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Best WordPress Backup Plugins For Automated Backup: 2018
InsightsHere are best WordPress backup plugins that will help you to create automated backup of your WordPress site. Authored by Harsh Agrawal (shoutmeloud.com). ShoutMeLoud is an award winning blog that talks about living a boss free life with blogging. They cover about WordPress, SEO, Make money blogging, Affiliate marketing. Featured image courtesy of Bakhtiar Zein via Bigstockphoto.
One of the best tips you will ever get is to keep your WordPress blog secure. The best way to do that is by keeping a WordPress backup.
There are many WordPress backup plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory, but very few of them allow for a complete backup. When we talk about a complete backup, it means taking a backup of database, and a backup of the “wp-content folder”. Moreover, it’s always recommended to automatically backup WordPress to make sure you have the most recent version of your blog backed up.
Why is backing up your WordPress blog important?
Most bloggers make the mistake of not backing up their blog and they end up regretting it later. If you are one of those bloggers who hasn’t yet configured a backup system for your blog and rely on a backup offered by your hosting company, you are making a big mistake.
Understand that WordPress is software, and it runs on PHP and MySQL. All the files are stored on your web-hosting company. As a rule, anything that is related to computers and web hosting can crash any day. A hacker might hack your server or website, or someone can log in and delete your complete WordPress directory. In the end, you will be left with nothing except a feeling of sorrow for never creating a WordPress blog backup. All of your hard work will be gone in a jiffy.
One important rule here:
Ironically, it is quite easy to automate the backup of WordPress blogs. I will discuss three methods here that let you do scheduled automatic backups of your complete WordPress website. This includes the WordPress database and all the related files, including theme files, plugins, and images.
Necessary files to backup in WordPress:
Though you can configure a complete backup of your installation, we only need just one file and one complete folder as a backup. They are:
In the WP-content folder, you can exclude those themes which you are not using and exclude the “WordPress DB backup directory” if you are keeping a backup of many old databases or using some other method to make a WordPress database backup.
Also, you should optimize your database files to lower down the backup size.
Best WordPress Backup Plugins that you can trust:
1) VaultPress
I use VaultPress to take backups of ShoutMeLoud. I pay $9/month & it gives me complete peace of mind. VaultPress is a solution by Automattic (parent company behind WordPress). This solution is perfect for those who need to take a backup of 1-2 blogs.
If you need to take backups of multiple blogs, I would recommend looking for another solution which doesn’t cost you so much in recurring monthly fees. Otherwise, for a single blog, VaultPress is a perfect solution and lets you completely restore your blog from a backup.
To configure VaultPress, you can use the Jetpack WordPress plugin. Before this, you need to buy a VaultPress plan. I used the personal plan that costed me $39.
In the personal plan, VaultPress makes a complete backup of your blog once every day. With just one click you can restore your blog from a backup. What I like about them is the support they offer. Since the people behind VaultPress are WordPress experts, your blog backup & security are in good hands. VaultPress plan can be purchased using Jetpack plugin.
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2) UpdraftPlus Backup and Restoration
This is another popular WordPress backup solution.
– UpdraftPlus comes in two versions:
With a rating of 4.9/5, UpdraftPlus is the most popular backup solution for WordPress. It offers all the features which you would need to backup your WordPress blog.
What make this plugin stand out is the variety of options for backup. With UpdraftPremium, you will also get (for free) 1GB of space for the UpdraftPlus Vault(their cloud storage).
UpdraftPlus also offers more than just backups. It also has a cloning & migration feature which allows you to easily migrate a WordPress site from one host to another.
For someone who has multiple WordPress blogs, UpdraftPlus is the best choice. You only need to configure everything once & after that, you don’t have to worry about your blog’s backups.
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3) ManageWP Backup
ManageWP is a popular service to manage multiple WordPress sites. I have been an avid user of ManageWP since its launch & use it to manage all the blogs in my network. What I like about ManageWP is how easy it is to optimize, update & track your blogs all from one dashboard.
ManageWP offers real-time protection as well as incremental backups. That means instead of taking a complete backup every time which slows down your server, it takes a backup of only those files which have changed. It is then uploaded to their cloud storage infrastructure.
Note: “Every 24th” in above screenshot means it takes a backup on every 24th hour (one day).
To get the most value from your money, ManageWP is the best option for anyone with more than 5 WordPress sites.
Other Free & Premium Backup Solutions for WordPress:
All of the above three solutions are the best WordPress backup plugins at the moment. I will list out more free & premium solutions which are recommended by our community members.
Note: I’m listing only those plugins which offer essential features such as taking backups of the database & files, ability to schedule backups & supports other various services for the backup.
Remember: Many web hosting companies take daily backups of your blog. This is especially true for those who are using a managed WordPress hosting service like WPEngine. This means you don’t have to setup a third party backup system.
However, I’m a little paranoid when it comes to having complete control & this is why when even my hosting offers free off-site backup, I always take another backup using VaultPress for ShoutMeLoud & ManageWP for all my other sites.
