How to Choose Target Languages for Your Website Using Data

Global digital growth continues to accelerate, yet most businesses still overlook one of the easiest ways to expand their reach: speaking their audience’s language. Around 75% of internet users don’t have English as their first language, but only about 5% of websites offer content in more than one. This leaves a massive opportunity for companies ready to invest in multilingual SEO and localization.

The payoff can be significant. Research shows that brands providing localized experiences can see conversion rate increases of up to 70% and, in some cases, even double their online sales. Offering content in users’ native languages also builds trust, reduces bounce rate, and improves engagement, which are key signals that search engines increasingly reward.

From a technical standpoint, Google recommends using unique URLs, proper hreflang tags, and localized metadata to manage multilingual and multi-regional sites. See Google’s multilingual and multi-regional site guidance for details. Translating your website is not just a branding decision; it is a strategic SEO move that unlocks new markets, organic visibility, and long-term revenue growth.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to choose the best target languages for your website using data, from a multilingual SEO expert’s perspective. We’ll explore how to assess your existing metrics, research market potential, evaluate ROI by language, validate with real tests, and plan your localization rollout step by step.

Start with your goal

Every multilingual SEO strategy should begin with a clear, measurable objective. Translation without direction can lead to wasted effort and unclear ROI. Define what success looks like before deciding which languages to target.

Start by completing this sentence:
“We’re translating to increase by %.”

Then, identify your top one or two outcomes. These could include:

• Revenue growth from new markets
• Lead generation in international regions
• Higher signup rates from non-English users
• Improved self-service in support content
• Broader brand visibility or awareness

Once you have defined your goals, document your constraints. Consider:

• Budget: How much can you invest initially, and what is your expected payback period?
• Team bandwidth: Do you have internal resources for multilingual SEO, or will you rely on a localization partner?
• Timeline: Are you targeting a seasonal launch, campaign, or product expansion?

Setting these boundaries upfront ensures your data-driven analysis of target languages is both realistic and aligned with your overall business objectives. By knowing what you aim to achieve and what resources you can dedicate, you can prioritize markets that will yield the most tangible returns.

Gather quick data you already have

Before looking outward, start with the information already available inside your analytics and business tools. This data reveals where your website is attracting attention from non-English users and where the biggest growth opportunities may lie.

Web analytics

• Review your analytics platform to find the top countries, languages, and regions driving traffic and conversions.
• Identify which pages receive the most visits from users whose browser or device language is not English.
• Note conversion rates by country or language to understand where translation might have the greatest impact.

Search demand

• In Google Search Console, export queries by country to see what people are searching for before landing on your site.
• Use keyword tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google Keyword Planner to check the local search volume for your main terms in other languages.
• Compare intent and difficulty to see where keyword translation could produce high-quality traffic.

Revenue and pipeline

• From your CRM or billing tool, pull data showing orders, deals, or subscriptions by country or region.
• Look for high-performing regions where language may be a barrier to further growth.

Product and support data

• Check active user counts by locale to understand where your product is already gaining traction.
• Review support tickets by language or country to identify markets where localized help content could reduce costs.

Tip: If you only have time for one analysis, export your traffic and conversions by country and combine that with your top search queries by region. This will give you a quick snapshot of where translation could drive measurable results.

Add simple market context

Once you have gathered your internal data, add external market insights to understand where your potential audience is both active and valuable. Combining internal and external data helps you make a balanced decision rather than relying on traffic volume alone.

Size and spend

• Look up population size, internet usage, and GDP per capita for your top-performing countries.
• Consider the overall market maturity, online purchasing behavior, and digital adoption rate.
• Check if the market aligns with your product or service type. For example, a country with a high GDP per capita may support higher pricing models.

Competition

• Visit competitor websites to see which languages they offer and how deeply they have localized their content.
• Use SEO tools such as Ahrefs or SimilarWeb to analyze competitors’ keyword rankings and backlinks by region.
• Identify language markets where competitors have not yet built a strong online presence.

Practical fit

• Check for any legal or regulatory requirements that could affect your localization plans.
• Confirm whether you can support key logistics such as local payment options, shipping, or customer service.
• Take note of country-specific holidays, cultural differences, and content sensitivities that could influence your campaigns.

Adding these market context layers allows you to see not only where people are already engaging with your site but also where it makes practical and financial sense to expand next.

Make a short list

After combining your internal data with market context, you will likely have several promising options. The next step is to narrow your focus to a manageable list of languages with the strongest potential.

Group by language

• Combine countries that share a common language when it makes sense. For example, Spanish can serve multiple markets such as Mexico, Spain, and parts of Latin America.
• Consider dialect and regional differences before merging markets. Local variants may require specific terminology or cultural references.

Keep three to five options

• Focus on the languages that show the highest combination of search potential, conversion opportunity, and operational feasibility.
• For each option, write down two short notes:
  • Why it could win: Examples include high search volume, strong conversion data, or low competition.
  • What might block it: Examples include limited internal support, complex localization needs, or legal challenges.

