What is Website Localization? Process, Examples & Checklist

Website localization is the process of adapting a website (language, formats, currencies, images, layout, SEO, and legal compliance) for a specific target market. It goes beyond translation: a localized website feels native to its target audience, not just translated into their language. A typical localization project covers 12+ elements (date and time formats, units of measurement, currencies, payment methods, address formats, holidays, plurals, gendered language, images and gestures, reading direction, privacy policies, regional SEO metadata) plus the underlying engineering work (i18n) that makes the codebase support any language at all. Done well, website localization expands a company's addressable market and builds trust with international users; done poorly, it creates a translated-looking site that converts worse than the original.

This is a comprehensive guide to website localization. It covers what it is, when to do it, how to prepare, the step-by-step process, real-world examples, and how to choose the right platform. For more general information about software localization beyond websites, check out our blog post about software localization.

Table of contents

• What is website localization?
• Why should you be interested in a positive outcome?
• When is it appropriate to localize your website?
• Prepare the localization of your website
• A step-by-step process for web localization
• Examples: Popular and from our clients
• How to measure the quality
• Choose the right platform
• Conclusion

What is website localization?

Website localization is the market-facing part of internationalization and localization, and it entails much more than simple text translation: it must take into account all language and cultural variables. If you sell a good product in your home market, there is a good chance you can sell it in other countries too. If you want to sell in Spain, for example, your content must be adapted into a message that reads naturally in Spanish, with local formats, prices, and references.

Now that you know what website localization is, let's find out why it's important.

Why should you be interested in a positive outcome?

A good website localization may help multinational businesses establish significant brand awareness outside of their home country.

People on the internet clearly prefer to buy from websites in their own language. In CSA Research's 2020 "Can't Read, Won't Buy" survey of 8,709 consumers in 29 countries, 76% of online shoppers preferred to buy products with information in their native language, and 40% said they will never buy from websites in other languages (CSA Research press release).

At the same time, English is the content language of about half the websites W3Techs surveys (49.5% of those whose content language is known, as of October 2026). A site available only in English leaves out every visitor who would rather read and buy in another language.

Many firms use a single landing page per region that only provides basic corporate information. This is not the strategy to take, since the target audience may perceive a lack of interest in their location and requirements. Local customers expect a website that is as complete as the one in your primary market.

The localization of a website can increase the revenue of your company. It may look like an administrative concern, but it is an investment in your organization.

When is it appropriate to localize your website?

You're wondering when to start localizing a site. This varies from company to company, and a variety of factors can influence when the ideal time is reached.

However, there are a few scenarios that should make you start thinking about it:

• Your business is launching a new product.
• You must adhere to market standards.
• Your company is expanding internationally.
• Your company establishes a new branch in another country.
• Your business follows the franchising model.
• Your business figures are lower in some areas than in others.
• Your company acts as a global platform.
• Your company's global branding strategy is shifting.

Prepare the localization of your website

Prepare your localization strategy well, because it involves much more than translating some sentences. This process should be part of your overall business strategy, because there are many non-technical aspects to consider when going into new markets:

A step-by-step checklist for the business questions

➡️ Examine the market: is there a possible audience?

➡️ Determine the local compliance needs. In the EU, for example, the European Accessibility Act applies to certain digital services, such as e-commerce, since June 28, 2025 (see EU Accessibility Act and localization).

➡️ Determine the best technology for localization

➡️ Determine how you will market in the new place

➡️ Decide who is part of the team (lead project manager, marketing expert, developer, reviewers, etc.)

➡️ Construct a list of quality assurance criteria

Once you have a strong plan that covers all of the above checkpoints, it's time to go into the details of the website itself.

A step-by-step process for web localization

1. Define the strategy of your website localization
2. Design the content of all pages with internationalization in mind
3. Execute i18n on your website
4. Arrange your team the right way
5. Translate your webpages: AI or machine translation for first drafts, a glossary and translation memory for consistent terms, human review for what matters most
6. Measure the quality and strategy
7. Keep up localization with the right software, ideally as continuous localization that ships new content in every language as you go

Keep the following techniques in mind for a successful implementation:

• Place the language selector where users expect it, and let users switch languages on every page
• Change the formatting design: a sentence in some languages can be substantially longer
• The currency should be according to customer need
• Think about the update of graphics and videos
• Ensure a proper information architecture
• Make it easy to update content
• Plan localized SEO alongside development, not after launch (see below)
• Allow website integrations
• Verify the translations and results

Localized SEO: what Google recommends

These points are based on Google Search Central's guidance on multi-regional and multilingual sites and localized versions:

• Give each language version its own URL. Country domain (example.de), subdomain (de.example.com), or subdirectory (example.com/de/) all work; URL parameters (?loc=de) are not recommended.
• Use one language per page. Google determines a page's language from its visible content, not from the lang attribute or the URL, so avoid side-by-side translations.
• Add hreflang annotations. Every version lists itself and all other versions, as HTML link tags, HTTP headers, or in the sitemap. If two pages don't point to each other, Google ignores the annotations. Use x-default for the fallback page.
• Don't redirect automatically. Google advises against automatic redirects between language versions. Suggest the matching version instead and link to the other language versions.
• Translate the whole page. Google treats localized versions as duplicates only if the main content stays untranslated.

Beyond Google's guidance, translate page titles and meta descriptions too, and research keywords for each market instead of translating English keywords literally.

Elements to consider on website

This list gives you an overview of what you need to keep an eye on when you internationalize your website:

• the text
• the date and time formats
• the unit of measurement
• the holiday seasons
• the local currency
• the methods consumers can pay with
• the way an address is written
• the local letters, symbols, grammar, etc.
• the plurals
• the phone numbers
• the privacy policy and other legal text
• the images, including their alt text
• the videos, including their captions

All information must be presented in a genuine manner so that local visitors feel it is tailored to them. Also, the website's navigation may vary, as visitors from different regions engage differently with your website. Gender-specific words are another aspect, which we do not discuss in detail here, but keep them in mind.

