Use evidence about your customers
Review enquiry languages, actual customers and the markets you intend to serve. A location alone does not prove which translation will produce sales. Prioritise the pages customers need to complete important tasks.
Plan separate language pages
Google recommends distinct URLs for language versions and appropriate hreflang annotations. Provide visible switching to equivalent pages. A browser translation widget does not by itself create maintained, discoverable counterparts.
Translate meaning and instructions
Review service descriptions, forms, prices and error messages together. Machine-assisted drafts still need accuracy checks, especially where commercial or legal wording changes a commitment. Language metadata cannot compensate for untranslated main content.
Budget for updates
Assign responsibility for changes in every published language. Track missing counterparts and outdated details. Assess results using relevant enquiries and task completion; no multilingual build guarantees rankings or that translation pays for itself.
Questions about this guide
How should I choose the first additional website language?
Look at the customers you serve and the enquiries you receive. Choose a language you can support accurately across service details, navigation and contact responses.
Is translating the homepage enough?
Visitors also need understandable service details, forms, errors and relevant policy information. Plan who will review and maintain each language before presenting a complete language option.