SEO Settings and Configuration

Overview

ShahiTranslate Pro provides comprehensive SEO features to ensure your multilingual content ranks well in search engines across all languages. This guide covers hreflang implementation, sitemaps, URL structures, and search engine optimization best practices.

Why SEO Matters for Multilingual Sites

Challenges Without Proper SEO

1. Duplicate Content: Search engines may penalize identical content in multiple languages
2. Wrong Language Results: Users see wrong language version in search results
3. Split Authority: Link equity divided across language versions
4. Indexing Issues: Some language versions may not get indexed

Benefits of Proper SEO Setup


5. Correct Language Targeting: Users see appropriate language in search results
6. No Duplicate Content Penalties: Proper hreflang tells Google these are translations
7. Better Rankings: Each language version can rank independently
8. Improved User Experience: Visitors land on correct language version

URL Structure Options


Overview


URL structure is the foundation of multilingual SEO. Choose the right structure for your site.

Access Settings: ShahiTranslate Pro → Settings → SEO & URLs

1. Subdirectory Structure (Recommended)


Format: example.com/es/page-name

How It Works:

9. Language code added as first directory in URL
10. Default language can be with or without prefix
11. Most popular and recommended approach

Examples:
`
English (default): example.com/about-us
Spanish: example.com/es/acerca-de
French: example.com/fr/a-propos
German: example.com/de/uber-uns
`

Advantages:

12. ✅ SEO-friendly and widely recognized
13. ✅ Easy to set up and maintain
14. ✅ Works on any hosting
15. ✅ Good for link building (same domain)
16. ✅ Consolidated domain authority
17. ✅ Easy to track in analytics

Disadvantages:

18. ⚠️ All languages share same domain reputation
19. ⚠️ Can’t geotarget in Google Search Console

Best For:

20. Most websites
21. Businesses targeting multiple countries
22. Sites with limited technical resources
23. When domain authority consolidation is important

Configuration:
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → URL Structure
Select: Subdirectory
Default Language Behavior: With or without prefix
Save Changes
`

2. Subdomain Structure


Format: es.example.com/page-name

How It Works:

24. Each language on separate subdomain
25. Requires DNS configuration
26. Good for completely separate content strategies

Examples:
`
English (default): www.example.com/about-us
Spanish: es.example.com/acerca-de
French: fr.example.com/a-propos
German: de.example.com/uber-uns
`

Advantages:

27. ✅ Can target different countries in Search Console
28. ✅ Separate hosting for each subdomain possible
29. ✅ Different content strategies per language
30. ✅ Easier to manage large multilingual teams

Disadvantages:

31. ⚠️ Link equity split across subdomains
32. ⚠️ More complex DNS setup
33. ⚠️ Each subdomain treated as separate site by search engines
34. ⚠️ Requires wildcard SSL certificate

Best For:

35. Large enterprises with dedicated teams per language
36. Sites with very different content per language
37. When country-specific Google Search Console targeting needed

DNS Setup:
`
Add CNAME records:
es.example.com → example.com
fr.example.com → example.com
de.example.com → example.com
`

Plugin Configuration:
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → URL Structure
Select: Subdomain
Configure DNS first, then save
`

3. Query Parameter


Format: example.com/page-name?lang=es

How It Works:

38. Language specified in URL query parameter
39. Simplest to implement
40. Not recommended for SEO

Examples:
`
English (default): example.com/about-us
Spanish: example.com/about-us?lang=es
French: example.com/about-us?lang=fr
`

Advantages:

41. ✅ Easiest to implement
42. ✅ No server configuration needed
43. ✅ Works everywhere

Disadvantages:

44. ❌ Not SEO-friendly
45. ❌ Parameters may be stripped by some systems
46. ❌ Harder for users to remember/share URLs
47. ❌ Some caching systems ignore query parameters

Best For:

48. Development/testing environments
49. Internal tools
50. Temporary multilingual solutions

Not Recommended For Production Sites

4. Custom Domains


Format: Different domain per language

How It Works:

51. Completely separate domains for each language
52. Maximum separation
53. Requires multiple domains

Examples:
`
English: example.com
Spanish: ejemplo.es
French: exemple.fr
German: beispiel.de
`

Advantages:

54. ✅ Maximum SEO flexibility per country
55. ✅ Strongest local market signal
56. ✅ Can use ccTLDs (.es, .fr, .de)
57. ✅ Complete independence per language

Disadvantages:

