URL Structures and Permalink Management

Overview

ShahiTranslate Pro offers four URL structure options for multilingual sites. The URL structure affects SEO, user experience, and technical implementation. Choose the right structure for your site’s goals and constraints.

URL Structure Comparison

| Structure | Example | SEO | Setup | Multi-Domain | Recommended |
|———–|———|—–|——-|————–|————-|
| Sub-directory | site.com/es/page/ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Easy | No | ✅ Yes |
| Sub-domain | es.site.com/page/ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium | Optional | For large sites |
| Query Parameter | site.com/page/?lang=es | ⭐⭐ | Very easy | No | Quick testing only |
| Custom Domain | sitio.es/page/ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Complex | Required | Enterprise only |

Sub-directory Structure (Recommended)

How It Works

URL Format:
`
English (default): https://example.com/about/
Spanish: https://example.com/es/about/
French: https://example.com/fr/about/
German: https://example.com/de/about/
`

Blog Posts:
`
English: https://example.com/blog/my-article/
Spanish: https://example.com/es/blog/my-article/
French: https://example.com/fr/blog/my-article/
`

WooCommerce:
`
English: https://example.com/product/leather-wallet/
Spanish: https://example.com/es/producto/billetera-de-cuero/
`

Configuration

Enable Sub-directory Structure:

`
Settings → SEO & URLs

URL Structure: [Sub-directory (/es/) ▼]

Language Path Prefix:
☑ Add language code before URL
Format: /{language_code}/{slug}

Examples:
/es/about/
/fr/contact/
/de/produkte/

Save Changes
`

Benefits

SEO Advantages:

1. ✅ Best for SEO (Google confirmed)
2. ✅ All languages on same domain
3. ✅ Domain authority shared across languages
4. ✅ Easy hreflang implementation
5. ✅ Single sitemap for all languages
6. ✅ Google Search Console single property

Technical Benefits:

7. ✅ Simple to implement
8. ✅ Works with any hosting
9. ✅ No SSL certificate complications
10. ✅ Easy to maintain
11. ✅ Clear language separation

User Experience:

12. ✅ Clear which language is active
13. ✅ Easy to switch languages (just change /es/ to /fr/)
14. ✅ Bookmarkable language-specific URLs
15. ✅ Sharable links preserve language

Rewrite Rules


WordPress Automatically Handles:

`php
// Generated rewrite rules
example.com/es/about/
→ ?lang=es&pagename=about

example.com/fr/blog/article/
→ ?lang=fr&post_name=article

example.com/de/produkt/wallet/
→ ?lang=de&post_type=product&name=wallet
`

No Manual Configuration Needed

Default Language URL


Options for Default Language:

Option 1: No Language Prefix (Recommended)
`
English (default): https://example.com/about/
Spanish: https://example.com/es/about/
French: https://example.com/fr/about/
`

Option 2: Explicit Language Prefix
`
English (default): https://example.com/en/about/
Spanish: https://example.com/es/about/
French: https://example.com/fr/about/
`

Configuration:
`
Settings → SEO & URLs → Advanced

Default Language in URL:
● No prefix (recommended)
Example: /about/

○ Include prefix
Example: /en/about/
`

When to Use Prefix:

16. Multi-region sites (en-US, en-GB, en-AU)
17. Equal weight to all languages
18. Explicit language indication desired

Sub-domain Structure


How It Works


URL Format:
`
English (default): https://www.example.com/about/
Spanish: https://es.example.com/about/
French: https://fr.example.com/about/
German: https://de.example.com/about/
`

Each Language = Separate Sub-domain

Configuration


Enable Sub-domain Structure:

`
Settings → SEO & URLs

URL Structure: [Sub-domain (es.site.com) ▼]

Sub-domain Configuration:
Main domain: example.com
Language sub-domains:

19. es.example.com → Spanish
20. fr.example.com → French
21. de.example.com → German

Automatic Setup: ☑ Configure DNS automatically (if supported)
Manual Setup: ☐ I will configure DNS manually

Save Changes
`

DNS Configuration


Required DNS Records:

Add these DNS records in your domain registrar:

