In today's global economy, small businesses are no longer limited to local markets. Whether you're selling handmade jewelry, consulting services, or tech solutions, your potential customer could just as easily be in Madrid as in Milwaukee. One powerful way to expand your reach and boost engagement? A multilingual website.

A website that "speaks" more than one language can make your business more accessible to non-English-speaking users, build trust with international audiences, and drive more sales. While the idea of offering your site in multiple languages might sound complicated or costly, there are accessible tools and platforms that make it surprisingly manageable—even for small business owners without in-house developers. 

Let's break down the why and how of building a multilingual site.

Why Go Multilingual?

First, the numbers: nearly 75% of internet users speak a language other than English, and research consistently shows that users are more likely to engage with and purchase from websites in their native language. In fact, a CSA Research study found that 76% of online shoppers prefer to buy products with information in their own language.

For small businesses, this means a properly localized website can give you a competitive edge. A multilingual site signals respect, professionalism, and inclusivity. It opens up new markets and can even improve SEO—Google indexes multilingual content, which can help your visibility in non-English search results.

Choosing the Right Platform

If you're starting from scratch or considering a website redesign, the platform you choose matters. Several popular platforms are multilingual-friendly:

• WordPress (with WPML or Polylang plugins): WordPress is one of the most flexible platforms out there. The WPML plugin (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) allows you to manage translations for pages, posts, menus, and more. Polylang is another powerful alternative, with a user-friendly interface and strong compatibility with most themes.
• Wix: For small business owners looking for ease of use, Wix offers built-in multilingual support. You can duplicate your site in different languages and then customize each version as needed.
• Shopify: If you run an e-commerce business, Shopify's native multilingual features or third-party apps like Langify or Weglot make it easy to translate product pages, checkouts, and more.
• Squarespace: Though not as robust as others in this category, Squarespace allows for manual creation of multilingual pages and menu links to different versions of the site.

Translation Options: Machine vs. Human

Once your platform is in place, you'll need to decide how to handle translations. Most tools give you a choice between machine translation and manual (or professional) translation.

• Machine Translation: Tools like Weglot or Google Translate Widgets offer fast, cost-effective solutions. These are great for testing out demand in a new language or getting started on a budget. However, they may struggle with nuance, idioms, or industry-specific terms.
• Human Translation: Hiring a professional translator—or using a service like Gengo, ProZ, or TextMaster—ensures more accurate and culturally relevant translations. This is particularly important for legal, medical, or marketing content where tone and clarity are critical.

SEO Considerations

To get the most out of your multilingual site, consider international SEO best practices:

• Use language-specific URLs (e.g., yoursite.com/es/ for Spanish).
• Add hreflang tags to tell search engines which language version of a page to serve.
• Translate meta titles and descriptions.
• Submit separate sitemaps for each language version to Google Search Console.

Creating a multilingual website is more than a technical exercise—it's a strategic business move that shows you're serious about reaching customers where they are. With the right tools and a thoughtful approach, small business owners can create accessible, engaging experiences for a wider audience—and ultimately grow their brand beyond borders.