Create search engine optimized multilingual websites
Using WordPress to create search engine optimized multilingual websites is as easy as baking a pie,if you got all the ingredients and are willing to follow the cookbook. This is a guide on how to install WordPress MultiSite with the essential plugins needed to run a search engine optimized website. Follow this guide to create search engine optimized multilingual websites based on WordPress.
Create search engine optimized multilingual websites
Make sure you got all the FREE ingredients you need before cooking. You can either download them on wordpress.org, or install them directly through the Dashboard. To follow this guide to create search engine optimized multilingual websites, you will need the following Plugins for WordPress:
- WordPress 3.4+ (Download)
- W3 Total Cache (Download)
- Hikari Category Permalink (Download)
- Taxonomy TinyMCE (Download)
- Native Dashboard (Download)
- Multisite Language Switcher (Download)
- Network Shared Posts (Download)
- Canonical URL's (Download)
- Fast Secure Contact Form (Download)
- Next Scripts Social Networks Auto-Poster (Download)
- Google Analytics for WordPress (Download)
- WordPress SEO by Yoast (Download)
Step 1: Install and configure WordPress
I am not going to get into the details on how to install WordPress. You got 3 choices here: 1. figure it out yourself, 2. get hosting with script installation like Scritaculous/Fantastico, or 3. hire a webmaster. It will only get harder from here, so knowing how to install WordPress is recommended 
Activate MultiSite
I wrote an extra post about this called: "Multiple WordPress Blogs One Dashboard Setup MultiSite". This time I chose "Folders" instead of "Sub-Domains", you will know what I mean when reading the article. This of course of course is a must, if you want to create search engine optimized multilingual websites using this guide 
Setup the sites
You need to setup at least two sites for the Language Switcher to work. Go to Network Admin/Sites/Add New.
Step 2: Install and Configure WordPress Plugins
Setup W3 Total Cache
Download/Install/Activate via the Dashboard of each site, as it cannot be activated network-wide. It's a must have plugin for SEO, as it drastically speeds up the website, a must to create search engine optimized multilingual websites. I'm thinking to write my own tutorial for it. There are many different ways to configure it, depending on what kind of hosting you got, and hosting/server configuration is something that interests me a lot. Until then, there are a few good guides for W3 Total Cache: here, here, and here.
Setup Hikari Category Permalink
Download/Install/Network Activate via the Network Admin. That's it, you can now choose the category for the permalink of each post. Need to know more? Read my post called "Hikari Category Permalink for Posts in WordPress 3".
Setup Native Dashboard
Download/Install/Activate via the Dashboard of each site. You can choose the Dashboard language in the top left corner, above "Dashboard". This plugin comes in very handy, when working with Authors who prefer to use a Dashboard in their native language.
Setup Multisite Language Switcher
Download/Install/Network Activate the plugin via the Network Admin, Open Settings/Multisite Language Switcher in the Dashboard of each site and configure the option to suit your need.
I set it like this:
- Display: Flag only
- Sort output by description: check
- Exclude this blog from output: uncheck
- Show only links with a translation: uncheck
- Display link to the current language: check
- Description: Main Site Dutch (the other site "Main Site Dutch")
- Text/HTML before the list: <ul>
- Text/HTML after the list: </ul>
- Text/HTML before each item: <li>
- Text/HTML after each item: </li>
- Add hint for available translations: check
Setup WordPress SEO
Download/Install/Network Activate via the Network Admin. You will find a new SEO Tab in the left side menu. Click on it top open the SEO Dashboard, and click on "Start Tour" to quickly learn about the use of this plugin. This plugin will help you optimize each post/page to their maximum potential. It is by far the best WordPress plugin I know. Take the time to configure it to suit your needs, it is another essential to create search engine optimized multilingual websites.
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