Multiple subfolders for English language

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:

I've set up a couple of new subfolders for different languages and this works fine (e.g./fr).

However, we're a UK based site and as well as different subfolders for other languages, I'd like to set up another subfolder as a catch-all for other EU traffic that is English speaking (e.g./eu). This would be in addition to the main site (without any subfolders).

This is primarily for SEO reasons, for appearances (trust) for EU traffic, and also advertising. E.g. Google shopping is much easier to manage when you can provide different URLs for different regions.

Does WPML support the above?

Solution:

Let me please emphasize the following point. The WPML plugin is a multilingual plugin. It is about having your site in different languages. It is not about having your site in different locations. However, locales are linked to languages. This is another topic.

As my colleague suggested, creating a custom language may be the beginning of achieving what you need. However, I'm unsure if it will serve all of your purposes. First, let me tell you that using /eu/ as the language code for Europe will probably not work for you. The reason for this is that /eu/ is the language code for the Basque language. Therefore, you cannot add it as a custom language. This is because the Basque language is a preconfigured language in WPML. I also think that for SEO reasons, it would not be wise to use /eu/ for Europe or the European Union. I quickly checked my WPML test site and can see that creating a custom language with the /eur/ code works (any other language does not take this code). So maybe you can use /eur/. Saying that, please bear in mind that I or any of my colleagues are not SEO experts. I suggest you consult an SEO expert on what you are trying to achieve. This is also valid for your other questions.

You may also find helpful information in our following guide on Multilingual SEO – Tips for Developers and Authors.

https://wpml.org/documentation/support/multilingual-seo/

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.

Tagged: Documentation request, Exception

This topic contains 3 replies, has 3 voices.

Last updated by Itamar 1 year, 7 months ago.

Assisted by: Itamar.

Author	Posts
September 7, 2023 at 2:20 pm #14360579
duncanH-4	I've set up a couple of new subfolders for different languages and this works fine (e.g./fr). However, we're a UK based site and as well as different subfolders for other languages, I'd like to set up another subfolder as a catch-all for other EU traffic that is English speaking (e.g./eu). This would be in addition to the main site (without any subfolders). This is primarily for SEO reasons, for appearances (trust) for EU traffic, and also advertising. E.g. Google shopping is much easier to manage when you can provide different URLs for different regions. Does WPML support the above? Site is a staging site: hidden link but I can provide the password to access separately. Thanks!
September 8, 2023 at 7:06 am #14363859
Dražen Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+02:00)	Hello, you can create a new custom language with code eu from WPML → Languages and click on the Edit Languages link. Pages in that custom language will then show under that subfolder /eu/ on your website. Please check: - https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/editing-wpmls-languages-table/ Hope this helps. Regards, Drazen
September 21, 2023 at 8:57 am #14436047
duncanH-4	Thanks Dražen, that's great. I don't suppose you know how rel=alternate might be handled in this situation? Since it's not a separate language I wouldn't have thought using hreflag tags was right, but is there a way of canonicalizing this entire folder back to the main domain?
September 21, 2023 at 10:48 am #14437541
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: English (English ) Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, I'll continue to help you with this issue. Let me please emphasize the following point. The WPML plugin is a multilingual plugin. It is about having your site in different languages. It is not about having your site in different locations. However, locales are linked to languages. This is another topic. As my colleague suggested, creating a custom language may be the beginning of achieving what you need. However, I'm unsure if it will serve all of your purposes. First, let me tell you that using /eu/ as the language code for Europe will probably not work for you. The reason for this is that /eu/ is the language code for the Basque language. Therefore, you cannot add it as a custom language. This is because the Basque language is a preconfigured language in WPML. I also think that for SEO reasons, it would not be wise to use /eu/ for Europe or the European Union. I quickly checked my WPML test site and can see that creating a custom language with the /eur/ code works (any other language does not take this code). So maybe you can use /eur/. Saying that, please bear in mind that I or any of my colleagues are not SEO experts. I suggest you consult an SEO expert on what you are trying to achieve. This is also valid for your other questions. You may also find helpful information in our following guide on Multilingual SEO – Tips for Developers and Authors. https://wpml.org/documentation/support/multilingual-seo/ Please also know that WPML is officially compatible with major and popular SEO plugins like Yoast SEO and RankMath. Here are some relevant links. https://wpml.org/plugin-functionality/seo/ https://wpml.org/documentation/related-projects/wpml-seo/ https://wpml.org/documentation/plugins-compatibility/using-wordpress-seo-with-wpml/ Regards, Itamar.
September 21, 2023 at 11:05 am #14437919
duncanH-4	That's as I thought, thanks Itamar. I think I'll use the canonical tag to let search engines know the /eu folder is essentially a duplicate of the main domain.