Why Have a Website in Multiple Languages

In an increasingly interconnected world, having a website in only one language is like opening a store with doors locked to most of the world’s population. Yet many businesses—especially those in smaller language markets—continue to operate English-only or single-language websites, unknowingly limiting their growth potential.

This guide explores five compelling reasons why multilingual websites are essential for modern businesses, from expanding your addressable market to improving search rankings to building customer trust. Whether you’re a small business in Slovenia or a growing company in any market, understanding the strategic importance of website translation can transform your international growth trajectory.

1. A Small Number of Native Speakers Limits Your Market

Most countries, especially those with millions of inhabitants, use the average of only one or possibly two languages (many only their mother tongue). Slovenia, with a population of about two million, is a country with a small number of Slovene speakers compared to other nations.

In a time of globalization and the transmission of data and services, the decision to only have a website in our native language limits us to the borders of our country (excluding Italian and Hungarian minorities, which is a separate issue)—and that is an extremely bad marketing move.

The Mathematics of Language Limitation:

Slovene-only website:

• Addressable market: ~2 million people in Slovenia
• Plus ~2.5 million Slovenian speakers worldwide (diaspora, minorities in neighboring countries)
• Total: ~4.5 million potential customers

Slovene + English website:

• Slovene speakers: ~4.5 million
• English speakers: ~1.5 billion globally (including non-native speakers)
• Total: 1.5+ billion potential customers (333x larger market)

Slovene + English + German + Italian website:

• Add German speakers: ~135 million in Germany, Austria, Switzerland
• Add Italian speakers: ~85 million in Italy, Switzerland, parts of Slovenia
• Total: 1.7+ billion potential customers

This principle applies to ANY small language market:

Dutch (24 million speakers):

• Netherlands + Belgium (Flemish) + Suriname
• Adding English/German/French = 70x market expansion

Czech (13 million speakers):

• Czech Republic + minorities in neighboring countries
• Adding English/German = 100x market expansion

Danish (6 million speakers):

• Denmark + minorities in Greenland/Faroe Islands
• Adding English/German/Swedish = 250x market expansion

Swedish (12 million speakers):

• Sweden + parts of Finland
• Adding English/Norwegian/Danish = 125x market expansion

The Opportunity Cost:

Every day your website remains single-language:

• Potential customers who visit but leave because they can’t understand
• Search traffic you never receive because Google can’t rank you in other languages
• Partnerships and B2B opportunities that go to multilingual competitors
• Market share captured by international competitors who invest in translation

Be inclusive, do not let your business end at your country’s borders!

2. European Countries Are Relatively Small

Slovenia has always been considered an important transport country, and is an excellent link to other countries; in this case, its small size is definitely an advantage. And Slovenia is not the only country that is small in size.

A large portion of your potential customers come from the neighboring and surrounding countries, so chances are they do not know your language. This is why they are unable to find out about your services (even if they would like to) and therefore cannot work with you. Isn’t that a shame?

The European Reality:

Europe is incredibly diverse linguistically—over 200 languages spoken across 44 countries. Unlike the United States (where English dominates across 50 states) or China (where Mandarin is standard), European businesses face linguistic fragmentation by default.

Slovenia’s Neighbors:

• Austria (German-speaking, 9M people)
• Italy (Italian-speaking, 60M people)
• Hungary (Hungarian-speaking, 10M people)
• Croatia (Croatian-speaking, 4M people)

None of these neighbors speak Slovene as a primary language. If your website is Slovene-only, you’re invisible to 83+ million people living within driving distance.

