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What a proper multilingual site involves
A multilingual website offers the same content in more than one language, with each version available at its own URL. Visitors can switch languages easily, search engines can index each version separately, and your team can update translations when content changes.
Automatic browser translation widgets are not a substitute. They produce uneven quality, cannot be indexed as separate language pages, and give you no control over key terms such as product names or legal wording.
Who needs one
- Exporters and manufacturers reaching buyers in several countries.
- Real estate businesses marketing properties to international buyers, including Arabic-speaking audiences.
- Tourism, hospitality and healthcare providers serving visitors from abroad.
- Indian businesses reaching customers in Hindi, Gujarati or other regional languages alongside English.
- Companies operating in multilingual regions, such as the Gulf or Europe.
What we build
- Language routing with a clear URL structure, usually subdirectories such as /en/ and /ar/, or separate domains where appropriate.
- Hreflang tags linking each page to its equivalents, plus an x-default where useful.
- Language switcher that takes visitors to the same page in the other language, not the homepage.
- Right-to-left support for languages such as Arabic and Urdu, including mirrored layouts.
- Fonts that correctly display every script you publish in.
- Translation workflow in the CMS, showing which pages are missing or out of date.
- Fallback rules, so a missing translation never shows an empty page.
- Localised metadata: translated titles, descriptions and structured data.
How we deliver
- Market and language plan. Which languages, which regions, and which content must be translated first.
- URL strategy. Subdirectories, subdomains or country domains, chosen for your situation.
- Design for flexibility. Layouts tested with longer text and right-to-left scripts.
- Build. Routing, hreflang, switcher and translation workflow implemented.
- Translation. Content added by your translators or a service you choose, with a glossary for key terms.
- Testing. Every language checked for layout, links, forms and metadata.
Technology
On WordPress, we use established multilingual plugins configured properly. On Next.js, we use built-in internationalised routing with translations stored in the CMS or structured files. On Shopify, we use its Markets and language features. Tailwind CSS logical properties help layouts mirror cleanly for right-to-left languages.
Hreflang and language URLs, explained simply
Search engines need two things to handle a multilingual site well. First, each language version must be its own page at its own URL, such as example.com/en/services and example.com/ar/services. If languages share one URL and switch with a script or cookie, search engines usually see only one version.
Second, the pages need to tell search engines that they are translations of each other. That is what hreflang tags do. Each version lists all its equivalents, including itself, with language and optionally region codes. Search engines can then show an Arabic speaker the Arabic page and an English speaker the English page, rather than treating them as competing duplicates.
- Every language version links to every other version, in both directions.
- Language codes are correct, for example “ar” for Arabic or “en-IN” for English aimed at India.
- An x-default version can be set for visitors whose language is not offered.
- Hreflang, canonical tags and sitemaps all agree with each other.
We generate these tags automatically from the CMS, so they stay correct when pages are added or removed. After launch, we check Google Search Console for hreflang errors and confirm that each language version is being indexed, since problems here are easy to miss by simply browsing the site.
What affects timeline and cost
- The number of languages and whether any are right-to-left.
- The volume of content to translate and who translates it.
- Region-specific content, pricing or currencies.
- Platform, and whether the site is new or being converted.
Common multilingual mistakes
- Automatically redirecting visitors by IP address, which also confuses search engine crawlers.
- Missing or one-way hreflang tags.
- Translating page text but leaving titles, descriptions and image text in English.
- Language switchers that always send visitors to the homepage.
- Designs that break when text runs longer or right to left.
Multilingual work builds on SEO-friendly development and often suits corporate websites. Browse all web development services, read the web development guide, or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
Do you provide translations?
We build the multilingual system and workflow. Translations can come from your team, a translation service you choose, or machine drafts reviewed by fluent speakers.
Should each language have its own domain?
Usually subdirectories on one domain are simplest to manage and build authority together. Separate country domains make sense in some cases, such as a strong local brand presence.
Can you support Arabic?
Yes. We build right-to-left layouts, choose fonts that render Arabic well, and test forms and navigation in both directions.
Can you add languages to our existing site?
Often, yes. We review the current platform and structure first to confirm it can support proper language URLs and hreflang.
How do visitors choose their language?
Through a clear language switcher on every page. We may suggest a language based on browser settings, but we do not force redirects, so visitors and search engines can always reach every version.
Talk to us about multilingual websites
Multiple languages with correct URLs, hreflang tags and a workable translation workflow.