A multilingual website is a site available in multiple language versions. Before launch, three things need to be decided. The first is the technical solution – a subdirectory, a subdomain or a separate domain for each market – which affects both management and search results. The second is scope: translating the entire website or only its commercially important part, bearing in mind that an incomplete version with links leading into another language looks unprofessional. The third is sustainability – every content change must be carried through into all languages, otherwise the versions will stop reflecting reality within a year. The language switcher should be visible and should not automatically redirect the user based on location without the option to choose, which is a common source of frustration. The budget should therefore include not only the one-off translation but also ongoing content maintenance in all languages.
See also: Hreflang, Localisation vs translation, Domain Strategy for Markets.
