Change WordPress Language Tutorial
Table of Contents
WordPress has one of the largest if not the largest communities in the world of CMS applications. This community has translated WordPress into many languages and you can easily change the default language of your installation.
To change the WordPress back and frontend language, log in to the wp-admin panel > Settings > General.
There change the Site Language option to your desired language.
Once you save the changes the new language will be applied to your website.
Things to consider before changing the WordPress language
1. Content Language and User Experience
- Impact on User Engagement – If your audience predominantly speaks the language you’re switching to, this could improve user engagement, as visitors are more likely to interact with content in their native language.
- Bounce Rate and Dwell Time – Improved engagement often leads to a lower bounce rate and longer dwell times, which are positive signals to search engines.
2. Search Engine Indexing
- Language-Specific Indexing – Search engines index content based on language. Changing the language of your site will require re-indexing of your pages in the new language.
- Impact on Current Rankings – The change might temporarily affect your current search rankings as search engines adapt to the new language of your content.
3. Keyword Optimization
- Keywords and Language Change – Your existing keyword strategy may need a revamp, as keywords and phrases vary with language. Ensure your content includes relevant keywords in the new language.
- Local SEO Considerations – If the language change aligns with local SEO efforts (targeting audiences in specific regions or countries), it could enhance your visibility in local search results.
4. Meta Tags and Structured Data
- Meta Information – Update meta titles, descriptions, and other HTML tags to reflect the new language. These are crucial for SEO and user click-through rates from search results.
- Structured Data – Ensure that structured data, like Schema markup, is updated to match the new language. This helps search engines understand and categorize your content accurately.
5. URL Structure
- URLs and Language Consistency – If your URLs contain words, consider the language consistency. For multilingual sites, it’s common to use language-specific URLs for different versions.
6. User Interface and Accessibility
- UI/UX Consistency – Ensure that all elements of the user interface, including menus, buttons, and error messages, are translated. Consistency in language across all pages improves user experience.
- Accessibility – Language change should also consider accessibility features, ensuring that all users, including those using screen readers, have a seamless experience.
7. External Links
- Backlink Strategy – Consider how language change affects your backlink strategy. Links from sites in the same language are generally more beneficial for SEO.