WPML and TranslatePress are two popular plugins used for creating multilingual WordPress sites, but they manage multilingual sitemaps differently.
WPML Approach
WPML is a robust plugin that offers advanced translation management features. When it comes to sitemaps, WPML typically generates a single sitemap that includes all languages. This means that all language versions of your site are listed in one sitemap file. If you want to have separate sitemaps for each language, WPML requires you to use the "different domains per language" option. This setup involves hosting each language on a separate domain, which can be more complex to manage but allows for distinct sitemaps per language[4][7].
WPML integrates well with SEO plugins like Yoast SEO to organize original and translated content within the sitemap. However, it relies on developers following WordPress coding best practices to ensure all content is accessible for translation[7].
TranslatePress Approach
TranslatePress, on the other hand, offers a more streamlined approach to creating multilingual sitemaps. It automatically generates a sitemap that includes all translated content, using the SEO Pack add-on to ensure proper hreflang tags are included. This allows search engines like Google to understand the relationships between different language versions of your pages[5].
TranslatePress integrates seamlessly with popular SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO and Rank Math, making it easy to manage multilingual SEO aspects without requiring technical expertise. The plugin scans the rendered HTML on the front-end, which means it can translate content from shortcodes, pop-ups, and page builders, offering better compatibility with third-party themes and plugins[3][5].
Key Differences
- Sitemap Generation: WPML generates a single sitemap for all languages unless separate domains are used, while TranslatePress automatically creates a multilingual sitemap with proper hreflang tags.
- Integration and Compatibility: TranslatePress offers better out-of-the-box compatibility with third-party themes and plugins due to its front-end scanning approach, whereas WPML requires adherence to WordPress coding standards.
- User Experience: TranslatePress provides a user-friendly visual interface for translating content, which can simplify the process of managing multilingual sitemaps for non-technical users[3][6].
Overall, WPML is more suited for complex projects requiring advanced translation management, while TranslatePress offers a simpler, more automated approach to multilingual sitemaps and SEO.
Citations:
[1] https://wpsnippets.org/snippet/wpml-multilingual-sitemap-setup/
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flgCVhXWt_Q
[3] https://translatepress.com/best-wpml-alternative-why-use-translatepress-instead-pros-cons/
[4] https://wpml.org/forums/topic/multilingual-sitemap-in-wpml-and-rankmath/
[5] https://translatepress.com/multilingual-sitemap-wordpress-site/
[6] https://www.weglot.com/blog/translatepress-vs-wpml
[7] https://wpml.org/documentation/plugins-compatibility/using-wordpress-seo-with-wpml/
[8] https://translatepress.com/best-wordpress-sitemap-plugins/
[9] https://worldpressit.com/blog-post/wpml-vs-translatepress-which-wordpress-multilingual-plugin-is-right-for-you/
[10] https://wpml.org/forums/topic/sitemap-6/