`
Type | Host | Value | TTL
——|——|——————|—–
A | es | 123.45.67.89 | 3600
A | fr | 123.45.67.89 | 3600
A | de | 123.45.67.89 | 3600
CNAME | es | www.example.com | 3600
CNAME | fr | www.example.com | 3600
CNAME | de | www.example.com | 3600
`

Replace 123.45.67.89 with your server IP

Wildcard Sub-domains


Easier Management:

`
DNS Record:
Type: A
Host: *
Value: 123.45.67.89
TTL: 3600

Result: All sub-domains (*.example.com) point to same server
`

Server Configuration (Apache):
`apache

ServerName example.com
ServerAlias *.example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html

`

Server Configuration (Nginx):
`nginx
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com *.example.com;
root /var/www/html;
}
`

Benefits


SEO Advantages:

22. ✅ Good SEO (Google treats as related sites)
23. ✅ Language-specific targeting
24. ✅ Each language can have separate hosting
25. ✅ Can have different content per language

Technical Benefits:

26. ✅ Language isolation
27. ✅ Separate analytics properties
28. ✅ Different server configs per language
29. ✅ Flexible infrastructure

Scalability:

30. ✅ Each language can scale independently
31. ✅ Can use different CDNs per language
32. ✅ Regional server optimization

Limitations


Complexity:

33. ❌ More complex setup
34. ❌ Requires DNS configuration
35. ❌ Multiple SSL certificates needed (or wildcard SSL)
36. ❌ Google Search Console multiple properties

SEO Considerations:

37. ❌ Domain authority split across sub-domains
38. ❌ Backlinks don’t consolidate
39. ❌ Each sub-domain builds authority separately

Maintenance:

40. ❌ More complex analytics setup
41. ❌ Cookie sharing challenges
42. ❌ More server configuration

Query Parameter Structure


How It Works


URL Format:
`
English (default): https://example.com/about/
Spanish: https://example.com/about/?lang=es
French: https://example.com/about/?lang=fr
German: https://example.com/about/?lang=de
`

Language via URL Parameter

Configuration


Enable Query Parameter Structure:

`
Settings → SEO & URLs

URL Structure: [Query Parameter (?lang=es) ▼]

Parameter Name: [lang]
Format: ?lang={language_code}

Examples:
?lang=es
?lang=fr
?lang=de

Save Changes
`

Benefits


Simplicity:

43. ✅ Easiest to implement
44. ✅ No server configuration needed
45. ✅ Works instantly
46. ✅ No DNS changes required
47. ✅ No rewrite rules needed

Compatibility:

48. ✅ Works with all hosting
49. ✅ No SSL complications
50. ✅ Compatible with all plugins
51. ✅ Testing friendly

Limitations


SEO Disadvantages:

52. ❌ Worst for SEO
53. ❌ Google may ignore URL parameters
54. ❌ Duplicate content risk
55. ❌ Harder to crawl/index
56. ❌ Not URL-friendly

User Experience:

57. ❌ Longer URLs
58. ❌ Less memorable
59. ❌ Parameter can get lost
60. ❌ Not bookmarked correctly sometimes

Technical Issues:

61. ❌ May conflict with other parameters
62. ❌ Analytics complications
63. ❌ Social sharing issues

When to Use


Acceptable For:

64. 🧪 Testing translation setup
65. 🚀 Quick prototype
66. 🛠️ Development environment
67. 📊 A/B testing translations

Not Recommended For:

68. ❌ Production sites
69. ❌ SEO-focused sites
70. ❌ Professional websites
71. ❌ E-commerce

Custom Domain Structure


How It Works


URL Format:
`
English: https://example.com/about/
Spanish: https://ejemplo.es/acerca-de/
French: https://exemple.fr/a-propos/
German: https://beispiel.de/uber-uns/
`

Each Language = Separate Domain

Configuration


Enable Custom Domain Structure:

`
Settings → SEO & URLs

URL Structure: [Custom Domain (country TLDs) ▼]

Domain Mapping:
┌──────────┬─────────────────────────────┐
│ Language │ Domain │
├──────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
│ English │ example.com (main) │
│ Spanish │ ejemplo.es [Edit] │
│ French │ exemple.fr [Edit] │
│ German │ beispiel.de [Edit] │
└──────────┴─────────────────────────────┘

[+ Add Domain Mapping]

WordPress Multisite: ☑ Required for this setup

Save Changes
`

WordPress Multisite Setup


Required:
Custom domains require WordPress Multisite.