I hope this guide helps you to pick the right backup solution for your WordPress site.
Most Important SEO Metrics to Consider in 2018
InsightsAnother year means a fresh examination of your SEO strategy. What worked last year might not work this year… The original article is from SEMrush blog. The author, Guy Sheetrit is the Founder and CEO of Over The Top SEO. He holds broad expertise in the areas of SEO, Social Media, Digital Marketing, B2B, B2C Brand Development and online lead generation. Featured image courtesy of Felmeeeh via Bigstockphoto.
Search engine optimization and reporting go hand in hand. Clients need proper reports which help them understand the ROI achieved from SEO. In the past, a metric like keyword rankings was enough to make a client happy, but things have changed, and most importantly they have changed for the better.
So, what are the most important metrics that every SEO must consider in 2018? In my opinion, the ones listed below are of the highest priority:
Total Organic Clicks
In the Search Console, navigate to Search Traffic -> Search Analytics, and you will see a report that will give you a clear idea on the number of clicks you received on your site and from which search queries.
Compare the date range for the last 28 days to the previous period and you will quickly identify which queries are generating direct clicks.
You can also identify the landing pages that are generating the maximum clicks along with the devices that are sending the organic traffic.
Tip: Ensure to filter the data by search type -> web else you might see a lot of queries based on image search results.
Number of Goal Completions Via Organic Traffic
No campaign is ever successful if goals aren’t completed. Visit Goals -> Overview section under the Conversions tab in Google Analytics.
Now, click on “add segment” and select “organic traffic” from the available list.
Click apply, and you will see a report like the one displayed in the below screenshot:
From the report, you can quickly identify important SEO metrics like the number of goal completions, goal value, and goal conversion rate. As we have already filtered the inorganic traffic so the value and metrics you will see here will give you a clear idea about the ROI received via organic traffic
Bounce Rate of Top Landing Pages
There is no point applying strategies to gain rankings if people are bouncing off from the pages that are already receiving the maximum organic traffic.
Visit: Behavior -> Site Content – > Landing Pages
You will see the below report that will help you to uncover one of the most important SEO metric of all time, the bounce rate. (Ensure that you already have the Organic traffic segment applied as we did while viewing the goal completions report).
Top Exit Pages
As an SEO professional, it is essential to have an idea on the top landing pages from where the audience are exiting the site.
Keeping the organic traffic segmentation ON, visit:
Behavior -> Site Content -> Exit Pages.
Here, you will see the top exit pages of your target website.
Once you have the data, it will become easier for you to fix the elements that are forcing the visitors to leave the site.
Target Keywords and Their Organic Ranking
This is perhaps the most common metric that every SEO uses. Continue to use the Organic keyword ranking in Google and identify the most prominent keywords that are sending the maximum traffic to the website.
SEMrush position tracking is a great way to monitor positions for any keyword. The data is daily updated so you can see the progress over time. Moreover, a side by side comparison of your keywords rankings vs. your competitors keyword rankings is possible providing you a clearer idea of the success regarding your SEO efforts.
Mobile Usability Report Under Search Console
Mobile traffic has already surpassed desktop traffic, so it is extremely crucial to keep an eye on the mobile usability of your website and make sure the users do not face any problems while browsing your website.
Visit Search Traffic -> Mobile Usability under Search Console to see the report.
The report will clearly show the issue faced by people along with the URLs that are having display issues on the mobile screen. Fix the issues as this will help to improve the user experience of your website.
Lifetime Value For Users
The Lifetime Value report under Google Analytics lets you understand the actual value of a particular user for your business based on lifetime performance.
In order to see the Lifetime Value data, click on Audience -> Lifetime Value as shown in the below screenshot:
Under this section, you will see 3 columns namely – acquisition channel, users, revenue per user (LTV) and revenue (LTV).
This report presents the data as the cumulative average value per user per the time increment you are using (day, week, month). The main metric, Lifetime value is calculated using the cumulative sum of the metric value divided by the total number of users acquired during the acquisition date range. For example, if you acquired 200 users during the acquisition date range, then Sessions Per User is calculated as follows:
The following metrics can be seen in the report:
This report presents an accurate view of the actual revenue potential of every customer that is gained using organic search.
Crawl Errors Under Search Console
Many webmasters ignore this metric, but it is one of the most crucial metrics to track. The crawl error report will help to uncover the URLs that are inaccessible by Googlebot.
Visit, Crawl -> Crawl Errors under the search console.
You will see a report like the one displayed in the below screenshot:
Carefully monitor this report on a regular basis and fix the errors from time to time. Keeping this report error free means that Google is able to properly cache the pages of your websites, thereby increasing the chances of getting more of your webpages ranked in Google and raising the organic search traffic.
Accelerated Mobile Pages Section Under Search Console
If you still haven’t added AMP pages on your website, then it is time to do so as this is one of the most important metrics to track in 2018.
