A multilingual website is about more than translating a few pages. It is about making sure people can navigate, understand and use a website comfortably, wherever they are and whatever language they speak.
For businesses looking to reach audiences in different countries, website localisation plays an important role in that experience. It can influence everything from navigation and content structure to currency, product information and the way visitors move through a booking or enquiry process.
We’ve brought together ten website examples worth exploring, including five projects from Smart Web Agency. Each offers a different perspective on reaching international audiences, adapting digital experiences and making websites work across markets.
1. Love Paper
Smart Web Agency project
Love Paper is a good example of how a website can make a subject feel approachable without losing the information behind it. The site brings together topics such as learning, forestry, recycling, packaging and lifestyle, giving visitors different ways to explore the benefits and uses of paper.
What makes it interesting from a localisation perspective is the way the website serves different regional audiences. Love Paper has country and regional versions, including the UK, North America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and several other markets. That matters because an international audience may need more than a direct translation. Regional content and the way information is presented can make the experience feel more relevant to local visitors.
What to take from it: Think about how your content needs to change for different markets. A well-localised website should help visitors find information that feels relevant to where they are, not simply show them the same page in another language.
2. Airbnb
Airbnb is a useful example because its user experience depends on people feeling comfortable making decisions in unfamiliar places. Visitors need to understand listings, compare prices, communicate with hosts and complete bookings, often while travelling internationally.
The platform allows users to change their preferred browsing language and choose a payment currency. Hosts can also add listing descriptions in additional languages, helping guests discover properties and experiences in the language they understand. Airbnb says its service is used in more than 60 languages.
It is a reminder that localisation should reach beyond the homepage. If a visitor can browse in their preferred language but struggles to understand a listing or complete a booking, the experience is still incomplete.
What to take from it: Look at the full customer journey. Translate the information people need at each stage, especially product details, forms, payment information and confirmation messages.
3. Gear4music
Smart Web Agency project
For an international online retailer, localisation has a direct impact on whether someone feels ready to make a purchase. Gear4music demonstrates this through its country-specific websites, language options and local currencies.
The company operates websites across multiple markets, with support for languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Polish and others. Its own corporate website describes a platform operating across 21 websites, 15 languages and nine currencies.
The useful detail here is how language and currency work together. A shopper needs to understand the product, but they also need to see prices and delivery information that make sense for their location. Gear4music's country and language selection helps visitors reach the relevant version of the store.
What to take from it: If your website sells internationally, plan localisation around the whole shopping experience. Language, currency, delivery information and regional product availability should work together rather than being treated as separate additions.
4. IKEA
IKEA shows why localisation is not simply a matter of translating the same website for everyone. Its global website directs visitors towards country-specific stores, where they can choose from the languages available in that market.
The experience is practical. Someone visiting IKEA in the UAE, for example, may need Arabic or English, while visitors in Switzerland can access several language options. The local websites also help customers find relevant stores, services and shopping information.
This approach makes sense for a retailer whose products, delivery options and services can vary from one country to another. A single global storefront would not necessarily answer the questions customers have in every market.
What to take from it: Consider whether your website needs separate regional experiences rather than one universal version. Different markets may require changes to product information, services, navigation and language, not just translated text.
5. GeoPura
Smart Web Agency project
GeoPura's website gives visitors the option to browse in English, Italian or German. For a business working in the clean energy and hydrogen technology sector, this is an important part of making specialist information accessible to audiences across different markets.
The language selector is positioned prominently in the website's header, making it easy to find without interrupting the browsing experience. Visitors can choose their preferred language while exploring the company's products, hydrogen generator technology, industry sectors and case studies.
It's a simple feature, but an important one. When a business operates across international markets, visitors should be able to understand its services and technical information in a language they are comfortable with.
What to take from it: Make language selection visible and easy to use. For businesses offering specialist products or services, translating technical information can help build understanding and make the website more accessible to international audiences.
6. Al Ain Future Business Forum
https://alainfuturebusinessforum.com/
Smart Web Agency project
The Al Ain Future Business Forum website is designed to introduce an international business event and help visitors explore its purpose, themes and opportunities for participation.
As a forum bringing together business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, communicating with an international audience is an important consideration. Its multilingual setup reflects the need to make event information accessible to visitors from different language backgrounds.
Although the website is currently not loading, it remains a relevant Smart Web Agency example for this article. Its multilingual approach highlights how event websites can serve audiences beyond their immediate location and make key information easier to access.
What to take from it: If your website is promoting an international event, consider the language needs of your attendees from the beginning. Important information such as the event programme, registration details, venue information and participation requirements should be accessible to the audiences you want to reach.
7. World Health Organization (WHO)
The WHO website is a strong example of multilingual content being treated as part of the organisation's wider communication strategy, rather than as a technical feature added at the end of a project.