Understanding the language is frequently insufficient: as the CSA Research figures above show, many people will not buy from a website that is not in their language. The material must reflect all of their familiar conditions, not just the language.

Best practices

➡️ More about the topic? Check the website internationalization best practices

The article highlights effective practices for companies entering foreign markets and requiring website translation. There is a significant distinction between translation and localization. With these ideas, you may save a lot of money and time when your website goes international. Furthermore, the best practices article provides a system for translating content and managing these translations.

Examples

There are well-known examples all across the world of companies that have effectively implemented multilingual websites as part of their overall business strategy. www.tesla.com was one of the most well-known examples we checked out when we first wrote this guide in January 2023; the site may have changed since.

They offer a large number of regions from which to choose. They also adjust things like privacy policies and graphics to meet the needs of different locations. They do an excellent job of localizing their website, but it isn't perfect, and there are certain areas where they could improve.

The following findings are general areas that, in the author's view, could be improved; they are not based on a deep analysis of Tesla's situation.

First finding

In the author's opinion, the language selector is difficult to discover and therefore not well placed for a good website experience. Suggesting a region based on the visitor's location is helpful, as long as it stays a suggestion: Google advises against automatic redirects between language versions.

Second finding

In the author's opinion, although switching languages is possible, the user does not receive sufficient tailored information for their intended location. The available Tesla store locations are hidden in a bottom menu and are difficult to find. It may help to direct the user's attention to these locations, so the customer feels more at home.

Third finding

In the author's opinion, some product description information is tailored to a larger geographic area, such as Europe. It isn't specific to different areas of Europe; they used the same data across many countries. However, this may be intentional, because the effort could be excessive compared to the results. "The product speaks for itself".

The author is unable to conduct a thorough analysis of the technical localization aspects as part of this article.

Locize examples

We, at Locize localization management platform, have assisted many customers in achieving their goals with website localization. The following examples can assist you:

1) globalfinreg.com

Global Finreg localized two websites with Locize. Their CTO describes Locize as an "easy interface to administer translations", where they can control exactly what each translator sees, see which translations are missing, and split the application into separate namespaces.

2) www.redcross.ch

The Swiss Red Cross uses Locize for its headless websites. According to their Head of Web Office, the sites "can be translated into different languages within a short time".

Quality assurance

The quality check is essential for the team to measure where the project stands and to provide the right website experience. It helps you improve project milestones and refine website content. It should also include a check of whether the translations are accurate and fit the context.

AI and machine translation can produce first drafts in minutes. Quality comes from what surrounds them: a glossary and style guide for terminology and tone, translation memory for consistency, and human review before important content goes live. People should check not only the language on the website, but also its functionality and the overall site experience.

We have the following two areas of testing for localization on the web:

Language Testing

Is the language properly tested, and are all words correct and understood? Ensure consistency, since success and failure can be determined by trust. This list might be useful for testing the local language:

• Wrong use of language
• Spelling mistakes
• Words that are inappropriate or restricted in a culture
• Unreadable sentences
• Inconsistent terminology (check against your glossary)
• Grammar errors

Localization Testing

Testing the localization ensures that your various language site versions work properly. Distribute your testers across the newly targeted markets.

Check the operation of all web forms and checkout functionality, and fix any broken design. A short list you can find below:

• Check for untranslated strings
• Long website loading times
• Wrong date and time formats
• Check for truncated or broken strings
• Check different devices and browsers
• Ensure hyperlinks work, including links to the other language versions
• Test forms and checkout features

Choose the right platform

A multilingual website is typically a large undertaking, and using a well-established localization management solution will help you complete it more quickly. When choosing a platform, make sure it fits your needs. You will be able to provide a better user experience and add the right tools as a result.

➡️ Read the introduction in our docs

➡️ Create a new user account for free

➡️ Check out how to add a new project

With Locize, a localization management platform built by the creators of i18next, you can bridge the gap between translation and development. Translations are delivered via a global CDN, so updates go live without redeploying your website. AI translation (the built-in Locize AI service, or your own provider key on qualifying plans) works together with translation memory, a glossary, a style guide, and a review workflow, so drafts are fast and quality stays under control. This makes your site, app, game, or whatever project you're working on more global, particularly when you use the continuous localization features.

You can export your translations in standard formats and use them with i18next or other i18n frameworks. If you are a developer, you can also look at our step-by-step guide for JavaScript localization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Consumers clearly want websites with customized, localized content. As a result, website localization is the technical part of any company's expansion into new regions or market segments. As we have laid out, it must start from a good business strategy, which is the starting point for a solid technical implementation.

Global brands do it

As you can see from our real-world examples, well-known organizations in many industries have used website localization. As a result, you should address it as soon as possible in your company's internationalization process. It shows the commitment your organization makes to potential customers in the newly targeted area.

Users will appreciate it

Your target audience will thank you by buying your product or service. Your brand awareness in the market will grow as well, which is essential for online business success.

Use this guide

"How do I localize my website?" is easy to answer: select the right platform for your needs and plan all steps needed for the language localization in advance.

Keep it organized

The localization management platform can help you stay organized and adaptable as you move to continuous localization.

Why Locize should be your choice

• Built by the i18next team: Locize is made by the same team that created i18next.
• No redeploys: translations are served via a global CDN, so updates go live without a new release.
• AI with control: AI translation with translation memory, glossary, style guide, and review workflow.
• Transparent: pricing is public, no sales call is needed, and every account starts with a 14-day full-feature trial.

See how customers use it and what Locize offers for website localization.