Visit Search Appearance -> Accelerated Mobile Pages
This section will display the list of AMP URLs that are having issues. Regularly monitor and address the critical errors on your AMP pages.
Quality Inbound Link Count and SEMrush Trust Score
Links still form a major part of every SEO strategy as it remains one of the most important ranking factors for Google. Thankfully, SEMrush provides accurate scores to judge the reputation of a domain.
Measure the inbound link count by checking the backlink overview report located under Domain Analytics in SEMrush.
Look at the number of backlinks created over a period of time and check the Trust score.
The Trust Score is the measure of the trustworthiness of the domain using a 100 point scale with 0 being the lowest and 100 the highest.
SEO reporting in 2018 is going to face several challenges with clients getting educated than before. Fancy SEO metrics like pageviews don’t work anymore. Start preparing fruitful SEO reports using the metrics shared above and constantly try to improve your current SEO strategy.
Content Marketing and SEO: How to Build Links in 2018
InsightsThese are simple tactics and remain effective methods to build backlinks even in 2018. The original article is from semrush.com. The author, Olga Smirnova is Product Marketing Manager at SEMrush. You can follow her at Twitter. SEMrush’s digital marketing blog is an innovative resource for content strategy, content marketing, SEO, SEM, PPC, social media and more. Image courtesy of digitalista via Bigstockphoto.
SEO is a constantly changing industry. However, one thing has remained the same – over the years backlinks remain the most powerful Google ranking factor. If you want to substantially boost your site’s SEO and improve your Google rankings, link building is one of the best ways to do it.
Until recently, the goal of link building was to get as many links to your target page as possible. Links from low-quality sites, discussion forums, and comments that you left on other sites were all fair game. Now things have changed and you need links the search engines trust. Getting links Google will trust is much more difficult. Content marketing has helped, more than anything else, redefine link building.
What is Link Building in 2018
Link building is the process of getting links from other websites, and nowadays content plays a key role in this process. However, not every type of content will provide you with backlinks. The internet is filled with so much content that it’s hard to know where to look. Simply publishing content and waiting for people to link to it simply doesn’t work anymore.
Content marketing as it exists today also presents a unique problem: plenty of content is getting shared, but only in the form of mentions, instead of backlinks. Authors, businesses and publications are given attribution in the form of quotes and maybe links to one’s social media, but they are not always given actual in-content links. As great as a shout-out is, without an actual link, you won’t get any SEO or traffic benefits.
Getting your content published on the right sites also matters more than getting it published on a lot of sites. If trustworthy sources send backlinks to you, your site will be regarded as more trustworthy. Google definitely focuses on quality over quantity and getting those quality backlinks are much more difficult to obtain.
Keeping all the above-mentioned in a mind, there are two link building rules you should follow:
So, the challenge is to get great, popular, high-authority, and trustworthy sites to not only notice and love the content you create but to also provide backlinks to it. The first step in accomplishing this is to create linkable content.
How to Create Linkable Content
What makes content linkable? The first step is to understand why people might link to your material and find ways to gain their support. Your content might help someone else; here are some examples of how this could be done:
Another way to make sure that content brings value to your readers is to think about the types of articles that could be useful to them. The more helpful you can be to them the better. But keep in mind, there are some content types that are more likely to help rake in the backlinks. Let’s review some of these…
1. Original Research with Insights
Original research provides unique statistics and data. So when somebody wants to mention the information presented in your study in an article, for example, they have only one way to do it – to backlink to you.
The quality research should answer vital industry questions and provide value to your audience. Before attempting an article like this, you should understand what your research hypothesis is and how this data will help your target audience. This type of content can take a lot of time and effort to create, but it often results in high-quality backlinks.
2. Visual Assets
Supporting your content with great images and video offers value that makes your content more link-worthy. Visual assets attract visual learners, makes text less boring, and is easy to link to.
Link-worthy visual assets might be:
3. Ultimate Guides and eBooks
Guides, eBooks, and white papers often contain valuable information about a specific topic, which gives you more room for in-depth content. A well-researched and planned out piece of content can make your guide a go-to resource for readers. As an added bonus, it can be a powerful lead generation tool.
After you have created an amazing piece of content, you will need to think about a distribution plan to ensure that it gets noticed by the right people and doesn’t fall flat.
Content Distribution
Having a distribution plan that focuses not just on getting results from customers, but also for an SEO impact, is essential if you want to maximize your content’s potential. Authentic, fantastic, and unique content alone rarely brings in links. You have to take an action and inform people about your valuable content through the right channels.
1. Building Relationships with Influencers
When it comes to link building, the power of influencers is critical for success. When influencers share your content, you have much better odds of getting the attention you need. An influencer might even like your content so much that they share it on their own site, which may have good site authority. And of course, these are the kinds of links you want.
If you don’t know who the opinion leaders are in your industry take the time to find out. You can look through social platforms for research or use tools to provide the information. SEMrush’s Social Media Tracker will help you identify the most authoritative influencers in your industry with the ‘Mentioners’ report.