58. ❌ Most expensive (multiple domains)
59. ❌ Link equity completely split
60. ❌ Highest maintenance burden
61. ❌ Multiple hosting accounts may be needed

Best For:

62. Large international corporations
63. Sites requiring completely separate brands per country
64. When maximum local SEO is critical

Configuration:
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → URL Structure
Select: Custom Domains
Domain Mapping:
es → ejemplo.es
fr → exemple.fr
de → beispiel.de
`

URL Structure Comparison


| Feature | Subdirectory | Subdomain | Query Param | Custom Domain |
|———|————–|———–|————-|—————|
| SEO-Friendly | ✅ Excellent | ⚠️ Good | ❌ Poor | ✅ Excellent |
| Setup Complexity | ⭐ Easy | ⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐ Very Easy | ⭐⭐⭐ Complex |
| Cost | $ Low | $$ Medium | $ Low | $$$ High |
| Domain Authority | Shared | Split | Shared | Completely Split |
| Maintenance | Easy | Moderate | Easy | Complex |
| Analytics | Easy | Moderate | Easy | Complex |
| Our Recommendation | ✅ Best Choice | For large sites | ❌ Avoid | For enterprises |

hreflang Tags


What Are hreflang Tags?


HTML tags that tell search engines about language and regional versions of a page.

Format:
`html `

Why hreflang Is Important


Without hreflang:

65. Google may show wrong language to users
66. Duplicate content issues
67. Confused search engine signals

With hreflang:

68. Correct language shown to users by location
69. No duplicate content penalties
70. Clear signals to search engines
71. Better international SEO

Enabling hreflang


Settings: ShahiTranslate Pro → Settings → SEO & URLs

`
✅ Enable hreflang Tags
Save Changes
`

Automatic Implementation:

72. Plugin automatically adds hreflang tags to section
73. Includes all active language versions
74. Adds x-default tag for default language
75. Updates automatically when content changes

hreflang Format


Language Codes:

76. ISO 639-1 two-letter language codes (es, fr, de)
77. Optional region codes (es-ES, es-MX, fr-CA)

Examples:
`html


`

Regional Variants


When to Use Regional Variants:

78. Content differs between regions (es-ES vs es-MX)
79. Currency or measurements differ
80. Legal requirements vary by region
81. Cultural differences significant

How to Configure:
`
Settings → Languages → Regional Variants
Add regional variants:
Spanish (Spain): es-ES
Spanish (Mexico): es-MX
Spanish (Argentina): es-AR
`

Verifying hreflang


Method 1: View Page Source

82. Visit your site
83. Right-click → View Page Source
84. Search for “hreflang”
85. Verify all language versions listed

Method 2: Google Search Console

86. Go to Google Search Console
87. Navigate to Enhancements → International Targeting
88. Click “Language” tab
89. Check for errors

Method 3: hreflang Testing Tools

90. Ahrefs hreflang Tag Testing Tool
91. Merkle hreflang Tag Testing Tool
92. Sistrix hreflang Validator

Common hreflang Errors:

93. Missing return links (each page must reference all others)
94. Incorrect language codes
95. Missing x-default tag
96. Non-canonical URLs in hreflang

XML Sitemaps


Multilingual Sitemap Structure


ShahiTranslate Pro generates XML sitemaps that include all language versions.

Sitemap Generation


Automatic Generation:

97. Plugin automatically includes language versions in sitemap
98. Works with popular SEO plugins (Yoast, RankMath, All in One SEO)
99. Updates when content changes

Manual Generation:
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → Sitemap
✅ Enable Multilingual Sitemap
Generate Sitemap
`

Sitemap Structure


Option 1: Single Sitemap (Recommended for most sites)
`xml



https://example.com/page
2024-01-15


https://example.com/es/page
2024-01-15


https://example.com/fr/page
2024-01-15


`

Option 2: Separate Sitemaps per Language (For very large sites)
`xml



https://example.com/sitemap-en.xml


https://example.com/sitemap-es.xml


https://example.com/sitemap-fr.xml


`

Submitting Sitemaps


Google Search Console:

100. Go to https://search.google.com/search-console
101. Select your property
102. Navigate to Sitemaps
103. Enter sitemap URL: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
104. Click Submit

Bing Webmaster Tools:

105. Go to https://www.bing.com/webmasters
106. Select your site
107. Navigate to Sitemaps
108. Submit sitemap URL

Frequency: Submit once, then it auto-updates

Sitemap Best Practices


109. Include All Language Versions: Every translated page should be in sitemap
110. Update Regularly: Regenerate when content changes
111. Correct lastmod Dates: Accurate modification dates help crawling
112. No Broken Links: Ensure all URLs in sitemap are accessible
113. Canonical URLs: Only include canonical versions

Canonical URLs


What Are Canonical URLs?