This Pattern Repeats Across Europe:

Netherlands:

• Neighbors: Germany (83M, German), Belgium (11M, French/Flemish), UK (68M, English)
• Dutch-only website = invisible to 162M neighboring market

Czech Republic:

• Neighbors: Germany (83M, German), Poland (38M, Polish), Austria (9M, German), Slovakia (5M, Slovak)
• Czech-only website = invisible to 135M neighboring market

Denmark:

• Neighbors: Germany (83M, German), Sweden (10M, Swedish), Norway (5M, Norwegian)
• Danish-only website = invisible to 98M neighboring market

The Geographic Advantage of Small Countries:

Small European countries often have:

• Excellent logistics and shipping to neighboring markets
• Cultural proximity to nearby countries (shared EU regulations, similar business practices)
• Lower competition in niche markets compared to large countries
• Easier market testing (can enter 2-3 neighboring countries quickly)

BUT these advantages mean nothing if your website can’t communicate with those markets.

Real-World Example: E-Commerce Business in Slovenia

Before Translation:

• Website: Slovene only
• Traffic: 95% from Slovenia, 5% international (bounced immediately)
• Revenue: €500K annually, entirely domestic

After Translation (English, German, Italian added):

• Traffic: 45% Slovenia, 30% Germany/Austria, 15% Italy, 10% other
• International visitors actually browse and purchase (conversion 2.5%)
• Revenue: €1.8M annually (260% increase), 60% from international markets

The translation investment: €15K Additional revenue (first year): €1.3M ROI: 8,567%

The Untapped Neighboring Market:

Your neighboring countries are the lowest-hanging fruit for international expansion:

• Similar time zones (easy communication, shipping)
• Geographic proximity (lower shipping costs, faster delivery)
• Cultural familiarity (shared European context, similar business expectations)
• Regulatory alignment (EU standards, GDPR compliance, common currency zones)

Don’t lock these customers out with a single-language website.

3. English Is the Predominant Global Language, But Beware!

It is an unwritten rule that English is the language that ensures the connection to the rest of the world, so it should go without saying that we should offer potential customers at least an English translation of our website, but beware!

There are still many nations that struggle with English or that, for a variety of reasons, only speak their mother tongue. Think about what kind of market you are targeting and who you want to use your services.

Undoubtedly, the smartest move is to present your services in their language.

The “English Is Enough” Myth:

Many businesses assume: “Everyone speaks English nowadays, especially online. If I translate to English, I’m covered globally.”

This assumption is dangerously wrong.

English Proficiency Reality:

• Only ~20% of the world’s population speaks English (native + non-native)
• Only ~5% speaks English as a native language
• English proficiency varies dramatically by country:
  • High proficiency: Netherlands (72%), Sweden (71%), Denmark (71%), Norway (68%)
  • Moderate proficiency: Germany (63%), France (57%), Spain (56%), Italy (56%)
  • Low proficiency: China (51%), Russia (48%), Japan (53%), Latin America (avg 51%)

(Source: EF English Proficiency Index)

What “Moderate Proficiency” Means:

Even in countries with “moderate” English proficiency:

• Customers can read basic English (understand general website content)
• But struggle with complex or technical content (detailed product specs, legal terms)
• Prefer shopping in native language even if they understand English (comfort, trust)

Consumer Behavior Data:

• 72% of consumers spend most or all of their time on websites in their own language (CSA Research)
• 56% of consumers say the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price (CSA Research)
• 40% of consumers will never buy from websites in other languages (Common Sense Advisory)

Translation: Even English-proficient consumers strongly prefer native language content for purchasing decisions.

Strategic Language Selection:

Instead of “just English,” consider:

1. Core Markets (Priority):

• Languages of your existing international traffic
• Languages of high-value neighboring markets
• Languages spoken by strategic partners/distributors

2. High-ROI Languages:

• Chinese (1.3B speakers, massive e-commerce market, low English proficiency)
• Spanish (560M speakers across 20+ countries, growing digital market)
• German (135M speakers, high purchasing power, moderate English proficiency)
• French (280M speakers across Europe + Africa + Canada, prestige market)
• Japanese (125M speakers, high purchasing power, low English proficiency)

