When your business serves customers in multiple countries, you need a website that speaks their language. Building a multilingual WooCommerce site is more than just translating text—it requires careful planning of content workflow, URL structure, and user experience. This guide covers everything you need to know.

WPML vs Polylang: Which Should You Choose?

Two plugins dominate the WordPress multilingual space: WPML and Polylang. Both work well, but they have different strengths.

WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin)

Best for: Large enterprises with complex WooCommerce setups

• Deep WooCommerce integration included
• Built-in translation management system
• Support for translation services and agencies
• More configuration options
• Better support for page builders

Considerations: Higher cost, can be complex to configure, may affect site performance if not optimized properly.

Polylang

Best for: Simpler setups or when budget is limited

• Free version available
• Lighter weight than WPML
• WooCommerce support requires Polylang Pro + add-on
• Simpler interface
• Good performance

Considerations: Fewer features, less robust translation workflow, WooCommerce features require paid version.

URL Structure Options

How you structure URLs affects both SEO and user experience. You have three main options:

1. Subdirectories (Recommended)

example.com/en/products/
example.com/de/produkte/
example.com/fr/produits/

This is the most common approach. All languages share the same domain authority, and it is easy to manage.

2. Subdomains

en.example.com
de.example.com
fr.example.com

Google treats subdomains as separate sites, so you need to build authority for each one. This can work for very large enterprises with dedicated regional teams.

3. Country-Code Domains

example.com (US)
example.de (Germany)
example.fr (France)

Best for strong local presence but most expensive and complex to manage. Each domain needs separate hosting, SSL, and marketing.

Content Translation Workflow

For enterprise sites, you need a clear process for translating content:

Option 1: Professional Translation

Send content to professional translators. WPML integrates with services like TranslatePress, Translated, and others. This gives best quality but costs more and takes longer.

Option 2: In-House Translation Team

If you have multilingual staff, they can translate directly in WordPress. Create a workflow with:

• Content created in primary language
• Notification sent to translators
• Translation completed in WordPress
• Review and approval by manager
• Publication

Option 3: Machine Translation + Human Review

Use AI translation (DeepL, Google Translate) for first draft, then have humans review and correct. This is faster and cheaper than full professional translation but still maintains quality.

WooCommerce-Specific Considerations

Product Translations

You need to translate:

• Product titles and descriptions
• Attribute names and values (Size, Color, etc.)
• Category and tag names
• Variation descriptions

Checkout and Emails

Do not forget transactional content:

• Cart and checkout pages
• Order confirmation emails
• Shipping notifications
• Account pages

Currency Display

Language and currency often go together, but not always. A German customer might prefer German language but pay in Euros, while a Swiss German customer might want Swiss Francs. Make sure your setup allows flexibility.

SEO for Multilingual Sites

Important SEO elements for multilingual WooCommerce:

• Hreflang tags – Tell Google which page version is for which language/region
• Translated meta titles and descriptions – Do not just translate, optimize for local keywords
• Local keyword research – Search terms differ between languages
• Translated URLs – Use translated slugs, not just /de/products/ but /de/produkte/

Performance Optimization

Multilingual plugins add database queries and processing. Keep your site fast with:

• Good caching (configure cache to handle language variations)
• CDN with multiple points of presence
• Optimized database queries
• Regular cleanup of translation tables

Conclusion

Building a multilingual WooCommerce site requires planning, but it opens your business to global customers. Choose the right plugin for your needs, set up proper URL structure, create a translation workflow, and do not forget about SEO and performance.

Need help setting up a multilingual WooCommerce site? Get in touch with our team.