Before entering a new market, decide who you want to reach, in which language and with which service. Publishing in English and building a website for a specific country are different decisions. Google also distinguishes multilingual websites from multiregional ones.
01 / STEP
Choose your first market
Our suggestion: start with one country or language audience and a priority product range. Make sure product information, delivery terms, communication and the quote process answer that audience’s questions.
Defining your initial scope also helps you decide which pages to create and who should review them. Go beyond translating words: provide the information customers need to make a decision.
02 / STEP
Give each language version its own URL
Google recommends a separate URL for each language version, rather than changing the language through cookies or browser settings alone. Use the target language for both the main content and navigation.
Provide visible links to other language versions. Automatically redirecting visitors based on their presumed language can make other versions harder to access.
03 / STEP
Connect equivalent pages correctly
Hreflang identifies language or regional versions of the same page. Each version should list itself and its equivalents, using reciprocal references and full URLs. A language code is required; a country code is optional.
Choose the method you can maintain: HTML, HTTP headers or a sitemap. Before launch, check language switching, product information and the quote form as part of the visitor’s journey.
Sources
The technical information is based on Google’s official documentation. Our own recommendations are identified separately in the guide.