary.
Open your site settings, go to the Multilingual site section and click on the Add a new language button:
In the opened window, select the language in which your site is currently written and which site's language version you want to add. You can also choose the flag you need — it will be displayed only in the editor for your convenience when switching languages. After selecting the current and the new language, click the Add button:
You will then receive a message that a new language has been added to your site.
Note: After adding a language version, all pages will be duplicated into a separate section of your site, where you can edit pages of another language version.
Important: The text of the pages is not translated automatically. Below will be shown how to open the pages to translate them manually.
Now you can manage the language versions of your site:
⠀⠀1) the new language version is hidden from your site visitors by default. When you finish creating and translating it, you can turn on this switch to make the pages available on your published site;
⠀⠀2) change the language of the language version (important: this will change all pages' links of this language version);
⠀⠀3) create a new language version based on another already created language version of the site;
⠀⠀4) set the SEO region of the language version (a recommendation for search engines, in which country it should display the pages of this language version);
⠀⠀5) delete the language version and all its pages.
Also, in these settings, you can add more language versions of the site using the Add a new language button:
Note: A maximum of 5 languages can be created.
Now go to the editor to change the created language version. After opening the editor in the upper left corner, in the drop-down list, click on the flag of the language version you need to open:
Tip: Hidden language versions are indicated by a crossed-eye icon.
You have switched to a new language version of your site. Here, you can sequentially open all the pages and translate their texts into the language you need. For example, if the main site version is written in English, and the added language version should be in French, then you should open each page in the French language version and translate all content into French on them. Pages of different language versions are independent: If necessary, you can delete some pages of a language version or, on the contrary, add new pages to only one language version without copying them to other languages.
Please note that all pages of new language versions have a URL (link) with a language identifier after the site root (your domain). For instance, if the main version of the site in English has a link https://example.com/about, then this link will look like https://example.com/fr/about in the French language version (added the `fr/`part). If necessary, the URL of the page (the about part in the example) can be changed in this page's settings.
Note: There is currently no way to specify your own language identifier (for example, change the fr/ part of the link). It is set automatically depending on the site's language version.
If later you create a new page in one language version, you can copy this page to other site's language versions in order to translate it there into the desired language. Thus, there is no need to separately create new identical pages in different languages from scratch if these pages differ only in language; you can create a page 1 time and copy it to other languages:
Important: We recommend adding new pages of language versions of your site by first creating a page in one language, then copying it to the required language versions after completing the page, and then translating them into other languages. This method will not only speed up your work, but also ensure that the pages are automatically linked to each other in the language menu.
When you have finished working on the language version, go to the multilingual site settings (step number 1 above), toggle on the language version visibility, and publish your site.
Done! The language version of the site is available to your customers.
Tip: You can check features related to the multilingual site: setting hreflang attributes and SEO region.
Global blocks on a multilingual website
As of today, you can have a global header and footer for each language version of the site separately. They will act independently of each other.
Note: Making a header sticky at the top of the screen or making it transparent is available only for the global headers. These options are not currently available for non-global site headers.
After adding a global site header, translate it into the desired language; if necessary, add and configure a language menu and do other settings for the site header if needed.
Tip: A [language menu][(https://help.weblium.com/en-us/article/adding-a-language-menu-1ok03fk/?bust=1708780746560#1-adding-a-language-menu) will allow your customers to switch to other language versions of your site quickly.
After the work is completed, global headers may look like this:
Tip: Suppose you already have a global block (header and/or footer) on the site, after which you added an additional language version. In that case, you can immediately begin editing your global block on each language version separately. You do not need to add another global header or footer to a specific language version of the site.
Done! Publish the site for the changes to appear live.
Different languages on subdomains
This method requires creating separate websites for each language version. Thus, your main site will be hosted on the domain, while sites in other languages will be hosted on subdomains. For example, a website in English may have an example.com domain, while the French version will have a fr.example.com subdomain, and so on.
Important: This method is less recommended. Its advantages: the ability to translate an online store and a blog into each language version. Disadvantages: you need to create a separate site for each language version with a separate Pro subscription for each site, hreflang and SEO region features are not available.
Choose the main language of your content and create a site with it. In the header of the site, add the "Language links" element.
Duplicate the main site for all other languages.
Add the content on all sites so it corresponds to the chosen language.
Connect the domain to the main site and subdomains to other sites.
On the main site, select the language in the header and click Add link:
In the Go to field add a link to the home page in the corresponding language. For example, if the main site is in English, when clicking on FR your site visitors will be redirected to the French version of the site. Thus, you should add a link to the https://fr.example.com website.
Repeat the previous step for all languages adding the links to the needed versions of the site. This way, all site versions will be linked to each other.
Updated on: 02/24/2024
Thank you!