mind your language! a practical guide to implementing ‘proper’ language encoding on multilingual...

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Mind your Language!

A practical guide to implementing ‘proper’ language encoding on

multilingual WordPress websites



Intro

• 2 locales

• Doug Lawrence theory and benefits (en-gb)

• Belinda Mustoe implementation (en-php)

• Questions (for the audience)



Multilingual website

• Website in more than one language

• Website in a ‘second’ language

• Translation

• Larger audience (domestic and international)

• Added value services

• Potential new clients

• Growth in international trade



Language encoding benefits

• Good practice

• May help with accessibility

• Google Webmaster tools

• Search Engine Optimization

• Duplicate content (US/EN/AU)

• Default WordPress ‘en-US’ on UK sites just looks cruddy! ;)



Google webmaster tools



Adding hreflangs to Doug’s Sites



Problem

• Many different languages – with the ability to add more easily

• Not all pages have equivalents in other languages, so need to add them on page by page basis.

For Example:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="http://douglawrence.com" />

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="ru-ru" href="http://douglaslawrence.ru" />



Solution

• Custom Meta Boxes with Href Langs on each page, repeater field.



How?

• Create two meta boxes in the WP admin using fav method (I used CMB2)



hreflang.php

<?php$entries = get_post_meta( get_the_ID(), 'href_repeat', true );

foreach ( (array) $entries as $key => $entry ) {

if ( isset( $entry['hreflang'] ) )$hreflang = esc_attr( $entry['hreflang'] );

if ( isset( $entry['href_url'] ) )$hrefurl = esc_html( $entry['href_url'] );

?><link rel="alternate" hreflang="<?php echo $hreflang; ?>" href="<?phpecho $hrefurl; ?>" />

<?php } ?>



functions.php

function include_href_lang() {

require(CHILD_DIR.'/hreflang.php');

}

add_action( 'genesis_meta', 'include_href_lang' );



Adding hreflangs to e-commerce sites



Problem

1. Not using the Genesis framework

2. Only has two sites, no need for confusing adding of boxes (too much flexibility)

3. Had to add Href Langs to WooCommerceproduct category pages

4. With 100+ pages adding a href lang for current page manually would be very time consuming.

5. Is a complicated theme, probably better to add it as a plugin



Solution

1. Not using Genesis Framework

add_action('wp_head','href_lang_output', 1);

More info here:http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Action_Reference/wp_head



Only one Meta box

• Only has two sites, no need for confusing adding of boxes (too much flexibility)



Product Cat Pages

• Had to add Href Langs to WooCommerceproduct category pages

• CMB allows you to add data to Taxonomy pages.



Get current Page URL

How to get current page automatically?Pages & Blog Posts:

get_permalink();

Archive (& Product Archive) Pages:

$obj = get_queried_object();

get_term_link( $obj, $obj->taxonomy );

Author Pages:

get_author_posts_url( get_query_var( 'author' ), get_query_var( 'author_name' ) );

Shop page:

get_permalink( woocommerce_get_page_id( 'shop' ) );



Get current Page URL

if( is_shop() ){

$current_page_url = get_permalink( woocommerce_get_page_id( 'shop' ) );

}

elseif ( is_author() ) {

$current_page_url = get_author_posts_url( get_query_var( 'author' ), get_query_var( 'author_name' ) );

}

elseif ( is_archive() ) {

$obj = get_queried_object();

$current_page_url = get_term_link( $obj, $obj->taxonomy );

}else{

$current_page_url = get_permalink();

}



Getting Alternative URL

if ( is_archive() ):

// gets the Alternate URL of Taxonomy Page$obj = get_queried_object();

// Gets the Variables from the Taxonomy$taxonomy = 'product_cat';$term_id = $obj->term_id;$tax_data = Taxonomy_MetaData::get( $taxonomy, $term_id);$alt_url = $tax_data['tax_us_url'];

else:global $post;// Gets Alt Page URL$alt_url = get_post_meta( $post->ID, $prefix . 'us_url', true );

endif;



Outputting the HTML

$us_url = esc_attr( $alt_url );

$uk_url = $current_page_url;

<?php if($uk_url): ?>

<link rel="alternate" href="<?php echo $uk_url; ?>" hreflang="x-default" />

<link rel="alternate" href="<?php echo $uk_url; ?>" hreflang="en-gb" />

<?php endif; ?>

<?php if($us_url): ?>

<link rel="alternate" href="<?php echo $us_url; ?>" hreflang="en-us" />

<link rel="alternate" href="<?php echo $us_url; ?>" hreflang="en-ca"/>

<?php endif; ?>



Useful links

• Google Webmaster tools links:

• Use hreflang for language and regional URLs https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/189077?hl=en

• Country targeting https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/62399?hl=en

• Geotargetable domains https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/1347922?hl=en

• Wp head: http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Action_Reference/wp_head

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/189077?hl=en



http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Action_Reference/wp_head



Thank you Спасибо 谢谢

www.verytwisty.com www.douglawrence.com

http://www.verytwisty.com

http://www.douglawrence.com

mind your language! a practical guide to implementing ‘proper’ language encoding on multilingual...

Software

cmb2 douglawrence

dougs sites douglawrence

language code

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page basis

proper language encoding

uk sites

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