The organisation works with six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Its multilingual website provides essential information across these languages, while some technical content is published in selected languages depending on audience needs and the subject.
That last point is particularly interesting. It shows that multilingual websites do not always need every page translated into every available language. The content strategy can take into account who needs the information, what the information is about and how urgently it needs to reach people.
What to take from it: Build a language strategy around your audience and your content. Decide which pages need full translation, which resources are most important in each market and how visitors will find the right version.
8. Emirates
Emirates is a particularly relevant example for businesses with an international customer base. Its website supports visitors across different language markets, making important travel information and online services more accessible.
The scale is worth noting. Emirates reported that its website content was available in 28 languages, while its mobile app supported 19 languages. Those figures were reported in 2023, so they should be treated as published figures rather than a confirmed current language count.
For an airline, language support is closely connected to usability. Customers need to search for flights, manage bookings, check travel information and understand the services available to them. These are tasks where clarity matters, especially when someone is planning an international journey.
What to take from it: Prioritise the parts of your website where language has the biggest effect on customer confidence. For a service business, that might be booking, payment, account management or support.
9. World Federation of the Deaf 2027
Smart Web Agency project
The World Federation of the Deaf 2027 Congress website brings another important consideration into the conversation: accessibility.
The event is intended to bring together the global deaf community in Abu Dhabi. Its website communicates the purpose of the Congress, provides information about the venue and programme, and guides visitors towards registration and participation.
The Congress identifies four official languages: Spoken English, Spoken Arabic, Emirati Sign Language and International Sign. This is an important distinction. Sign languages are not simply visual versions of spoken languages, and making a website accessible to deaf visitors involves more than translating written content.
For a project like this, the overall experience needs to consider how information is communicated and how visitors with different access needs can participate.
What to take from it: Multilingual website planning should consider accessibility from the beginning. Think beyond written translation and consider sign-language content, accessible media, clear navigation and straightforward registration journeys.
10. Squarespace
Squarespace is an interesting final example because it approaches multilingual websites from the website-building side. Its platform provides options for creating websites in more than one language, including an integration with Weglot.
With this integration, translated versions can be made available through a language switcher in the website header. Visitors can select their preferred language, while site owners can manage and edit translations through Weglot.
There is an important detail here: changing the built-in site language is not the same as translating all the content a business creates. Page copy, product descriptions and other written content still need to be translated and reviewed. Squarespace also provides a manual approach for building multilingual sites, although it comes with some limitations.
What to take from it: Choose a multilingual setup that suits the way your website is managed. Think about how translations will be updated, who will review them and whether the structure can support additional languages as your business grows
11. Two Sides
Smart Web Agency project
Two Sides is a global initiative that promotes the sustainability and appeal of print, paper and paper-based packaging. Its website has an important communication role: explaining a specialist subject to different audiences, addressing common misconceptions and making useful information easy to explore.
The homepage organises its content into clear themes, including Myths & Facts, Love Paper, Anti-Greenwash and Packaging Facts. This gives visitors several straightforward ways into the subject, whether they are looking for evidence, learning about paper packaging or exploring the organisation's campaigns. The wider initiative also works across multiple international regions, so clear messaging and an accessible content structure are important to reaching audiences beyond a single market.
For a website communicating technical or industry-specific information, this kind of structure helps prevent visitors from being overwhelmed. It gives each topic its own place while keeping the organisation's overall message consistent.
What to take from it: When planning a website for different markets, organise information around the questions your audiences are likely to have. Clear content categories and consistent messaging make it easier to adapt information for different regions and language needs.
What makes a multilingual website work?
Looking through these examples, one thing becomes clear: there is no single way to build a multilingual website. Some businesses use separate country-specific websites, while others provide language switchers, translated content or localised shopping and booking experiences.
The right approach depends on the business, its audience and the kind of information visitors need.
- Understand your audience: Identify the countries and language groups you want to reach. Don't add languages simply because they are available.
- Plan your website structure: Decide whether you need separate regional websites, language-specific URLs or a translation integration.
- Localise more than the text: Currency, dates, contact details, imagery, product information and cultural references can all affect the experience.
- Make language selection easy: Visitors should be able to find the language switcher without searching through the website.
- Review the translated experience: Check navigation, forms, buttons, mobile layouts and longer translated text. Some languages take up more space than others.
- Consider accessibility and SEO: Make sure visitors and search engines can identify the correct language version, and that your content remains accessible across devices.
Planning a multilingual website?
A successful localisation project starts with understanding the people who will use the website. Translation is an important part of that process, but the structure, content and overall user experience need just as much attention.
At Smart Web Agency, we work with businesses and organisations to create professional websites that communicate clearly, support their goals and deliver a strong user experience. Based in Kent, our team brings together web design, development and digital expertise to build high-performing digital experiences.
If you're planning to take your website into new markets, we'd be happy to help you make the experience work for your audience.
