People are more willing to leave an enquiry when they read in their own language and are sure they'll be understood. People also search Google in their native language: a German types "website erstellen lassen", a Spaniard "crear página web". A site in only one language simply won't meet them.
Who needs a website in several languages
- Hotels, clinics, estate agencies and anyone who works with tourists and foreigners.
- Companies that sell to several countries.
- Businesses in countries with several languages, such as Switzerland or Belgium.
- Those whose customers are a diaspora: for example Russian- or Ukrainian-speaking residents of Europe.
How to build a multilingual website properly
- Each language has its own address, for example /en, /es, /de. That way Google understands which version to show people in different countries.
- Google learns about language versions from special markup. We set it up from the start.
- The language switcher sits in a visible place and leads to the same page in the other language, not to the home page.
- The site doesn't switch language by itself according to the visitor's country. The person chooses: a tourist in Spain may want English.
- Everything is translated: the menu, buttons, forms, confirmation emails, headings for Google and the cookie banner.
Why automatic translation doesn't work
A translation widget that translates the page on the fly isn't seen by Google: such versions don't exist for search. And machine translation without checking sounds unnatural and lowers trust. Text for each language is better prepared for how people search in that country, not translated word for word.
How much a website in several languages costs
One language is included in the price of the site, each additional one is from €50. We build sites in any language and any number of languages. You can supply the text in other languages yourself, or we can help with it.
An example
Imagine a small hotel in Lisbon. Guests come from the UK, Germany, France and Spain. A site in Portuguese and English already exists, but Germans and French book through intermediaries and pay them a commission. German and French versions with booking in their own language help to win such guests directly.
What to think through in advance
- Which languages matter most and which to start with.
- Who prepares the text in each language.
- Who will answer customers: enquiries will arrive in their language. An AI assistant can help here: it replies to the customer in their language.
We build sites for customers from different countries. You can write to us in any language and we'll reply in it.
