Who needs a multilingual website?
For manufacturers that export, companies exhibiting at trade fairs abroad, hotels and clinics hosting international guests, and distributors working with international suppliers, a multilingual corporate website is often the first point of contact. Even if a foreign buyer met you at a trade fair, they will look at your website in their own language before making a decision.
Not every company needs ten languages. We usually recommend starting with Turkish and English, then adding the languages of the markets where you actually sell.
What should the URL structure look like?
Each language should have its own permanent address. The most common and easiest method to manage is adding the language code at the start of the URL:
| Method | Example | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Subfolder | company.com/en/products | The first choice for most corporate sites |
| Subdomain | en.company.com | When the language sites are managed by separate teams |
| Country domain | company.de | When you need a strong local presence in a specific country |
Rather than detecting the visitor's language automatically and forcing a redirect, it is healthier to offer the language choice in a visible place. Automatic redirects can confuse both visitors and search engines.
Telling search engines about the language
The versions of the same page in different languages are linked to each other with tags called hreflang. These tags tell Google "the English version of this page is here, the German version is there," so a German user sees the German page in search results rather than the Turkish one. In addition, each language gets its own page titles, descriptions and sitemap.
The translation process
Machine translation makes a good first draft, but it gets industry terms wrong. Mistranslating a pump's technical specification or the name of a medical treatment costs more trust than not translating at all. The process we recommend:
- The Turkish text is finalized and approved first.
- A draft translation is prepared and a list of industry terms is compiled.
- The terms are checked by you or by your partner abroad.
- Each language is made separately editable in the admin panel.
Checklist
- Have the menus, forms, error messages and KVKK (Türkiye's Personal Data Protection Law) texts been translated too?
- Are dates, currencies and units of measure suited to the target market?
- Does each language page have its own title and description?
- Does the language switcher lead to the matching version of the same content on every page?
- Is the international phone format used in the contact details?
Frequently asked questions
Can I add a second language later?
Yes. We build the site ready for multiple languages from the start; adding a new language means adding content without changing the structure.
Do all languages have to have the same pages?
No. For example, you may choose not to publish a page in a given language for a service you do not offer in that market.
Is multilingual e-commerce also possible?
Yes. For that, we recommend our e-commerce platform, which supports multiple languages and currencies.
For the full service, go back to the corporate website page, or get in touch to talk about your export-focused website.