3. Regional Expansion Languages:

• Portuguese (for Brazil, Portugal—260M speakers)
• Russian (for Russia + Eastern Europe—265M speakers)
• Arabic (for Middle East + North Africa—420M speakers)
• Korean (for South Korea—77M speakers, highly digital)

4. Emerging Markets:

• Vietnamese (for Vietnam—85M speakers, rapidly growing economy)
• Indonesian (for Indonesia—280M speakers, largest economy in Southeast Asia)
• Polish (for Poland—45M speakers, strong EU economy)
• Turkish (for Turkey—85M speakers, bridge between Europe and Middle East)

Prioritization Framework:

For each potential language, evaluate:

1. Market size: How many speakers? What’s their purchasing power?
2. English proficiency: Lower English proficiency = higher need for native language
3. Competition: Are competitors offering this language? (Gap = opportunity)
4. Strategic importance: Does this market align with your business goals?
5. Content volume: Can you maintain quality translation in this language?

Start with 2-3 priority languages beyond your native language, prove ROI, then expand.

English Is Important, But Not Sufficient:

• Yes, translate to English—it opens doors to 1.5B potential customers
• But don’t stop there—add languages based on strategic markets
• Quality matters—poor English is worse than no English (damages credibility)
• Localize, don’t just translate—adapt content culturally for each market

4. The Role of the Internet and Search Results

Anyone who wants to be as successful as possible in providing their services knows the importance of the internet. Even worse than having a single-language website is not having one at all, as the percentage of those who are more successful in selling their products and services is significantly higher among businesses with a website.

But there is a catch that experienced providers are aware of—anyone interested in a service or product will search for it online in their native language.

Research showed that as many as 30% of visitors to specific websites came to the website through search results. If your website is not available in their language, they will not know you exist even if you may be the ideal solution for them, as they will never find it in the search results.

How Search Engines Work Globally:

Language-Specific Indexing:

Google (and other search engines) operate country and language-specific versions:

• google.de (Germany—German results prioritized)
• google.fr (France—French results prioritized)
• google.es (Spain—Spanish results prioritized)
• google.co.jp (Japan—Japanese results prioritized)
• google.com.br (Brazil—Portuguese results prioritized)

When someone searches in German on google.de, Google:

1. Prioritizes German-language content in search results
2. De-prioritizes or excludes English/other language content
3. Ranks German sites higher (especially .de domains)
4. Surfaces local businesses and services first

What This Means:

If your website is English-only:

• You won’t appear in German search results for German queries
• You won’t rank on google.de, google.fr, google.es, etc.
• You’re invisible to 80%+ of international organic search traffic

The Organic Search Opportunity:

• 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search (BrightEdge)
• 92.96% of global traffic comes from Google Search, Images, and Maps (SparkToro)
• 70-80% of users ignore paid ads and click organic results (Search Engine Journal)
• 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (HubSpot)

Translation: If you’re not ranking on page 1 of local-language search results, you’re invisible.

Multilingual SEO Benefits:

1. Expanded Keyword Opportunities:

English keyword: “project management software”

• Search volume: 90K/month (US)
• Competition: Extremely high (Asana, Monday.com, Trello, etc.)
• Cost per click (if advertising): $15-30

German keyword: “Projektmanagement Software”

• Search volume: 12K/month (Germany)
• Competition: Medium (fewer international competitors)
• Cost per click: $8-15

French keyword: “logiciel de gestion de projet”

• Search volume: 8K/month (France)
• Competition: Medium-low
• Cost per click: $6-12

By translating your website, you:

• Capture searches in multiple languages (total addressable search volume increases)
• Face lower competition in non-English markets (easier to rank)
• Reduce customer acquisition costs (organic traffic is free, ads are cheaper in less competitive markets)

2. Long-Tail International Keywords:

Non-English markets often have less competition for specific long-tail keywords:

English (high competition): “best accounting software for small business” — 1M+ competing pages

German (medium competition): “beste Buchhaltungssoftware für Kleinunternehmen” — 100K competing pages

Czech (low competition): “nejlepší účetní software pro malé firmy” — 10K competing pages

Multilingual content allows you to dominate specific niches in less competitive markets.

