What Are the Benefits of a Multilingual Website?

By JC Serrano

Knowing your audience is key when implementing digital marketing strategies for your growing business. The general rule for building websites and writing content is to cater to your audience's preferences and needs. Otherwise, you won't reach the right people.

One defining quality of your audience is their language. Much like audience demographics, hobbies, and opinions, language defines the type of content they consume and value. Language is also heavily tied to communication, comprehension, and engagement.

So, is having a multilingual website worth it? Let's go over a few reasons of the many benefits of a multilingual website.

Benefits of a multilingual website

1. You're in touch with more of your target audience

One of the benefits of multilingual websites is that they expand a company's visibility to reach a broader audience. A good example would be international brands, which have multiple versions of their sites. The websites of the most prominent fashion brands offer different language options for their customers. Likewise, social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have many language settings.

That said, multilingual sites aren't limited to international audiences. Some websites with non-English speaking domestic audiences will set up two language versions of their site. For example, Canadian brands will have English and French versions of their websites.

Language diversity can take place on even smaller scales. I've been in the California legal niche for a long time, so I know how crucial it is to be visible and accessible in our community. In our case, a large percentage of California residents are Spanish speakers. We have since created Spanish legal content to cater to portions of our target audience.

2. Improves user experience and understanding

Another benefit of multilingual pages is that they contribute to general website accessibility. A translated landing page, FAQ section, and navigational menu will help visitors navigate a website or online store more easily. Your content also must be easily consumed and understood. The better your audience is able to grasp what you're saying, the more valuable your information will be to them.

For many, English is a second language. And while they can still digest English content, it's often more comfortable for them to consume content in their native tongue. In the case of my business, many first-generation immigrant families in California are more comfortable communicating in Spanish, so they still appreciate the translated content even if they can also effectively communicate in English.

3. Boosts local SEO and visibility

Local SEO is all about honing in on a specific target audience. Creating content that caters to the community your business serves will draw in local audiences who are interested in that content.

Writing blog posts in the languages spoken by your target audience works the same way. By using keywords, headlines, and local topics in the language spoken by members of your audience, you'll be able to reach specific local communities. For example, instead of writing general content about California state laws in English, a legal firm might publish content about a local town's news and policies in Spanish in order to connect with the local community.

Be aware that localizing to this extent may not yield as much website traffic. However, localized content that appeals to the very specific needs of a community is more likely to resonate with the right audience. In short, general content might get you more clicks, but targeted content will get you high-quality leads.

This is also an opportunity to use Google keywords in different languages. Depending on the local SERPs, these keywords might have less competition, making them easier to rank for. And ranking well for certain keywords, even if those keywords have lower search volumes, still benefits your local SEO and visibility.

Creating multilingual website content is a lot of work

Translating anchor texts, navigational buttons, and menus is pretty straightforward. As long as you have someone who can check the translations, you can build an alternative version of your website in a short amount of time.

However, keep in mind that your content (e.g., blogs) can't be mere word-for-word translations of your text. Translated CTAs, taglines, instructional materials, and blog posts must maintain the same quality, engagement, and clarity level as your English material.

Poorly written content, no matter the language, isn't going to serve its trust-building, SERP ranking, and content marketing purpose. If you don't have a native speaker and writer on your team, look for a content writer who can deliver the same informative quality.

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