When promoting your content, remember to engage with influencers and high-authority sites without spamming them. Building relationships with these influencers over time will be much more beneficial in the long run. If you find a true influencer you should help that they will support you more than just once, which is why a true relationship is important. They will be more receptive to sharing and linking to your content often this way. If you just send them random blog posts out of the blue you can’t expect much response.
2. Writing Guest Blog Posts
Another great way to distribute your content and get quality backlinks is to write guest posts for high-authority blogs. Guest posting might strengthen your relationship with these sites and their influencers. It could also give you the chance to place a backlink to your research article or guide, that prove the facts or data you provide in your post.
When guest posting, choose sites carefully. Reach out to sites that are considered high-authority and that provide content that is high quality and helpful to readers. Links from a blog like this can help get you the results you want.
3. Link Reclamation
Tracking your brand mentions might be a good chance for getting backlinks. How? By simply asking the author that mentioned you or your company for a link within their article. Many site owners don’t mind providing a backlink to your already existing mention. Sometimes it might require time to discuss the partnership or build relationships but usually, these types of efforts are successful. Discovering unlinked mentions is easy with the SEMrush Brand Monitoring tool ‘Backlinks’ filter.
With this tool you can try to implement two more distribution technics: find out who already links to you and see who links to your competitors. The sites that link to your content or website most likely are already loyal to your brand and find your content relevant. Go ahead and develop relationships by providing them with more valuable content and potentially gain backlinks.
This same method can work for those sites that link to your competitors. It is likely that they are interested in content about similar topics and it is your chance to introduce yourself and offer the valuable information you provide in your content. Check what kind of content they are linking to and try to suggest them something similar or even better.
4. Paid Social Advertising
Paid advertising through social media is one of the best ways to get a lot of eyes on your content quickly. Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, YouTube Ads, and Promoted Pins are all exceptional ways to get your content in front of the right audience.
Social ads are often used to get your content in front of your target audiences, but you can also use social ads to try and show your content to peers and influencers. To do this, you will need to create custom audiences for targeting and different ads for each audience. As an example, a marketing agency could shift their targeting from small businesses (their main target audience) to other marketing agencies (their peers). Facebook and Instagram ads, which share the same platform, will be most effective in this area due to their incredible targeting systems.
Conclusion
Creating unique and valuable content is crucial to getting high-quality backlinks and improving your SEO. The algorithms’ evaluation of backlinks has evolved in recent years and it is so much more difficult to get high-quality backlinks, but it is not impossible. The most effective way to get the links you want is to create linkable content that brings value to your target audiences. Some of the easiest content, and often most valuable, is content that helps solve a problem or answers questions. With these ideas and distribution plans for how to get valuable backlinks, you can get those links and start seeing improved rankings and more traffic before you know it.
5 Best WordPress Push Notification Plugins For Web + Mobile
InsightsToday, top five most popular WordPress push notification plugins to send web browser push notifications. Authored by Harsh Agrawal (shoutmeloud.com). ShoutMeLoud is an award winning blog that talks about living a boss free life with blogging. They cover about WordPress, SEO, Make money blogging, Affiliate marketing. Image courtesy of ileezhun via Bigstockphoto.
Of all the ways to get more traffic to your website, one method in particular that I experimented with in 2017 was website push notifications.
Like the notifications you get on your phone, browser push notifications let you send messages to your website’s visitors even when they’re not on your website.
It’s a method that I’ve definitely seen success with and I encourage you to try it on your own website:
I’ve written more about the benefits of push notifications in the past. So rather than focussing on the theory in this post, I’m going to jump to the five of the best WordPress push notification plugins to make it easier for you to add push notifications to your blog or your website.
What To Look For In A Push Notification Plugin
As you go through this list, there are a few things that you should pay attention to:
Best WordPress Push Notification Plugins For 2018
1. PushEngage
PushEngage is technically a standalone service for mobile and web push notifications. However, it also offers a dedicated WordPress plugin that makes adding push notification functionality to WordPress easy.
If you’re familiar with ShoutMeLoud, PushEngage is actually what we use here on the website. We’re even listed on the PushEngage landing page!
If you’re interested in seeing how PushEngage works, just click the Get Notificationsbutton on the ShoutMeLoud homepage (or most other pages):
PushEngage lets you send push notifications to both desktop and mobile versions of:
Beyond that, it includes a number of features to help you send push notifications in a smart way:
PushEngage is free for up to 2,500 subscribers and 120 notifications per month. To manage numbers in excess, you’ll need to pay, starting $25/month.
If you’re interested in using PushEngage, we have a full tutorial on how to add browser notifications to WordPress using PushEngage.
Create free account on PushEngage
2. OneSignal
Similar to PushEngage, OneSignal is a standalone push notification service that easily integrates with WordPress, thanks to a dedicated WordPress plugin.
