Navigating Multilingual Websites: Finding the Right Landscape

Congratulations! A potential client has found your website. However, it’s in English and she happens to live in Portugal. How can she avoid the frustration of searching for information she can understand and find her way directly to the Portuguese version of your website? There are many effective ways to lead clients to alternate-language versions of your site, each with its own merits. Here are our top four:



1. Language switch or toggle: A language toggle works well for sites with the same content available in more than one language, usually targeting the same locale, such as a Canadian website in English and French or a U.S. website supporting English and Spanish. Ideally, a toggle will take a user to the same page in the alternate language, but this will only be feasible if all language versions have identical site architecture. When this isn’t the case, users clicking the toggle can be redirected to the homepage in the selected language.



2. Drop down list: A language drop-down menu or selection list is probably the most common way to navigate multilingual content. The "Select language" or "Change language" navigation button displays a list of available languages or locales from which a user can choose. This works well for sites that serve more than one locale and language, and that contain tailored content on each version. Unlike a switch or toggle, a drop-down list does not set expectations that a user will be redirected to the same page in a different language. Instead, the user will expect to go to the homepage of the selected version.



3. Gateway model: The gateway model utilizes a designated page on your site that lists all supported languages or locales (see: www.microsoft.com/worldwide). A gateway page allows visitors to choose their preferred version of the site and offers a simple way for you to lead users to the page via well-placed links throughout the site. Alternatively, some sites use a gateway page as a homepage (see: www.efunkhouser.com). It is worth noting that using your site’s homepage as a gateway page can hinder your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. Search engines consider your homepage as the main indicator of your services and the basis for SEO for the site. If your homepage is a gateway page, search engines will not compile accurate information, which may affect search results. Some companies work around this issue by placing the gateway on a "worldwide" or "global" site version — a site that exists to guide visitors to the right local website (see: www.yamaha.com).



4. Automated redirect: Another way to navigate multilingual content is an automated redirect. Instead of users making a selection, the site takes them automatically to the preferred version of the website. There are a few ways to achieve this:

• Cookies: When users select their preferred language/locale, the website stores this preference on the user's machine using a cookie. On return to the website, the site reads the cookie and redirects the user to the preferred version of the site (see: www.philips.com).



• Browser/OS language version: When users visit your site, a "sniffer" evaluates the language version of the browser and/or operating system and redirects users to the site's version matching the browser/OS language version (see: www.nutrilite.com).



• Geolocation: While geolocation is the most targeted automated redirection it is also the most complex. When users visit your website, the site uses information from the connecting device, such as the computer’s IP address, to determine the user’s geographical location. Once the location is established, the site redirects users to the language/locale version for that region. Geolocation can also be used to target local content to users (see: www.weather.com).

Whichever automated redirect method you’re considering for your multilingual content, it’s critical to provide an opt-out option to allow users to ultimately make their own decisions. In other words: Combining an automated redirect with a manual, user-driven navigation may be the best option.





Multilingual best practices



Along with multi-language navigation, here are a few best practices that can assist your site’s visitors.

1. Language names: Present the names of available languages in their respective translations, rather than in English.

2. Flags: Do not use flags to signify languages as this may confuse or even upset users from other countries speaking the same language. A Canadian flag may confuse Canadians searching for the site in French, for example.

3. Non-localized content. If you have not localized all content and are linking to non-localized content, you might consider managing users’ expectations by letting them know they are about to navigate to a non-localized area.

4. Clarity. Make it easy for users to find localized versions of your site by placing navigation well. Most users look in the top right corner for navigation to a different language version.

5. Standalone URL: Use a stand-alone dedicated URL for marketing and SEO purposes. Ideally, you should even find a hosting company in the target market to host your site, ensuring that search engines will index the site for the local market.