# Multilingual Website Design UK

Source: https://dijitulwebdesign.co.uk/multilingual-website-design/
Updated: 2026-10-18

> dijitul web design builds multilingual websites for UK businesses selling abroad or serving customers in more than one language, including Welsh. Each language gets its own URLs, correct hreflang tags, a language switcher and layouts that handle longer words and right-to-left scripts. Multilingual builds get a fixed quote; single-language sites start from £250 + VAT.

## Problems this solves

- You sell into Europe but your site is English only
- A translation plugin auto-translates pages and customers notice the mistakes
- Google shows your English page to French searchers
- Your site redirects visitors by location, so you can't reach the other version
- German text breaks your buttons and menus because the words are longer
- You need a bilingual Welsh and English site and aren't sure how to set it up

## Key facts

- Each language lives at its own URL, usually a subfolder such as /fr/ or /de/
- hreflang annotations link every version, including a self-reference and an x-default
- hreflang uses ISO 639-1 language codes, optionally with an ISO 3166-1 region, such as en-GB or fr-FR
- The HTML lang attribute is set on every page, which also meets WCAG criterion 3.1.1
- Welsh-language and right-to-left layouts (Arabic, Urdu, Hebrew) supported
- No automatic redirects based on visitor location or browser language
- Multilingual projects get a fixed quote; standard sites from £250 + VAT

## Who needs a multilingual website

A multilingual website offers the same content in more than one language, each version properly linked so search engines and visitors find the right one. They make sense for exporters and B2B suppliers selling into Europe, online shops shipping abroad, tourism and hospitality businesses welcoming overseas visitors, organisations in Wales serving Welsh speakers, and services aimed at UK communities whose first language isn't English. If most of your customers search in English, a single-language site is usually the better investment. We'll tell you if that's the case. A cheaper middle step is a single page in each key language explaining what you do and how to order, which tests demand before you translate the whole site.

## URL structure: subfolders, subdomains or separate domains

Search engines need a separate URL for each language version. There are three common ways to do it:

| Structure | Example | Good for |

| Subfolder | example.co.uk/fr/ | Most businesses. One site, one hosting account, authority shared across languages. |
| Subdomain | fr.example.co.uk | Versions run on different platforms or by different teams. |
| Country domain | example.fr | Strong local presence in a single country, with the budget to build authority for each domain. |

For most clients we recommend subfolders. We avoid parameters such as ?lang=fr and never show different languages at the same URL based on cookies, because search engines can only index one of them.

## hreflang done properly

hreflang tells Google which version of a page to show to which audience. Each page lists every language version of itself, including itself, using an ISO 639-1 language code and optionally an ISO 3166-1 region code: en-GB for UK English, fr-FR for French in France, fr-BE for French in Belgium. An x-default value names the page to show anyone who doesn't match, often an English version or a language chooser.

The links must be reciprocal. If the French page points to the English page but the English page doesn't point back, the annotation is ignored. On larger sites we put hreflang in the XML sitemap instead of the page head to keep pages lean. Google works out a page's language from its visible content, so each page should be written fully in one language rather than mixing translated and untranslated blocks.

## Design and build details

- **Text length:** translations are often longer than English, and German compound words can break narrow buttons and menus. We design flexible components and test with real translated text, not placeholder copy.
- **Right-to-left scripts:** Arabic, Urdu and Hebrew need dir='rtl' and mirrored layouts. We use CSS logical properties so one stylesheet handles both directions.
- **Language attributes:** every page sets lang, and quotes in another language get their own lang so screen readers pronounce them correctly. These meet WCAG 3.1.1 and 3.1.2, part of our accessible web design standard.
- **Fonts:** we check your web fonts include the characters you need, such as Welsh accents like ŵ and ŷ, Polish diacritics or Arabic script.
- **Language switcher:** labelled with each language's own name, like Cymraeg, Français or Deutsch, rather than flags, which represent countries rather than languages.
- **No forced redirects:** we may suggest a version, but visitors and search engine crawlers can always reach every language.

## Platforms and translation

On WordPress we typically use an established multilingual plugin such as WPML or Polylang, which handle translated pages, slugs and hreflang. On Shopify, Markets handles languages, currencies and regional pricing alongside a translation app. We can work with your own translators, recommend a professional service, or use machine translation as a first draft that a fluent speaker then checks. We don't publish unchecked machine translation for customer-facing pages.

## Price

Multilingual websites get a fixed quote because the cost depends on the number of languages, pages, platform and who provides the translations. Translation itself, premium plugins and extra domains are listed separately in the quote. As a starting point, single-language sites are from £250 + VAT, Business sites from £500 + VAT and ecommerce from £750 + VAT. Ask for a quote.

## What you get

- URL structure plan for each language or market
- hreflang tags in the page head or XML sitemap
- Language switcher that keeps visitors on the equivalent page
- Layouts tested with real translated text, including RTL where needed
- Translated title tags, meta descriptions and URL slugs
- Multi-currency and local payment setup for shops where required
- Workflow for adding and updating translations

## FAQs

### How much does a multilingual website cost?

We give multilingual projects a fixed quote, because cost depends on the number of languages, pages, the platform and whether you supply translations. Translation fees and plugins are shown separately so you can compare. Single-language websites start from £250 + VAT for reference.

### Can you build a bilingual Welsh and English website?

Yes. Each page exists in both languages at its own URL, with a switcher labelled Cymraeg and English that takes visitors to the equivalent page. We set lang attributes and hreflang for both, and check your fonts display Welsh characters such as ŵ and ŷ correctly.

### Is Google Translate good enough for my website?

As a first draft it can save time, but it makes mistakes with tone, idioms and technical terms, and customers notice. For pages that sell or explain legal or safety information, we recommend a fluent speaker checks every page before it goes live.

### What is hreflang and do I need it?

hreflang is a tag that tells search engines which language or regional version of a page to show each searcher. If you have the same content in more than one language or for more than one country, you need it. Without it, Google may show the wrong version.

### Should I use subfolders or separate domains for each language?

For most businesses, subfolders such as /fr/ and /de/ on your main domain are simplest and share your site's existing authority. Separate country domains suit businesses investing heavily in one market. We'll recommend a structure based on your plans and budget.

### Can my shop show prices in euros and dollars?

Yes. Shopify Markets supports local currencies, pricing and languages per region, and WooCommerce can do the same with suitable extensions. We'll set up currencies, delivery rules and payment methods for each market you sell into.

## Prices and contact

Prices (from, + VAT): Starter £250 (Up to 5 pages, Custom design, not a template, Mobile-first build, Contact form and click-to-call, Google Business Profile set up, Basic SEO foundations, Analytics and Search Console); Business £500 (Up to 15 pages, A page per service, written to rank, Copywriting included, Full schema markup, Local SEO groundwork, Speed optimised to pass Core Web Vitals, Conversion tracking configured, Training session and recorded walkthrough); Ecommerce £750 (Shopify or WooCommerce, Product and category structure built to rank, Payments and delivery rules configured, Click-and-collect and local delivery, Accounts or EPOS integration, Google Merchant Centre feed, Abandoned cart recovery, Staff training on order management); changes £45 an hour. All prices are "from" and exclude VAT. Every project gets a fixed quote before work starts. Domain registration, stock photography, premium plugins or apps and hosting are listed in the quote, never added later. You own the website and the domain. Aftercare: Hosting from £1 a day + VAT (https://dijihost.co.uk/); Website care plans from £25 a month + VAT (https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/). Contact: https://dijitulwebdesign.co.uk/contact/ · 01623 650333 · info@dijitul.uk