However, OneSignal’s supported devices are slightly different when compared to PushEngage’s. It supports:
So, in comparison to PushEngage, you get the Safari notifications but lose out on mobile Firefox notifications. Beyond that, OneSignal boasts of a fairly similar feature list:
OneSignal is completely free with no limitations. However, they also offer unspecified premium plans.
Join OneSignal
3. PushCrew
PushCrew is another popular push notification service that you can easily integrate into WordPress with a simple plugin.
Of the three push notification plugins that I’ve covered so far, PushCrew has the smallest list of supported devices. Currently, PushCrew works with:
However, PushCrew makes up for this comparatively small device set with some neat features like:
PushCrew offers a free plan that supports unlimited notifications for up to 2,000 subscribers with some feature limitations. Beyond those numbers, you will need to choose from plans starting at $18 per month.
Join Pushcrew
4. PushAssist
Similar to the three previous plugins, PushAssist is also a standalone service that provides a dedicated WordPress plugin thereby making the setup process easy.
PushAssist also has a long device list. Here’s what it supports:
It also boasts of a feature set similar to many of the previous services:
PushAssist has a free plan that supports up to 3,000 subscribers with unlimited notifications (and PushAssist branding). Paid plans start at just $9 per month.
Join PushAssist
5. All push notification for WP
Unlike the four services listed above, All push notification for WP is a dedicated WordPress plugin. It means there are no monthly fees and all the processing is done right on your server instead of a third-party service.
As a result, it does require a technical setup, only supports mobile notifications, and doesn’t have nearly as many features as the other services.
All push notification for WP supports mobile push notifications via the following services:
You can then:
If you’re a beginner or a casual blogger, I do not recommend that you use this plugin – it is far too complicated and you will be better off using one of the more user-friendly services above.
However, if you’re tech-savvy and want a solution that will support mobile notifications for unlimited users without any monthly fees or third-party branding, this one is worth checking out.
Which Push Notification Plugin Should You Use?
Given that fact that I already told you about using PushEngage here at ShoutMeLoud, it is an easy guess as to which push notification plugins I would recommend.
PushEngage is a great option because:
Remember – if you’re interested in getting started with PushEngage, here is a tutorial to help you quickly get up and running.
What’s Better? Multilingual WordPress Websites or Websites on Subdomains
InsightsThis article is originally from instantshift.com. InstantShift is leading design and inspiration related community for web designers and developers daily resource, inspiration and premium web design and development. About the author: Ivi Silvasi is professional writer at Ait Themes – a web developer with 9+ years of experience on the market and 85k happy customers worldwide. Main niche are multilingual WordPress Themes. Specializing also in directory & listings WordPress Themes. Image courtesy of maxxyustas via Bigstockphoto.
Imagine you are going to expand your business abroad. You have a well-functioning website in your local language. Now you need to place it to other markets in foreign languages.
What will you do? Creating multilingual websites is not a simple task. But in this extensive article, we are going to guide you through all the important aspects. Make a coffee and start reading.
What’s Better? One Multilingual Website or Websites on Multiple Domains?
There are 2 different ways how to achieve website multi language localization. You can have a separate domain for each country. Or keep all the language versions on the same domain. The first option works as a standalone installation and therefore a standalone website. The second option works as a link between the individual languages. The way you will do it depends on the CMS your website is build on. Learn more how it works in WordPress. Implementation options for localization may also vary.
One Site or Multiple Domains
When creating website, it is advisable to think of the future. Even if you do not need a multilingual website at present, the situation might change in a couple of years. Therefore the chosen CMS and template should support language versions too.
Multiple Domains
It means you have to buy more than 1 TLD domains. Each domain represents each language or country of localization. Let’s say that you are French company. And run website on yourdomain.fr. To create Spanish localization website, you need to buy yourdomain.es. Now you have 2 TLDs domain. To build Spanish version you must to install blank WordPress. Then follow as you would create website in your native language. Choose WordPress theme and upload content. For consistent branding ideally use the same as on your native website. Does not to be multilingual. You don’t need any special plugins for websites on multiple domains, too. You don’t even need to choose a multi language ready WordPress template.
Websites operating on multiple domains usually have their own country specific domain for each language / country / market, e.g.:
One Domain, One Site
This is the case when you own only 1 TLD domain. Does not matter how many languages do you need. Multi language website is a single website operated on one domain. WordPress developers have implemented language support just recently. The built-in language support is still not at such level as it would be appropriate and no additional add-ons would be required. Thus some additional features are required.
In order to extend your WordPress website with additional languages, you need:
Multilingual Template
Pay attention while choosing multilingual WordPress Theme.
Usually it comes with multilingual functionality only. Besides this you need also phrases translations. These need to be done on your own. Templates authors do not deal with the front-end or back-end captions translation as it takes a lot of effort and money.
Furthermore some language management plugin is required. It will do whole language mutation actually. So you need to install one of the available multi language third-party plugins.
