Web Design Tips And Best Practices For Multilingual Audiences
By Neil Kilgallon on Wednesday, 5 February 2025
Online businesses are increasingly catering to an international market. A multilingual website is necessary for reaching a broader user base, improving accessibility, and expanding your brand to new markets.
Designing your website for multiple languages and regions requires more than simple translations. It requires thoughtful planning, cultural awareness, and technical ability to ensure a seamless user experience across languages and regions.
In this article, ID Studio will explore the best practices and common mistakes for creating a multilingual website that will allow you to reach global audiences.
Understand Your Target Audience
Before starting the web design and development process, you must understand your target audience and identify the languages and cultures you wish to support. Discuss the following with relevant stakeholders:
- What are the primary languages spoken by your audience?
- Are there cultural preferences or design principles specific to these regions? For example, in Western cultures, red is generally associated with danger, whereas in China, it symbolises happiness and good luck.
Language Selection And Localisation
Making Language Switching Intuitive
A user-friendly language switcher is a must-have. Place it prominently in the header or footer, and consider using both language names and flags (though flags should not be the sole indicator, as they represent countries, not languages). Auto-detecting a user’s language based on their browser settings or IP address can enhance the experience but always provide a manual override.
Translation & Localisation
Translation involves converting text from one language to another, but localisation builds on this and goes further. It adapts content, design, and functionality to suit cultural and regional norms. For instance:
- Date formats (e.g., MM/DD/YYYY in the U.S. vs. DD/MM/YYYY in Europe).
- Currency symbols and units of measurement.
- Culturally relevant imagery and references.
If you lack the in-house skills, hire professional translators and local experts to ensure accuracy and cultural relevance. Automated translation tools may work well for casual content but often fall short for professional or SEO-critical material.
Typography And Text
Font Compatibility
Choose fonts that support all target languages, including special characters for scripts like Cyrillic, Arabic, or Chinese. Web-safe fonts or embedded custom fonts can ensure consistent rendering across devices.
Handling Text Expansion
Text length varies significantly between languages. For example, German text is often 30% longer than English, while Chinese text may be more concise. Design flexible layouts that accommodate these differences without breaking the design.
Right-to-Left (RTL) Languages
The entire layout must support RTL reading for languages like Arabic and Hebrew. This includes mirrored navigation, UI elements, and text alignment. Testing RTL layouts is critical to ensure a seamless user experience.
Design and Layout
Cultural Sensitivity in Design
Colours, images, and symbols carry different meanings across cultures. For example:
In Japan, white symbolises purity, while in some Western cultures, it’s associated with mourning. Avoid imagery or references that may be offensive or misunderstood in certain regions.
Responsive And Consistent Design
You need to ensure your website is responsive and adapts to various screen sizes, especially for mobile users. While maintaining a consistent brand identity, allow for localised adaptations, such as region-specific hero images or calls-to-action triggers.
Technical Implementation
URL Structure for SEO
Use language-specific URLs to improve search engine optimisation (SEO) and user experience. Options include:
- Subdomains: fr.example.com
- Subdirectories: example.com/fr/
- Parameters: example.com?lang=fr (less recommended for SEO).
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Choose a CMS that supports multilingual content, such as ProcessWire Kentico, Umbraco, or WordPress, with plugins like WPML. Store translations in a database or separate files for easy management and updates.
Multilingual SEO
Implement hreflang tags to signal language and regional targeting to search engines. Optimise meta tags, URLs, and content for each language, and avoid relying on automatic translation tools for SEO-critical content.
Enhancing User Experience (UX) Across Languages
Intuitive Navigation
Translate menus, buttons, and calls-to-action triggers accurately. Ensure that navigation remains intuitive, even for users unfamiliar with the site’s structure.
Localised Forms
Adapt form fields, error messages, and placeholders to local norms. For example, phone number formats and address fields vary by country.
Optimising Performance
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to ensure fast loading times for users in different geographic locations. Optimise images, scripts, and content delivery to minimise latency.
Compliance And Accessibility
Your website must comply with local regulations, such as GDPR for EU users. Additionally, you need to follow accessibility standards like Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to make your site usable for people with disabilities, regardless of language.
Final Thoughts
By prioritising user experience and cultural awareness, you can create a website that appeals to users in any language. Start with a clear understanding of your audience, invest in professional localisation, and test rigorously to ensure your site delivers a seamless, inclusive experience.
ID Studio, a London web agency, has developed multilingual websites for organisations across most business sectors. Arrange a call with our helpful team todiscuss your requirements.
