A visitor who cannot read your website in their own language does not email you to say so. They just leave. In Los Angeles, where customers speak Spanish, Farsi, Tagalog and a dozen other languages at home, that quiet exit can be your biggest lost sale.
Short version
A bilingual website works when each language has its own pages, a visible language switch, a layout built for that language and writing done by a native speaker. It does not need to translate everything on day one. Start with the pages that bring in customers.
Do you need a bilingual website?
Not every business needs a second language. Here is a quick way to decide:
| A good fit | A weak fit |
|---|---|
| Many of your customers prefer Spanish or Farsi | Almost all customers already read English comfortably |
| You advertise in another language, for example on radio | You have no one who can review the translation |
| Your service needs trust, such as medical, legal, finance or home work | You plan to change prices and pages every week |
| Competitors only offer English | You cannot yet keep one language up to date |
If you run radio ads in Spanish or Farsi, a page in the same language is the natural next step. Our guides to Spanish radio advertising and to reaching the Persian community explain why.
Three ways to build one
One page in two languages
Fast and cheap, but crowded. It works for a single landing page, not for a whole site.
Separate pages per language
Each language has its own address, such as /es/. This is the cleanest option for visitors and for search.
Automatic translation only
Cheapest, but you cannot control the wording. Use it as a first draft, never as the final text.
For most small businesses the second option is the right one: the same design, with a translated copy of the pages that matter.
Design rules for two languages
- Make the language switch easy to find. Put it in the header, not only the footer. Burying it forces people to scroll back up.
- Label each language in its own name. Write Español and English, not only a flag. A flag stands for a country, not a language.
- Keep people on the same page. Switching language on the pricing page should open the pricing page in the other language, not the homepage.
- Remember the choice. A returning visitor should land in the language they picked last time.
- Leave room for longer text. Spanish often runs longer than English, so buttons and menus need space to grow.
- Translate the forms too. A Spanish page with an English contact form loses people at the last step.
- Test on a phone. Most visitors will see it there first.
Persian needs right-to-left layout
Persian is written from right to left. A Persian page is more than translated text: the layout should mirror, with the logo, menu and text alignment flowing from the right. The standard way is to set the page direction in the HTML, as the W3C explains, and then check every component, because arrows, icons, sliders and progress bars often need flipping.
Choose a font that was designed for Persian script, and test numbers, punctuation and line spacing. Text that looks fine in English can feel cramped in Persian.
Bilingual SEO basics
- Give each language its own address. Google recommends separate URLs for each language version, as described in its guide to localized versions.
- Tell Google which page is which. Use hreflang tags so search shows the Spanish page to Spanish searchers.
- Translate titles and descriptions. The words people type in Spanish or Farsi are not a word-for-word copy of the English ones.
- Do not publish half-translated pages. A page with mixed languages helps nobody.
Translation quality and ongoing work
Machine translation is a useful first draft, but it needs a native speaker to read every line. Names of services, tone and local expressions are where automatic text goes wrong. Also plan for the future: every page you translate must be updated whenever the English page changes. That ongoing work is the real cost of a second language, so translate fewer pages well rather than many pages badly.
Start with the home page, your main service pages, the contact page and any landing page you send ad traffic to.
Before you start
Decide who will write and review each language, and who will update it. A translation nobody owns goes stale in a few months.
How we approach it at Kamak Web
We design and build websites for local businesses in Los Angeles, starting with a free written proposal that lists pages, timeline and price. If you want a second language, say so in the proposal request, and we will explain what it adds. For general pricing, read Website cost in Los Angeles or see our web design services.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Translate widget enough?
It is better than nothing, but you give up control of the wording and your pages are not built for search in that language. For an important customer page, a real translation is worth the cost.
Which pages should I translate first?
Start with the home page, your top services, the contact page and any landing page that receives ad traffic. Add the rest later.
Can one site have English, Spanish and Persian?
Yes. Each language gets its own set of pages and its own layout direction. The work grows with every language, so many businesses add them one at a time.
Further reading: Google guide to localized versions, W3C on the HTML dir attribute and multilingual design practices (TranslatePress).
Related service
Want help with this? See our Web Design page for plans and pricing, or get a free quote.