Now at alternatively, choose one of the directly translated WordPress Themes from a developer who uses own plugin that provides multilingual support.
Multilingual Website Implementation Options
Basically you have 2 options. Multi language website and its other language versions can operate on:
Multilingual Website on Subdomain
Subdomains are primarily designed to differentiate between products and services that fall under one domain. Good example for this is the notoriously known subdomain maps.google.com. You can clearly see from the domain name that the subdomain maps. represents a completely different focus of this part of the website compared to the root domain google.com that works as a search engine.
As the subdomains are used for differentiation of services and content, having subdomains for different language variant within multi language website is rather rare. As it is not a different type of service that is provided. This solution could make sense in a scenario when you want to provide completely different content for each language version, i.e. different content for English version on root domain, different content for the German subdomain and different content for the French version. This solution is e.g. used by Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org – subdomain for English version
de.wikipedia.org – subdomain for German version
The disadvantage of subdomains is that Google considers each subdomain as a separate domain and evaluates it as if it was a completely different website. Thus takes a little longer for Google to index it and to get an interesting SERP. This is due to the fact that link juice acquired by the root domain up to now is not shared between subdomains.
If you use subdomains, your multilingual website usually looks like this:
nameofdomain.com – root domain, main page with the default language
de.nameofdomain.com – subdomain for German version
fr.nameofdomain.com – subdomain for French version
Multilingual Website via Subdirectory
Subdirectory as such is used to divide content of the website. This is visible as a separate section within hyperlink after the root domain name e.g. codepen.io/projects. Such separation is natural for the user as the user automatically knows that this is a different part of the website and therefore it improves the orientation on the site.
The use of subdirectories for other languages is a good choice for multi language websites especially when the content is identical or very similar to the one on the root domain. Translations are processed easier in this case and all the content is managed within one website what has many benefits. One of such benefits is that Google does not consider subdirectory to be a new website (unlike the multilingual websites operating on separate subdomains), link juice is shared between the language versions and therefore other subpages with languages do not have worse rating than the entire website (root domain).
The multilingual website when using subdirectories usually looks like this:
nameofdomain.com – root domain, main page with local language (most frequently English)
nameofdomain.com/de – subdirectory for German version
nameofdomain.com/fr – subdirectory for French version
Why to choose Multilingual Website and NOT Websites on Multiple Domains
What are the reasons for choosing one multilingual website (with subdirectories) instead of multiple websites on multiple domains? Let’s have a look at the benefits from the perspective of administrator, user, SEO, as well as marketing.
Advantages Multilingual Website on 1 Domain
Administrator Perspective
1. One domain, one database… and one payment for hosting services
Having the whole multi language website on a single domain is more practical than looking after multiple domains. All data is stored within one database which means more comfortable backing up, import and export of data to various third-party systems like services facilitating sending of bulk newsletters (MailChimp, Mad Mimi etc.). One domain at the same time means that you will be paying only for one hosting. Cost saving will be achieved also thanks to the fact that you will only need to buy some additional plugins once – if you have multiple websites on different domains, you need a separate plugin for each of them and plugins are mostly licensed to use on a single domain only.
2. Practical content management and design changes
It is comfortable because you have to log into one back-end. Content management is performed the same way as on the standard website, via wp-admin. Within the admin interface you can easily switch between all the languages. Therefore you don’t need to log into every language version of the website separately.
With regard to uploading products or items to a portfolio, you enter the product to Media Library only once, and then you can add it to other languages faster via Insert Image -> Media Library where you can pick the required image from.
“No more uploading of the same images over and over.”
In addition, the multilingual website facilitates simpler management of comments or orders in WordPress solutions that are use WooCommerce.
And what about the design?
Any design change in the website is visible immediately also on all language mutations. Having the entire website on a single domain is something that you will benefit from in the future too. When performing the overall redesign of your website, as it is just one website.
3. Convenient translations
Adding translations for the multiple languages within multilingual website is possible in several ways, either by making translation within .po files, or directly in wp-admin. Such comfortable translation adding can be achieved by implementing one of the third-party multilingual plugins or by plugin activation that is directly provided by the developer of your multilingual WordPress Theme.
Some multilingual plugins allow you to duplicate Pages for translations (e.g. AIT Languages plugin), user friendly String Translations (WPML plugin and others), or alternatively the possibility of ordering translations from external translators directly through the administration interface.
The great advantage is that you add, edit and manage all translations from one admin interface – quickly and conveniently from one “central” location. You don’t have to edit each language on a separate website on multiple domains what saves time (changes can be made quickly), money(you need just one multilingual plugin) and prevents errors, as you’re administering one website instead of two, three, four…
User/Website Visitor Perspective
1. Website localization
When visitors come to a multilingual website with the domain name ending .com/de, they are aware that this is just one of the available language versions of the website. And that the main communication language is different – in most cases it is English, on the root domain .com. Many visitors therefore correctly assume that the website/business background is directly related to the language of the root domain; possibly that it is an internationally operating company.
