How WPML's design affects WordPress site speed
WPML stores translations as separate posts and queries the database for each translated request. Here is what that means for speed, and how FluentC differs.
By FluentC1 min read
Page speed affects user experience and search rankings. Some WordPress users running WPML have reported slowdowns, and the reasons come down to how WPML stores and fetches translations. This article walks through those mechanics and how the FluentC WordPress plugin handles the same job.
How WPML handles translations
- Separate posts. WPML stores translations as separate posts in your WordPress database. On a site with a lot of content, that adds thousands of entries, and a larger database can mean slower queries.
- A database query per translated request. Each time a visitor requests a page in another language, WPML queries the database for the translation. On a high-traffic site that raises server load.
- No built-in translation cache. WPML has no built-in caching mechanism for translated content, so each request triggers a fresh query.
How the FluentC WordPress plugin handles it
- A different storage format. Instead of creating a separate post for each translation, the plugin stores translations in a more compact format. The result is a smaller database and faster queries.
- Local caching. Frequently used translations are stored locally and served without repeated database queries. See How FluentC caches translations.
- Caching plugin compatibility. It works with popular caching plugins such as W3 Total Cache and WP Super Cache.
For the side-by-side table, see FluentC vs WPML. To move over, follow Switch from WPML in five minutes.
Note: This describes the WordPress plugin. If your site is not on WordPress, FluentC Domains translates it on a subdomain or country domain without touching the origin site.