3. Increased Backlink Opportunities:

• Local bloggers, journalists, and industry sites link to content in their language
• Regional industry directories list multilingual businesses
• Country-specific PR coverage requires local language website
• Backlinks from diverse geographic regions strengthen overall domain authority

4. Higher Click-Through Rates:

Users are far more likely to click search results in their native language:

• German user sees:
  • English result: “Project Management Software | Free Trial”
  • German result: “Projektmanagement Software | Kostenlose Testversion”

The German result receives 2-5x higher click-through rate, even if both rank equally.

5. Better User Engagement Signals:

When users land on native-language pages:

• Lower bounce rates (they understand content, stay longer)
• Higher time on site (read more pages, explore features)
• More conversions (purchase, sign up, contact)

These positive engagement signals tell Google your site is high-quality, improving rankings further—a virtuous cycle.

Multilingual SEO Best Practices:

1. Proper URL Structure:

Option A: Subdirectories (recommended for most)

• example.com/en/ (English)
• example.com/de/ (German)
• example.com/fr/ (French)

Option B: Subdomains

• en.example.com
• de.example.com
• fr.example.com

Option C: Country-code domains (best for local SEO)

• example.com (English)
• example.de (German)
• example.fr (French)

2. Hreflang Tags:

Tell Google which language version to show each user:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/en/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://example.com/de/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://example.com/fr/" />

3. Localized Content (Not Just Translated):

• Keywords in local language (research local search terms, don’t just translate)
• Meta titles and descriptions optimized for local search
• Localized examples and case studies (German customers want to see German company success stories)
• Local currency, measurements, date formats

4. Local Backlinks:

• Guest post on local industry blogs (in local language)
• Get listed in local directories (German business directories, French chambers of commerce, etc.)
• Earn PR coverage in local media (requires local language website)

The Compounding Effect:

Multilingual SEO benefits compound over time:

Month 1-3: Google indexes new language pages, rankings begin Month 4-6: Rankings improve, organic traffic increases Month 7-12: Backlinks accumulate, authority builds Year 2+: Established presence, difficult for competitors to displace

The sooner you launch multilingual website, the sooner you build this SEO advantage.

5. Make a Better Impression

There is no person who is not pleased to discover that the website of a product or service available in their country has been translated in their mother tongue. The joy they feel is probably equivalent to how Archimedes felt when he exclaimed the famous word “Eureka!” upon making his discovery.

From a psychological standpoint, a potential customer immediately feels an affinity towards such a provider, knowing that communication with you will be seamless and that the likelihood of misunderstandings will be extremely low because of this.

The Psychology of Native Language:

Cognitive Fluency Effect:

When people process information in their native language, they experience “cognitive fluency”—the feeling that information is easier to understand and more trustworthy.

Research shows:

• Information feels more accurate when presented in native language (even when it’s identical content translated)
• Risk perception decreases (customers feel safer making purchases)
• Emotional connection strengthens (language is tied to identity and culture)
• Decision-making is faster (less mental effort required to process information)

Trust and Credibility Signals:

Single-language (English-only) website signals:

• “This company doesn’t care about my market”
• “They’re not serious about serving international customers”
• “Will they support me after purchase if something goes wrong?”
• “Are they legitimate? Or just a foreign scam?”