Website visitors have certain expectations for sites located on multiple domains that are relevant to a particular locality/country. Therefore, when users visit website nameofdomain.de, they usually assume that this is a German website in the local language, that there is an office located in Germany. They may await there will be a support personnel who speaks German. Who can be reached on the German phone number or the goods can be returned more easily. Also in terms of some additional expenses like the transportation cost is cheaper within Germany.
2. Switching language easily
Regardless of which subpage users arrive on from Google search, they can still change the language on the multilingual website. Simply by clicking on the appropriate flag or on the language abbreviation EN – DE – FR. Also by choosing the language from the select menu. Each WordPress Theme can have a different implementation of the language switcher based on the way how it was designed by its developer.
Warning: It is strictly not recommended to set the default language based on the IP address of the website visitor, it is considered as an unwanted activity on the web page.
Comparing to multiple domains, it’s a bit more complicated. When users arrive on the German version nameofdomain.de and would like to view website in another language cannot see the language switcher. He/she has to amend the ending in the URL address manually. Guess who there is another language localization? Do not risk they can drive away.
3. Impeccably translated content
Websites on multiple domains have a disadvantage that you need high quality translations as if they were done by a native speaker. As mentioned above, for the pages with domain name ending .de users expect that it is the German website. Therefore the content must be written in perfect German without any mistakes – otherwise it does not look professional.
On the other hand, if the website is multilingual and has the name ending .com/de, users know that it is just “another” version and they are generally more tolerant of errors in grammar and stylistics. Some users even consider it to be a good thing – they take positively that the company is trying to provide info in their mother tongue to make information more accessible to them. And that is very beneficial for the company in terms of any future interaction with the user.
SEO a Marketing Perspective
1. Easier optimization
Same as the link juice cannot be shared between multilingual websites on subdomains, same applies to the websites on the multiple domains. Each language variant is located on a different domain and for Google these are completely unrelated websites. Multilingual website using subdirectories has an advantage in this as the link juice is shared between them and gets better domain/link authority.
Apart from the fact that it is easier to take care of one multilingual website (in comparison to multiple websites built for each language separately), the right optimization of the website on root domain passes down the optimization to the subpages and therefore to the individual language versions (set up of H1, H2, H3 headlines, hyperlinks etc.). When managing content, you can get some help from SEO tools e.g. Yoast that can then be applied for all the languages.
2. Concentration of visitors in one place
When comparing multilingual website with websites on multiple domains, it’s good to have a look at the total traffic. With this criterion, multilingual website is the winner as all visitors are directed to one website/one domain and therefore visitors aren’t unnecessarily divided across multiple websites. On top of the more efficient work with user data (thanks to the centralized sample of visitors from various target groups), it also contributes to a higher conversion rate on the website.
3. Targetting and advertising
The setup and management of advertisements is directly related to the above point. You set ads for just one domain when having a multilingual website. And at the same time you can tailor it for each language separately.
If you have websites on multiple domains, you need to manage ads for several separate domains what requires more effort and time. And that applies to every type of ad: banner, PPC or remarketing.
Whether your ad is targeted correctly and whether your CTA works the way it should can be detected by A/B testing. If you have multi language website, A/B testing can be realized quickly and easily and all your changes will be reflected immediately on all language versions within the subdirectories.
Can you imagine testing 3 websites at once? That’s another reason why work with WordPress website on multiple domains is more complicated even from marketing point of view.
What else need to be considered?
The right solution for your new localized WordPress website is multiple languages. When creating website in more than one local language, it is crucial to decide for such a solution that will:
If you look at the multilingual WordPress website and compare it to websites on multiple domains for each language separately, multilingual website is a winner in all the above mentioned criteria.
#RecipeForSuccess: Virtual Shop Front
InsightsSo, you’ve started your own small business? Working out of your garage? A local retail space? A workshop? A van? You’ve even put together a simple website using Wix, Weebly or WordPress.com.
…but there’s a problem: No one can find you on Google, and your clients keep telling you your website is rubbish: It’s time to pull the trigger on a new website; but what do you need? How do you prepare?
Master Chef: Dan Menzies, Lead Developer & Managing Director of PSD to Final
No matter what you do in your business, it’s likely your website is the first port of call for new clients; and just as likely your existing clients visit your website regularly. This means your website is just as important as your workshop, your retail frontage, or your van.
But with careful planning and management, it can be much more. It can become your virtual shop front. A place to sell goods and services; a place to gather referrals and qualify new clients; a place not just to showcase your business, but to do business.
Ingredients
Directions
Step 1: Engage your Web Developer
Needed: A local Web Developer
First things first. You’ll need to have a sit-down with a Web Developer. Why a developer, and not a designer? We’re looking at complexity, and Developers are best positioned to make sure your site works, not just looks pretty.
Note:
Unless you are a Web Designer or Software Engineer yourself, or have a great deal of experience working with distributed teams, I highly recommend finding a local developer. The face-to-face service will result in a much better outcome.