Tags that tell search engines which version of a page is the “main” one.

Example:
`html `

Canonical for Multilingual Sites


Each language version is canonical for itself:
`
English page canonical: https://example.com/page
Spanish page canonical: https://example.com/es/page
French page canonical: https://example.com/fr/page
`

Plugin Automatically Sets:

114. Each translation has its own canonical URL
115. Points to itself, not the default language
116. Prevents duplicate content issues

Configuration


`
Settings → SEO & URLs → Canonical URLs
✅ Enable Canonical Tags
✅ Self-referencing Canonicals (recommended)
Save Changes
`

Avoid Common Mistakes


❌ Wrong: All languages point to English canonical
`html

`

✅ Correct: Each language is its own canonical
`html

`

Meta Tags Translation


Language Meta Tag


Automatically added to tag:

`html

`

Meta Description


Importance: Appears in search results, crucial for CTR

Configuration:
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → Translate Meta Descriptions
✅ Enable
`

With Yoast SEO / RankMath:

117. Plugin integrates with SEO plugins
118. Meta descriptions automatically translated
119. Or manually set per language in post editor

Manual Override:
`
Posts → Edit Post → ShahiTranslate Meta Box
Select Language: Spanish
Meta Description: [Enter Spanish meta description]
Save
`

Open Graph Tags


For Social Media Sharing:

120. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn preview
121. Automatically localized per language

Example:
`html




`

Configuration:
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → Social Media
✅ Translate Open Graph Tags
✅ Translate Twitter Cards
Save Changes
`

Schema Markup


Structured Data for Multilingual Sites


Schema.org structured data should be in the page language.

Plugin Support:

122. Automatically adjusts schema language
123. Compatible with schema plugins
124. Maintains structured data in translations

Example:
`json
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “Article”,
“inLanguage”: “es-ES”,
“headline”: “Título del artículo”,
“description”: “Descripción del artículo”
}
`

Organization Schema


Single Organization, Multiple Languages:
`json
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Company Name”,
“url”: “https://example.com”,
“sameAs”: [
“https://example.com”,
“https://example.com/es”,
“https://example.com/fr”
]
}
`

Google Search Console Setup


International Targeting


For Subdirectory Structure:

125. Cannot set country targeting (all on same domain)
126. Use hreflang tags instead

For Subdomain Structure:

127. Add each subdomain as separate property
128. Go to Settings → International Targeting
129. Set target country for each subdomain

– es.example.com → Target: Spain
– fr.example.com → Target: France

For Custom Domains:

130. Add each domain separately
131. Set country targeting per domain

Monitoring Performance


Per Language Performance:

132. Search Console → Performance
133. Add filter: Page
134. Use regex: /es/.* (for Spanish pages)
135. View clicks, impressions, CTR by language

Fixing Issues


Common Issues:

136. hreflang errors (missing return links)
137. Duplicate content without canonical
138. Mobile usability issues
139. Core Web Vitals problems

How to Fix:

140. Go to Enhancements → International Targeting
141. Review errors
142. Fix on site
143. Request validation in Search Console

SEO Best Practices


Content Quality


1. True Translations, Not Just Machine Translation:

144. High-quality translations rank better
145. Use professional translators for important content
146. Edit automatic translations

2. Localized Content:

147. Adapt examples to local context
148. Use local currency, measurements
149. Reference local events, culture

3. Unique Content Per Language:

150. Don’t just translate word-for-word
151. Create content that resonates with local audience
152. Use local keywords and phrases

Keyword Research Per Language


Don’t Just Translate Keywords:
❌ Wrong: Translate “running shoes” to Spanish
✅ Right: Research what Spanish speakers actually search

How to Research:

153. Use Google Keyword Planner in target language
154. Set location to target country
155. Find actual search terms locals use
156. May be different from literal translation

Example:

157. English: “cell phone”
158. Spanish (Spain): “móvil”
159. Spanish (Latin America): “celular”
160. (Direct translation “teléfono celular” less commonly searched)

Internal Linking


Language-Specific Linking:

161. Link Spanish pages to other Spanish pages
162. Don’t link across languages unless intentional
163. Maintain separate link structure per language

Navigation Menus:

