Multilingual websites: a planning guide Speak to customers in their own language.

Choosing languages for your customers

Look at the languages customers use in calls, emails and existing enquiries. Consider the places you serve and whether you can respond comfortably in each language. Those facts are a better starting point than translating everything into four languages automatically.

Choose a primary version and the additional versions that support a real audience. A business serving one local market may need less coverage than a business working across several Swiss language regions.

Translating the full enquiry process

List the pages a visitor needs to decide: the service, relevant examples, price or scope, practical information and contact. Check the form labels, confirmation messages and external booking destinations too.

Make it clear which languages your team uses for replies and calls. The language of the website does not automatically describe the language of every conversation. Put that information where a customer can use it before making contact.

• Main service and the next action for each audience
• Pages and supporting documents to translate
• Form fields, receipt messages and booking links
• Languages available for written replies and calls

Content translation and review

Translate service descriptions in the way customers actually talk about them. Keep the offer, price, hours and contact details consistent. A different language version can use different wording while presenting the same service.

Assign a reviewer who understands both the language and your business. Record agreed service names and terminology so later changes use the same words. Ask the reviewer to read the whole visitor journey, not only the homepage.

Language switching and search visibility

Each language version should have its own address and a visible language selector. Switching language on a service page should open the equivalent service page where one exists, rather than make the visitor start again.

Search engines can use language annotations to understand equivalent pages. Canonical URLs, language links and the sitemap should agree. Keep missing translations out of the language selector until their content is ready.

Keeping language versions up to date

A changed phone number needs to reach every relevant page. A revised service description needs a fresh language review. Decide who sends the original change, who approves translations and how completion is checked.

Ozi’s managed website service starts at CHF 497 per month including VAT. We agree the pages, languages and review responsibilities before starting. Small content updates are included; additional pages, language versions or functionality are scoped separately.

Questions before you start