With your Web Developer (or Dev), discuss the following:
During your first meeting, stress to your Dev that you’re looking for a Partner to build a Web-Based Solution, a site to improve your business; not just “advertise”.
Once you have everything “laid on the table”, brainstorm with your Dev to find out what’s possible, what kind of budget you need (or have), and put together a list of suggestions and questions for your key clients.
Note:
With more than 40% of web traffic in 2017 (YTD) being generated by Mobile users, it’s not just recommended, but essential, that your new website is Mobile Responsive. This means it displays correctly, and provides a seamless customer experience, regardless of the device accessing it (Desktop, Notebook, Tablet or Mobile).
Finally, if the question of technology comes up; I highly recommend a using the open source WordPress website software, with the WooCommerce plugin, Intuit Payments/QBMS Gateway plugin and any one of the number of QuickBooks / WooCommerce synchronization services (which links your virtual shop to your accounting software). I am, however, biased ;-)
Step 2: Engage your key clients
Needed: Patience, 2 or more co-operative clients
The biggest mistake people make when developing a website is not knowing what they want. Implementing the wrong solution can be extremely costly (in time, money, and clients). By asking questions of clients directly, we can significantly reduce the possibility of heading in the wrong direction.
With questions from your Dev meeting in hand, approach at least 2 key clients/customers. Ask for suggestions on how:
We’re looking for pain-points in your customer experience that can be solved with the clever implementation of a good website.
Step 3: Back to the Dev
Needed: A local Web Developer
After discussions with your clients, return to your Dev for another meeting. During this meeting discuss:
You will also want to have your Dev:
Before the meeting ends, you’ll want to walk away with
Step 4: Content Creation
Needed: Patience, JumpChart
Planning and pre-generating the text-based content for your website will dramatically decrease the costs, and time spent in the development phase.
During this step, you need to work your way through each page of content in your sitemap and write at least 3 paragraphs of relevant text. No less than 150 words on each page (Google and Bing like websites to be “wordy”).
If you have a large number of products (eg retail store or industrial supplies), contact your suppliers before doing this; they may already have the information available. If they do, don’t enter it into JumpChart – there’s a reasonable chance your Web Developer can just “import” it.
Step 5: Build and Deploy
Needed: Patience, and a keen eye
This is largely down to your Web Developer, however, immediately before launch you should take the time to go through the site with a fine-tooth-comb. Every page, every product, every service, every contact form; and perform a few test transactions. Be sure to confirm transactions are being synchronised with your accounting package, too.
If feasible, allow the clients from Step 2: Engage your key clients to view your new beta site, and have a “tinker”. Their feedback will also prove invaluable.
This process (known as Client QA) will help ensure a smooth launch.
Step 6: Ongoing Management
Needed: Patience
Ok, you’ve launched. Job’s done, right? Wrong. Now it’s time for the real work…
You may recall waaaay back at the start of this article I mentioned “…your website is just as important as your workshop, your retail frontage or your van”. That’s correct. And you need to treat it as such.
What does that mean? It means you need to put regular time into your website, just the same as you would when you are working on/in any other part of your business:
Put your web address on everything
Your web address should be plastered all over your workshop, retail space, vehicle, cards, shirt, emails, newsletters, invoices, receipts, PC’s, POS, phone, and, well, any other relevant surface you own!
Run regular specials and promotions
Running regular or semi-regular competitions, promotions and specials helps to build your newsletter database, keeps people returning to your site, and keeps your business in the front of people’s minds.
Update the site content regularly
In the web-world, we have a saying; “Content is King”. Google and Bing love new content on your site – they also hate when sites are left idle and stagnate. If you want to improve/keep that search engine rank, you need to regularly add new content. This could be in the form of blog posts, industry-related articles, newsletter articles, new products/services, or anything else relevant.
Post regularly to Social Media
You may need a specialist to get you started here, but posting relevant content to social media is a great way to drive new traffic to your site, and acquire new customers.
Refer existing customers for payments, when appropriate
Allowing customers to pay their bills/invoices online is not only convenient for the customer, but it puts their eyes on your branding, on your products/services and brings you to the front of their minds. If you’re able to use Intuit Payments, it will make your accountant’s life easier, too.
Regularly run AdWords campaigns
If you have the budget available, Google AdWords or Bing Ads allow you to rocket to the top of the page for very specific search terms (including ones dominated by your competitors). This can assist in creating new visitors, new clients, and improving market share.
Continuous Technical Improvement (or Iterating)
Without pestering, regularly check with your clients regarding your new website. Is it working for them? Can anything be improved? Is it too simple (or complex)? Does it do what they need? Refer relevant feedback to your Dev, and regularly schedule in improvements.
Continuous Promotion Improvement
Regularly analyze your promotions. How many leads were generated? Did they convert (and why / why not)? Was there solid ROI? How did it compare to the last campaign? Use this information to plan future campaigns, and make more effective use of your promotional spend/effort.