164. Translate menu items
165. Ensure menu links point to translated pages

Page Speed


Multilingual Considerations:

166. Flag images can slow page load
167. Use SVG flags (smaller) or lazy load
168. Optimize translation scripts
169. Enable caching

Optimization Tips:
`
Settings → Performance
✅ Enable Translation Cache
✅ Lazy Load Language Switcher
✅ Minify JavaScript
✅ Load Flags from CDN
`

Mobile Optimization


Mobile-First Multilingual:

170. Responsive language switcher
171. Touch-friendly buttons
172. Fast loading on mobile networks
173. AMP compatibility if using AMP

Testing SEO Setup


Pre-Launch Checklist


✅ URL Structure:

174. Correct structure selected and working
175. URLs clean and user-friendly
176. No duplicate language prefixes

✅ hreflang Tags:

177. Present on all pages
178. Correct language codes
179. All languages cross-referenced
180. x-default tag present

✅ Canonical URLs:

181. Each language self-referencing
182. No cross-language canonicals
183. Implemented consistently

✅ Sitemaps:

184. All language versions included
185. Submitted to search engines
186. No errors in Search Console

✅ Meta Tags:

187. Title tags translated
188. Meta descriptions translated
189. Open Graph tags localized
190. Language meta tag present

✅ Content:

191. High-quality translations
192. Localized examples
193. Proper keyword usage
194. No machine translation errors

Testing Tools


1. Google Search Console

195. International Targeting section
196. Check for hreflang errors
197. Monitor indexing status

2. hreflang Validators

198. Merkle hreflang Validator
199. Ahrefs hreflang Tag Testing Tool
200. Sistrix hreflang Validator

3. Technical SEO Crawlers

201. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
202. Sitebulb
203. DeepCrawl

4. Manual Testing

204. View source, check tags present
205. Test language switcher functionality
206. Verify URLs format correctly
207. Check mobile rendering

Common SEO Issues & Solutions


Issue: Pages Not Indexing


Symptoms: Translated pages don’t appear in search results

Causes:

208. Robots meta tag blocking
209. Sitemap not submitted
210. No internal links to translations

Solutions:

211. Check robots meta tag (should be “index, follow”)
212. Submit sitemap to Search Console
213. Add internal links to translated pages
214. Request indexing in Search Console

Issue: Wrong Language in Search Results


Symptoms: Spanish users see English results

Causes:

215. Missing or incorrect hreflang tags
216. No language meta tag
217. Search engine hasn’t processed tags yet

Solutions:

218. Verify hreflang implementation
219. Ensure tag present
220. Wait for search engines to recrawl (can take weeks)
221. Request recrawl in Search Console

Issue: Duplicate Content Warnings


Symptoms: Search Console shows duplicate content

Causes:

222. Missing canonical tags
223. Incorrect hreflang
224. Multiple URLs for same content

Solutions:

225. Implement canonical tags correctly
226. Fix hreflang errors
227. Use 301 redirects to consolidate URLs
228. Submit sitemap with correct URLs only

Issue: Low Rankings in Target Country


Symptoms: Good rankings in home country, poor in target countries

Causes:

229. Poor quality translations
230. Wrong keywords for target market
231. No local backlinks

Solutions:

232. Improve translation quality
233. Conduct local keyword research
234. Build backlinks from local sites
235. Create locally relevant content
236. Consider subdomain or ccTLD for strong geo-targeting

Advanced SEO Features


Geotargeting


Automatic Geolocation (Optional):
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → Geotargeting
✅ Enable Automatic Geolocation
Redirect based on: Browser language, IP location, or Both
`

Caution: Can hurt SEO if overused

237. Allow users to change language
238. Don’t force redirects on bots
239. Respect user preference once set

Language-Specific Redirects


301 Redirects for Language:
`php
// Example: Redirect domain.es to domain.com/es
Settings → SEO & URLs → Redirects
Add Redirect:
From: https://domain.es/*
To: https://domain.com/es/$1
Type: 301 Permanent
`

Regional Content Variation


Same Language, Different Regions:

240. English (US) vs English (UK)
241. Spanish (Spain) vs Spanish (Mexico)
242. French (France) vs French (Canada)

Implementation:
`
Settings → Languages → Regional Variants
Enable Regional Content
Configure:
en-US, en-GB, en-AU
es-ES, es-MX, es-AR
fr-FR, fr-CA
`

Next Steps


243. Translation Cache System
244. URL Structure Configuration
245. WooCommerce SEO
246. Performance Optimization