Setup Steps:

72. Enable Multisite:

`php
// wp-config.php
define(‘WPALLOWMULTISITE’, true);
`

73. Install Network:

`
Tools → Network Setup → Install
`

74. Configure Network:

`php
// wp-config.php
define(‘MULTISITE’, true);
define(‘SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL’, false);
define(‘DOMAINCURRENTSITE’, ‘example.com’);
define(‘PATHCURRENTSITE’, ‘/’);
define(‘SITEIDCURRENT_SITE’, 1);
define(‘BLOGIDCURRENT_SITE’, 1);
`

75. Map Domains:

`
Network Admin → Sites → Add New

Site URL: ejemplo.es
Language: Spanish
`

76. Domain Mapping Plugin:

Install WordPress MU Domain Mapping or similar

DNS Configuration


For Each Domain:

`
Domain: ejemplo.es
DNS Records:
Type | Host | Value | TTL
——|——|—————-|—–
A | @ | 123.45.67.89 | 3600
A | www | 123.45.67.89 | 3600

Domain: exemple.fr
DNS Records:
Type | Host | Value | TTL
——|——|—————-|—–
A | @ | 123.45.67.89 | 3600
A | www | 123.45.67.89 | 3600
`

SSL Certificates


Option 1: Individual Certificates
`
example.com → SSL Certificate 1
ejemplo.es → SSL Certificate 2
exemple.fr → SSL Certificate 3
beispiel.de → SSL Certificate 4
`

Option 2: Multi-Domain SSL
`
One certificate covering:

77. example.com
78. ejemplo.es
79. exemple.fr
80. beispiel.de

`

Recommended: Let’s Encrypt (Free SSL for all domains)

Benefits


SEO Advantages:

81. ⭐ Best for local SEO
82. ⭐ Country-specific domains (.es, .fr, .de)
83. ⭐ Local search ranking boost
84. ⭐ Trust signals for local users
85. ⭐ Each domain ranks independently

Branding:

86. ✅ Localized brand names
87. ✅ Regional trust
88. ✅ Local market positioning

Limitations


Complexity:

89. ❌ Most complex setup
90. ❌ Requires Multisite
91. ❌ Multiple domain registrations
92. ❌ Multiple SSL certificates
93. ❌ Complex maintenance

Cost:

94. ❌ Domain registration fees (×4-10)
95. ❌ SSL certificates (or wildcard)
96. ❌ Potential separate hosting
97. ❌ Higher maintenance costs

Technical:

98. ❌ Separate analytics properties
99. ❌ Cookie/session complications
100. ❌ Content sync challenges
101. ❌ More complex deployment

SEO Challenges:

102. ❌ No domain authority sharing
103. ❌ Backlinks don’t consolidate
104. ❌ Must build authority per domain
105. ❌ More complex hreflang setup

When to Use


Ideal For:

106. 🏢 Large enterprises
107. 🌍 Distinct regional brands
108. 💰 High-budget projects
109. 📈 Mature markets with local presence
110. 🎯 Country-specific strategies

Not For:

111. ❌ Small-medium businesses
112. ❌ Limited budgets
113. ❌ Single-brand strategy
114. ❌ New market entry

URL Translation (Slug Translation)


Enable URL Translation


Translate URL Slugs:

`
Settings → SEO & URLs

☑ Enable URL translation

What gets translated:
☑ Page slugs
☑ Post slugs
☑ Category slugs
☑ Product slugs
☐ Tag slugs (optional)

Translation method:
● Automatic (Google Translate)
○ Manual only
`

Examples


Without URL Translation:
`
English: example.com/about-us/
Spanish: example.com/es/about-us/ (English slug)
French: example.com/fr/about-us/ (English slug)
`