Multilingual website signals:

• “This company invested in serving my market”
• “They respect my language and culture”
• “I can communicate with them if I need help”
• “They’re a professional, international business”

The Competitive Edge:

In many markets, multilingual websites are still rare—especially among international competitors. This creates differentiation opportunity:

Scenario 1: You vs. International Competitors

• Most international competitors: English-only
• You: English + German + Italian + French
• Result: You appear as the “local” option despite being foreign, capturing market share

Scenario 2: You vs. Local Competitors

• Local competitors: Native language only (German-only in Germany)
• You: Native language + English + other languages
• Result: You appear more sophisticated, international, and capable of serving diverse customers (B2B especially values this)

Customer Service Expectations:

Native language website sets expectation of native language support:

• Email/chat support in customer’s language
• Phone support during local business hours
• Documentation and help articles translated
• Return policies and terms in local language

These aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re increasingly expected. Businesses that deliver multilingual experiences build stronger, longer-lasting customer relationships.

Brand Perception:

Global Brand + Local Presence = Ideal Positioning:

Customers want:

• Global brand credibility (established, trustworthy, innovative)
• Local market understanding (knows my needs, speaks my language, serves my region)

Multilingual website achieves both:

• Global English website demonstrates international presence
• Local language versions demonstrate commitment to that market

Real-World Impact:

B2B Example: Software Company

Before translation:

• German potential customer visits English website
• Struggles to understand technical features
• Unsure if software complies with German regulations
• Concerned about German-language support
• Doesn’t purchase—goes with German competitor

After translation:

• German potential customer visits German website
• Easily understands features in native language
• Sees German case studies and compliance information
• Confident in German-language support availability
• Purchases—becomes long-term customer

B2C Example: E-Commerce Store

Before translation:

• Italian customer lands on English website via Google
• Understands basic product info (English proficiency moderate)
• But confused about sizing, shipping, return policy
• Worried about communication if something goes wrong
• Abandons cart

After translation:

• Italian customer lands on Italian website
• Comfortable reading detailed product descriptions
• Understands sizing (EU sizes), shipping (to Italy), returns policy
• Confident in Italian customer service
• Completes purchase + leaves positive review

The First Impression Principle:

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”

When a potential customer visits your website:

• Within 0.05 seconds they form an initial impression
• Within 3-5 seconds they decide whether to stay or leave
• Language is one of the first things they notice

If your website isn’t in their language:

• Immediate friction (“This isn’t for me”)
• Bounce within seconds
• They won’t return (competitors are just a click away)

If your website IS in their language:

• Immediate comfort (“This is for me”)
• They explore, engage, convert
• They remember your brand positively

You can’t recover from a bad first impression. Get the language right from the start.

Conclusion: Multilingual Websites Are No Longer Optional

For businesses operating in small language markets—and increasingly, for ALL businesses—multilingual websites have shifted from competitive advantage to competitive necessity.

The Five Imperatives:

1. Small language markets inherently limit growth—translation multiplies your addressable market 10-100x
2. Geographic proximity creates opportunity—neighboring markets are your lowest-hanging international fruit
3. English alone is insufficient—even English-proficient markets prefer native language for purchases
4. Search invisibility = business invisibility—multilingual SEO is essential for international discoverability
5. Language builds trust and credibility—native language websites signal professionalism and commitment

The ROI Is Clear:

• E-commerce: 30-100% revenue increase from international markets (first year after translation)
• B2B SaaS: 40-80% increase in international leads and conversions
• Professional services: 2-5x increase in international client inquiries
• Cost: Typically €10-50K for professional translation (depending on website size and languages)
• Payback period: 3-12 months in most cases

Getting Started:

1. Audit current international traffic: Which countries visit your site already? (Google Analytics)
2. Prioritize 2-3 languages: Based on traffic, strategic importance, and market size
3. Partner with professionals: Use professional localization services for quality
4. Implement proper technical SEO: Hreflang tags, localized URLs, sitemaps
5. Localize, don’t just translate: Adapt content, examples, case studies, visuals to each market
6. Measure and optimize: Track traffic, engagement, and conversions by language/market

So what are you waiting for? Create a website in multiple languages today.

Ready to expand your international reach? Explore marketing localization solutions that help you connect authentically with global customers and unlock new growth markets.