It is very important, in the current eCommerce landscape, to meet the customers in their preferred language so that one can increase his or her reach and resultant revenue. WooCommerce usage should make it really easy for a multi-language solution to be implemented, thereby enriching the user experience, making one able to attract even more diverse clients. So here’s this blog, which goes deep into the process to set up WooCommerce multilingual support, understanding each step deep.
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ToggleWhat is WooCommerce Multilingual?
WooCommerce Multilingual is the WPML extension, specifically designed for WooCommerce stores. With this powerful combination, you can manage all translations for your store’s elements: from products and categories to attributes and checkout pages.
Why WooCommerce Multilingual?
1. International Audience Reach: Explore new international markets; reach out to customers who do not speak English as their first language.
2. Higher Customer Satisfaction Level: Offering your website in different languages tends to increase the conversion rates because it maximally increases customer satisfaction level.
3. SEO Advantages: An optimally enhanced multilingual website will have higher search engine rankings with regional engines and have more organic traffic
4. Brand Credibility: Offering your store in multiple languages makes your brand look more credible and professional
How to Install WooCommerce Multilingual Step-by-Step
Step 1: Install Necessary Plugins
1. WooCommerce
Make sure that WooCommerce is installed on your WordPress website. If you have not done so:
1. Access your WordPress dashbaord.
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New
3. Locate “WooCommerce” and click “Install Now,” then activate the plugin.
2. WPML
WPML is a premium plugin, so you will have to purchase it from the official website of WPML.
1. Download the plugin files once paid.
2. Access your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. Click Upload Plugin, select the downloaded zip file, and click Install Now.
4. Activate the plugin once installed.
3. WooCommerce Multilingual
This is the add-on specific to WooCommerce.
1. As is the case with WPML, navigate to Plugins > Add New and search for “WooCommerce Multilingual.”
2. Install and activate this plugin.
Step 2: Configuring WPML
Once activated, WPML will guide you through a setup wizard.
1. Language Setup:
– Click on WPML > Languages.
– Select your site’s default language-the language in which your content is mainly composed.
– Select other languages you wish to support. You can select from a large collection of languages and dialects.
2. Language Switcher:
– You can customize the display and position of the language switcher. You can have it in your menu or as a widget, or you can opt for a floating language switcher.
3. Additional Configurations:
– Set up URL formatting for languages. You can have different directories for each language, parameters within URLs, etc.
Step 3: Install and Activate WooCommerce Multilingual
After you set up WPML, you’ll also want to:
1. Go to Plugins.
2. WooCommerce Multilingual needs to be enabled. If it is not, repeat the previous steps for installation and activation.
Step 4: Configuring WooCommerce Multilingual
1. In WordPress dashboard, go to WPML > WooCommerce Multilingual
2. You’ll see a number of tabs: Products, Categories, Attributes, Orders, etc. Here’s how you manage translations:
A. Translating Products
• Go to the tab Products.
• You will see a list of all your products. For each product:
– Click the + icon that corresponds to the language you want to translate into.
– Add translations for title, description, short description for a product, and more.
– Do not forget to upload translated images when necessary.
B. Category Translation
– Click Categories tab.
– For each of them click the + icon to add translation.
– Category descriptions also need to be translated in order to be consistent.
C. Translating Attributes
– Open the Attributes tab.
– For size, color and all other custom attributes, you will translate in this place.
– Click the + button right next to each attribute to add translation.
Step 5: Translating Other Site Content
You need to ensure that all the other content on your website will be translatable and can be shown in the target languages.
A. Translating Pages and Posts
1. Go to Pages or Posts in your WordPress dashboard.
2. To each page or post, click the + next to the language you wish to translate it to.
3. Fill in the content in the new language and save it.
B. Translating Menus
1. Go to Appearance > Menus.
2. Depending on your site you may need to have single menus for every language.
3. For each menu item, click on the + icon to add a translation for that specific menu item.
Step 6: Review and Test
Translate everything you need to. Finally, you’ll need to test everything.
1. Testing Navigation:
• Use the language switcher to switch between languages.
• All links need to be correctly translated.
2. Testing Product Pages:
• Ensure that all product details, images, and prices are displayed in all versions.
3. User Experience Test:
• Navigate through your store in multiple languages to ensure that your customer experience is smooth.
4. Checkout Process:
• Test the checkout procedure in different languages to ensure customers can complete their orders without confusion.
Step 7: SEO Considerations
1. Indexing :
• Verify that the right index for each of your language versions is set. WPML has this handled automatically, but simply check your setting by navigating to WPML > Languages once.
2. Hreflang Tags:
• WPML takes care of adding these automatically, including hreflang tags, which helps search engines understand relationships between your pages in the various languages.
3. SEO Meta Data Translation:
• Don’t forget to translate the SEO metadata: titles, description, alt text for images. It can be done with an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO.
Step 8: Extra Setup and Tips
• Multi-Currency Setup: In case you sell goods in various regions, configure WooCommerce to support multi-currencies. You can use the WooCommerce Multi-Currency.
• Support and Documentation: Read through WPML and WooCommerce Multilingual documentation for many more additional features, troubleshooting and support.
• Backup Your Site: Before making any changes to your website, always backup your website to avoid losing data.
Conclusion
Running an international WooCommerce store is very rewarding, as it widens your business prospects and improves customer satisfaction. At first, it may seem cumbersome, but developing a perfect multilingual shopping experience will be very easy if you pay attention to these detailed steps.
Welcoming the international market will lead to fresh opportunities and uplift your online presence.
About Us
At Bloom, we specialize in WooCommerce development that will help in building strong, highly customizable online shops for businesses. Whether you’re launching a brand new website or enhancing your existing one, Bloom’s WooCommerce Development services contain the materials to increase customer engagement and drive sales.
We also provides WooCommerce SEO services. Our data-driven SEO solutions cater to businesses of all sizes, aiming to boost your online visibility and drive conversions.