What is the most convenient way to build an English website and a Chinese website?

In the previous article „The Scientific Method for Building a WordPress Multilingual Website_Plugins Are Not the Best Choice", Naiba explained why it's more reasonable to handle multilingual sites separately. As a foreign trade enterprise, if you want to build an English site and a Chinese site yourself, what is the most convenient way? This article will outline the approach.

Question:

Our focus is on foreign trade, but we also hope the domestic website access speed is not too slow. The English site mainly targets the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia markets. Should I just buy a server in China? Or buy a domestic server from Tencent and then buy a foreign server from SiteGround.

Answer:In this situation, the most reasonable approach is to purchase two servers: one domestic server and one foreign server. Because domestic users accessing a foreign server are usually slow. If you place the Chinese website on a foreign server, it would be quite unfriendly to domestic users. Similarly, if you place the English website on a domestic server, foreign users' access speed would also be very slow, rendering the website ineffective.

Specific steps:

Since the focus is on foreign trade, the English website is relatively more important, so we can start by creating the English website.

1. Purchase a server

Choose a server based on your customer regions. Ideally, select a server in a country close to your customers.

Recommended servers include:

• Shared Hosting：
• Hostinger
• SiteGround
• GreenGeeks
• InMotion Hosting

• VPS/Cloud Server：
• Vultr
• DigitalOcean
• ION
• Cloudways
• Alibaba Cloud
• Tencent Cloud
• VirMach
• Raksmart
• Racknerd

For choosing between Shared Hosting and VPS, beginners are advised to start directly with Shared Hosting. However, considering that domestic servers in China are definitely purchased as VPS, you can also start directly with VPS for overseas servers.

For VPS, it is recommended to chooseVultrorDigitalOcean, as they offer more data center options.

For VPS configuration, choose at least 1 CPU core and 1GB RAM; it's best to have a configuration of 1 CPU core and 2GB RAM or more. (Overseas VPS prices are relatively expensive. You can also consider using Shared Hosting directly, such as SiteGround and Hostinger. In that case, you skip the work in step 2 below and go directly to step 3. Tutorials for these two Shared Hosting providers can be found on the Naibabiji website.)

2. Install Website Environment and Set Up WordPress

After purchasing a VPS, it does not come with a website environment by default. It's like buying a new computer: initially, the seller installs an operating system based on your requirements, but after delivery, they do not provide after-sales service beyond the hardware itself. Therefore, we need to install the software for the website environment ourselves.

Here, it is recommended to install Baota Panel. For details, you can refer to the tutorial shared by Naiba previously:

①Baota Panel Installation Tutorial

②Installing a WordPress Website with Baota Panel

If you don't understand the text tutorial, there is also a video tutorial below (though not the latest interface) for your reference. If you still can't manage it, Naiba can help you with everything for a fee. If needed, you canContact。

Video Tutorial on Installing a Website Using Baota Panel Yourself – Naibabiji

3. Customize the Website

This step involves selecting a suitable Theme and then modifying the website to your desired appearance. In theNavigation Menusection of the Naibabiji website menu, there are some introductions to Themes. It is recommended to prioritize Themes that support the Elementor builder Plugin, as they are easier for beginners to get started with.

4. Duplicate the English Website and Convert it to a Chinese Website

After completing the English website, you can duplicate it onto a domestic server, then change the English content to Chinese content. After appropriately adjusting the web design and some features to suit domestic use, the construction of the Chinese website is complete.

For a Chinese website, choosing a domestic server requires ICP filing. Prioritize servers from Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud. If you don't want to file, you can purchase a server in Hong Kong.

How to duplicate English content to a Chinese website?

① Follow the normal process: purchase a domestic server, complete ICP filing, install Baota Panel, and install WordPress.

② Install a backup Plugin, All-in-One WP Migration, in the website's Admin Dashboard.

③ Install the backup Plugin, All-in-One WP Migration, in the English website's Admin Dashboard and export the backup file.

④ Import the backup file from the English website into the Chinese website using All-in-One WP Migration (for a detailed tutorial, see:WordPress Backup and Restore Plugin All-in-One WP Migration Usage Tutorial – Naibabiji）

⑤ Modify the imported content to Chinese.

Alright, after completing these steps, you will have an English Foreign Trade Independent Website and a Chinese corporate website.