Comparison of WPML and GTranslate for SEO

Finding the right plugin among numerous options for the site you operate is always a challenging task.

To express in multiple languages, I compared several plugins, and I would like to compare WPML and GTranslate from an SEO perspective, as the main reason for choosing WPML on COOSS.NET was SEO.

Initially, I chose GTranslate to create a multilingual site. Without needing to worry about special settings, just displaying the language selection link allowed all pages to be translated into the desired language.

One slight disappointment was that, rather than being an issue with GTranslate itself, I believe it was due to the overall level of advancement in translation technology, as some translations were not smooth, and even when I noticed this, I couldn’t find a way to correct it.

What I learned next was that GTranslate does not create separate pages but only translates the currently displayed page on the fly. Initially, I thought it was sufficient since it could be used lightly without consuming server resources, but gradually I began to consider other options.

The reasons were:

1. As web browsers evolved to automatically translate and display content, it seemed unnecessary to install GTranslate in this form.
2. Since it does not create separate translated pages, it is rarely indexed in Google searches when searched by foreigners.

So, I started using WPML, which allowed me to perform SEO work for multiple languages for each post. In other words, even though the content is the same, the chances of appearing in search results for users of different languages increased.

SEO Comparison of WPML and GTranslate

SEO Optimization Methods

• WPML:
  • Creates language-specific URLs (example.com/fr/ or fr.example.com), forming separate pages.
  • Automatically adds hreflang tags, resulting in excellent SEO optimization.
• GTranslate:
  • The free version translates the currently displayed page using JavaScript, offering no SEO benefits.
  • The paid version creates separate URLs, but it is understood that they do not appear in foreign language search results.

Translation Quality and Maintenance

• GTranslate:
  • Uses Google automatic translation (the free version is client-side, while the paid version can be stored server-side).
  • Cannot correct any found translation errors.
• WPML:
  • In addition to automatic translation (DeepL, Google Translate, etc.), it supports manual translation.
  • Modifications can be made at any time, making it easy to maintain translation quality.

However, the above comparison may not be fair as it contrasts the free version of GTranslate with the fundamentally paid WPML.

It would be good to look into the paid version of GTranslate as well.

Paid Version of GTranslate

SEO Improvements

• Separate URL Provision: The paid version generates language-specific URLs (example.com/fr/), allowing search engines to recognize individual pages.
• hreflang Tag Support: Clarifies connections between multilingual pages, helping search engines index correctly in the right language.
• Server-side Translation Storage: Translated content is directly included in HTML, making it recognizable by search engines.
• Editable Automatic Translations: In the paid version, translations can be modified in the admin panel, improving content quality.
• CDN-based Translations: Utilizes global servers to provide fast loading speeds and enhance search engine crawling speed.

Differences from WPML

• Storage Method
  • WPML stores as separate posts in the WordPress database, while GTranslate uses a caching system to save in file format and generates HTML when requests occur.
  • This allows for SEO, but makes it difficult to modify the translated content.

Which Plugin is Better from an SEO Perspective?

Returning to the initial question, if we only consider SEO aspects, WPML appears superior as it creates and stores separate posts for each language, allowing for dedicated SEO work on each page. In contrast, GTranslate disguises a single post as if it has language-specific posts, making WPML the more favorable option.