For many UK businesses, the website is the first and most important sales tool abroad. A buyer in Montreal, Warsaw or Dubai will usually visit the site long before sending an enquiry. If the content is only available in English, or if the translated version feels awkward, that visitor may simply move on to a competitor who speaks their language. Localising a website is therefore one of the most effective investments a company can make when entering new markets.
Yet localisation projects often go wrong because they are treated as a simple translation job. The checklist below covers the steps that make the difference between a site that is merely translated and one that genuinely works for international customers.
1. Choose markets based on data
Start with evidence rather than intuition. Analytics tools show where current visitors come from, which countries generate enquiries and where conversion rates are already promising. Combine this with sales data and market research to decide which languages to add first. It is usually better to localise thoroughly for two or three priority markets than to add ten languages superficially.
2. Understand the difference between translation and localisation
Language localisation adapts content to the cultural, legal and practical expectations of a specific market. That includes currencies, date and number formats, units of measurement, payment methods, imagery, tone of voice and even colours. A British idiom on the homepage may confuse readers elsewhere, and a photo that feels friendly in the UK might seem out of place in another culture.
3. Remember that one language can mean several markets
French is spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada and much of Africa, and the differences matter. Canadian French has its own vocabulary, spelling conventions and legal requirements, particularly in Quebec, where French-language rules for business communication are strict. UK companies targeting Canada should look specifically for French Canadian translation services rather than assuming that a version written for Paris will satisfy customers in Montreal.
4. Research keywords in every language
Search behaviour varies from country to country. Literal translations of English keywords often miss the terms people actually use. Keyword research should be carried out separately for each market, and page titles, meta descriptions, headings and URLs should be written around local search terms. Technical details matter too: hreflang tags tell search engines which version to show to which audience, and a clear URL structure with country or language folders helps both users and search engines.
5. Plan for different scripts and text lengths
Some languages take up considerably more space than English. German and French texts can be 20 to 30 per cent longer, which may break buttons, menus and banners. Other languages use different scripts altogether. Businesses expanding into Eastern Europe and Central Asia often need Translation from English to Russian, which introduces Cyrillic characters and requires fonts, forms and search functions that handle them correctly. Testing layouts with real translated content before launch avoids unpleasant surprises.
6. Localise legal and trust content
Privacy policies, cookie notices, terms and conditions, returns policies and delivery information must meet local legal requirements, not just be translated from the UK versions. Customer reviews, certifications and case studies from the target market add credibility. Local contact details, such as a phone number or address in the country, can also increase trust significantly.
7. Do not forget the invisible content
Many localisation projects focus on visible pages and forget the rest: automated emails, error messages, form validation, PDF downloads, image text, video subtitles and chatbot responses. A customer who completes an order in Spanish but receives a confirmation email in English will notice the gap. Make an inventory of all content types before starting, and include them in the scope.
8. Choose the right technology
Managing a multilingual website manually quickly becomes unmanageable. Every product update, new blog post or change to pricing must be reflected in each language. A Translation content management system connected to the website can detect new or changed content automatically, send it for translation, reuse existing translations through translation memory and publish the results once approved. This keeps all language versions synchronised and reduces the workload for marketing teams.
9. Build a review process
Professional translators should be supported by in-country reviewers, ideally colleagues, distributors or partners who know the market and the products. They can check terminology, tone and cultural fit. A style guide and glossary for each language help keep future content consistent, especially when several translators work on the site over time.
10. Measure and improve
After launch, monitor each language version separately. Compare traffic, bounce rates, time on page, conversions and search rankings. Collect feedback from local sales teams and customers. Localisation is not a one-off project but an ongoing process that improves as you learn more about each market.
A website that speaks every customer's language
For UK businesses with international ambitions, a well localised website opens doors that an English-only site keeps closed. By choosing markets carefully, respecting regional differences, planning for technical details and using the right tools, companies can build a multilingual presence that attracts visitors, earns trust and turns interest into sales.