With URL Translation:
`
English: example.com/about-us/
Spanish: example.com/es/acerca-de/ (Spanish slug)
French: example.com/fr/a-propos/ (French slug)
`

Manual Slug Override


Custom URL Slugs:

`
Edit Page: “About Us”

Permalink: /about-us/

ShahiTranslate Pro → URL Translation:
┌──────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ Language │ URL Slug │
├──────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Spanish │ /acerca-de/ [Edit] │
│ French │ /a-propos/ [Edit] │
│ German │ /uber-uns/ [Edit] │
└──────────┴──────────────────────────┘

[Auto-Generate] [Save]
`

Benefits


SEO:

115. ✅ Better local SEO
116. ✅ Keyword optimization per language
117. ✅ Natural-looking URLs

User Experience:

118. ✅ URLs make sense to local users
119. ✅ More professional appearance

Risks


Technical:

120. ⚠️ Breaks existing links
121. ⚠️ Requires 301 redirects
122. ⚠️ More complex URL management
123. ⚠️ Potential duplicate content if not configured correctly

Recommendation:

124. ✅ Enable for new sites
125. ⚠️ Careful migration for existing sites
126. ✅ Set up redirects from old URLs

Choosing the Right Structure


Decision Framework


Question 1: What’s your SEO priority?

127. High: Sub-directory
128. Very High + Local Markets: Custom domains
129. Medium: Sub-domains
130. Low/Testing: Query parameters

Question 2: What’s your technical expertise?

131. Beginner: Sub-directory or Query parameter
132. Intermediate: Sub-directory or Sub-domain
133. Advanced: Sub-domain or Custom domain

Question 3: What’s your budget?

134. Limited: Sub-directory (single domain)
135. Moderate: Sub-directory or Sub-domain
136. High: Custom domains (multiple domains)

Question 4: Multi-region strategy?

137. Single brand: Sub-directory
138. Regional variations: Sub-domain
139. Completely localized: Custom domains

Question 5: Is site already live?

140. New site: Any structure
141. Existing site: Sub-directory (easiest migration)
142. Large existing site: Careful planning needed

Recommendations


Most Businesses:
`
✅ Sub-directory structure
Why: Best SEO, easy setup, low cost
`

Large Enterprises:
`
✅ Sub-domain or Custom domain
Why: Scale, regional independence, infrastructure flexibility
`

Quick Prototype/Testing:
`
✅ Query parameter
Why: Fastest setup, no configuration
⚠️ Switch to sub-directory before launch
`

Local Market Focus:
`
✅ Custom domain (.es, .fr, .de)
Why: Local trust, SEO advantage
`

Migration Between Structures


From Query Parameter to Sub-directory


Safe Migration:

`

143. Enable sub-directory structure:

Settings → SEO & URLs → Sub-directory

144. Set up 301 redirects:

/about/?lang=es → /es/about/

145. Update internal links
146. Submit new sitemap to Google
147. Monitor for issues (1-2 weeks)
148. Remove old structure

`

Redirect Code:
`php
function stpmigratequerytosubdirectory() {
if ( isset( $GET[‘lang’] ) && ! pregmatch( ‘#^/[a-z]{2}/#’, $SERVER[‘REQUESTURI’] ) ) {
$lang = sanitizetextfield( $_GET[‘lang’] );
$newurl = ‘/’ . $lang . $SERVER[‘REQUEST_URI’];
$newurl = removequeryarg( ‘lang’, $newurl );
wpredirect( $newurl, 301 );
exit;
}
}
addaction( ‘templateredirect’, ‘stpmigratequerytosubdirectory’ );
`

From Sub-domain to Sub-directory


Complex Migration:

`

149. Plan thoroughly (affects DNS, SEO)
150. Set up redirects on old sub-domains:

es.example.com/page/ → example.com/es/page/

151. Update all internal links
152. Change hreflang tags
153. Submit updated sitemap
154. Monitor analytics and rankings (4-8 weeks)
155. Keep redirects permanently

`

Next Steps


156. SEO Settings
157. URL Translation Setup
158. Rewrite Rules
159. Migration Guide