Multi-Language Websites: Technical and Business Considerations

Expanding your website to support multiple languages opens new markets, but it's more complex than running text through Google Translate. Effective multilingual websites require thoughtful planning, proper technical implementation, and ongoing content management.

Why Go Multilingual?

Common drivers for multilingual websites include:

Market expansion: Reaching customers who prefer their native language. Studies show 75% of consumers prefer buying in their own language.

Legal requirements: Some regions require websites to offer local languages, particularly for regulated industries.

Competitive advantage: If competitors only serve English speakers, multilingual support differentiates you.

SEO opportunity: Content in different languages can rank for searches in those languages, accessing traffic unavailable to English-only sites.

Translation Approaches

Human Translation

Professional translators produce the highest quality results. They understand nuance, cultural context, idiom, and tone. For marketing content, product descriptions, and anything affecting brand perception, human translation is essential.

The cost is significant—professional translation typically costs £0.08-0.15 per word, depending on language pair and specialisation. A 5,000-word website might cost £400-750 per language.

Machine Translation

AI translation (Google Translate, DeepL, etc.) has improved dramatically but still produces imperfect results. It's useful for:

Internal use and understanding
User-generated content where perfection isn't expected
Initial drafts refined by human editors

For business-critical content, machine translation alone is risky. Errors can confuse customers, damage credibility, or even cause offence.

Hybrid Approaches

Machine translation with human review offers a middle ground. AI generates initial translations, which human editors refine. This reduces cost while maintaining quality.

Technical Implementation

URL Structure

Multilingual content can be structured in several ways:

Subdirectories: example.com/fr/, example.com/de/. Easy to implement, managed on one domain, shares domain authority. Most common approach.

Subdomains: fr.example.com, de.example.com. Slightly more separation, can be hosted differently if needed. Google treats these as somewhat separate sites.

Separate domains: example.fr, example.de. Maximum separation, allows country-specific branding. Most expensive and complex to manage.

For most businesses, subdirectories offer the best balance of simplicity and SEO benefit.

Hreflang Tags

Hreflang attributes tell search engines which language versions exist and which audiences they target:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-gb" href="https://example.com/page" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://example.com/de/page" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/page" />

Proper hreflang implementation prevents duplicate content issues and ensures users see the right language version in search results.

Language Detection and Switching

Users need to easily find and switch to their preferred language. Options include:

Language selector in header/footer
Automatic detection based on browser settings
Automatic detection based on IP geolocation

Automatic detection should be advisory, not mandatory. Always allow users to override the detected language. Never redirect without user action—it's frustrating and can break sharing links.

Content Management

Your CMS must support multilingual content. Key requirements:

Content linking between language versions
Workflow for translation updates
Ability to have language-specific content (not everything needs translation)
Proper date, number, and currency formatting per locale

SEO Considerations

Keywords Vary by Language

Translating keywords literally often misses how people actually search. "Web design" might translate directly to German, but Germans might search using different terms entirely.

Effective multilingual SEO requires keyword research in each target language, ideally by native speakers who understand search behaviour.

Content Localisation vs. Translation

Translation converts text; localisation adapts it for the target culture. Consider:

References and examples that resonate locally
Units of measurement (metric vs. imperial)
Currency and pricing
Cultural sensitivities and preferences
Local regulations and requirements

A UK case study might not resonate with German readers. Local examples and references improve engagement.

Backlinks and Authority

Each language version builds authority somewhat independently. German-language sites link to German content; French to French. Building authority requires marketing effort in each language market.

Ongoing Management Challenges

Content Updates

When you update English content, you need to update all translations. Without a process, versions diverge. The German page might describe an old product version while English has been updated.

Establish a workflow: who initiates translation requests? What's the turnaround time? How do you track which content needs updating?

Costs Scale with Languages

Every piece of content multiplies by the number of languages. A 20-page website in 5 languages is effectively 100 pages to maintain. Blog posts, product descriptions, support articles—everything needs translation.

This ongoing cost is often underestimated. Budget for translation as an ongoing operational expense, not a one-time project cost.

Quality Maintenance

Without native-speaking team members reviewing content, quality can drift. Translations might become outdated or inconsistent. Consider periodic quality audits by native speakers.

When Multilingual Isn't Worth It

Not every business needs multiple languages:

If your market is genuinely UK-only, why invest in French or German?
If you can't actually serve international customers (shipping, support hours), multilingual content creates expectations you can't meet.
If budget is tight, one excellent language is better than three poor ones.

Start with your core language, make it excellent, then expand when there's genuine business case and resource to support it.

Implementation Checklist

Define target languages based on business opportunity
Choose URL structure (subdirectories recommended)
Ensure CMS supports multilingual content
Establish translation workflow and vendor relationships
Implement hreflang tags correctly
Add language switcher to interface
Conduct keyword research per language
Localise content, don't just translate
Plan for ongoing content synchronisation
Budget for translation as ongoing cost

Our Approach

We build multilingual websites with proper technical foundations: correct hreflang implementation, CMS workflows for translation management, and structures that support SEO in each language.

We can advise on translation vendors and workflows, help define which content needs translation, and ensure your site properly serves international audiences.

If you're considering expanding to new language markets, contact us to discuss the technical and strategic considerations for your specific situation.