By creating a focused short list, you can avoid spreading your resources too thin. This allows you to analyze each language in depth and move forward with the ones most likely to generate measurable business impact.

Score your options with a one-page sheet

Once you have your short list of potential languages, evaluate each one using a simple scoring framework. Create a table with rows for each language or market and columns for the factors that matter most. Assign a score from 1 to 5 for each column, apply weights, and total the results.

Add the weighted scores to calculate a total for each language. Sort the results from highest to lowest. This gives you a clear, defensible ranking of language markets to pursue first.

Do quick validation

Before you commit to fully localizing your website, run small, data-backed tests to confirm that the languages you scored highly truly deliver results. Validation helps you avoid large upfront costs while gathering performance data that supports your decisions.

Test landing pages

Create one localized landing page per top language with your main offer. Use proper hreflang tags and localized metadata. Measure impressions, click-through rate, and conversion rate against your English baseline.

Paid campaign testing

Run a short paid campaign in each target country to drive around 200 to 500 qualified visits. Monitor ad CTR, on-page engagement, and conversions to identify which language performs best.

Support and help content

Translate two or three high-value support articles and track whether this reduces ticket volume or improves satisfaction among users from that region.

Native speaker feedback

Ask a few native speakers to review your translated messaging and design. Have them rate clarity, tone, and cultural fit to ensure that your brand message feels authentic in the target language.

Success in these quick tests looks like higher click-through rates, similar or better conversion rates than English users from the same country, and noticeable improvements in support efficiency.

The results will help you decide which languages are worth expanding into full localization and which ones might not yet be ready for deeper investment.

Decide on depth for each language

Once you have validated your top language options, decide how deeply to localize each one. Not every market needs a full translation immediately. By defining levels of localization, you can align investment with results and scale as performance grows.

Level 1: Basics

Translate only your essential, high-impact pages such as:

• Homepage
• Top landing pages
• Pricing page
• Contact forms

This level focuses on visibility and early conversions while keeping translation costs low.

Level 2: Growth

Expand localization to include more touchpoints and user support materials, such as:

• Documentation or help center articles
• Onboarding emails and guides
• Key blog posts or SEO-driven content

This level helps you build trust and retain users once initial traction is proven.

Level 3: Full experience

Offer a completely localized experience that feels native to users. This can include:

• Product interface and in-app elements
• Legal pages and billing flows
• Customer communications and email automation
• Marketing campaigns and ads

Choose Level 1 for the top one or two languages with the best validation results. Move to Level 2 once you start seeing consistent growth in traffic and conversions. Reserve Level 3 for proven markets where localization has a clear and sustainable return on investment.

Plan a simple rollout

With your chosen languages and localization levels defined, it is time to plan your rollout. A phased approach helps you move quickly, manage quality, and measure impact before scaling.

Wave 1: First 30 days

• Translate Level 1 pages for your top language.
• Implement hreflang tags and localized meta titles and descriptions.
• Set up analytics to track sessions, conversions, and revenue by language.

Wave 2: Next 30 to 60 days

• Expand Level 1 translations to your second language or deepen the first language to Level 2.
• Translate key blog posts or product pages that show high organic potential.
• Launch localized marketing campaigns or paid tests to accelerate visibility.

Wave 3: After review

• Assess the results of the first two waves to identify the strongest-performing languages.
• Move proven languages to Level 3 or add one or two new languages based on updated scoring.
• Refine workflows, translation memory, and glossary for smoother updates.

A staged rollout ensures you build multilingual SEO strength step by step. It also gives you time to identify which markets are growing fastest and where to allocate your future localization budget most effectively.

Measure what matters

Once your localized content is live, set up clear tracking to measure performance. The goal is to see how each language contributes to your overall business metrics, not just traffic growth.

Weekly metrics

• Sessions and unique visitors by language
• Conversion rate for localized pages compared with the English version
• Revenue or leads generated by each language
• Organic clicks and rankings from Google Search Console

Monthly metrics

• Support ticket volume and deflection rate by language
• Retention, repeat purchase rate, or lifetime value of localized users
• Engagement metrics such as time on page, bounce rate, and scroll depth

Evaluate performance over time

Do not rely on short-term results. Look for steady growth trends that indicate a healthy market response. If a language maintains consistent engagement and conversion levels, it likely deserves deeper investment.

Use these insights to decide whether to scale, hold, or stop. Scaling means expanding to more content or deeper localization levels. Holding allows you to maintain what is working while observing results. Stopping helps you reallocate resources to more promising opportunities.

By focusing on the right performance indicators, you can ensure that your multilingual SEO strategy continues to deliver measurable business value.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Even with a strong multilingual SEO strategy, a few common mistakes can slow progress or reduce ROI. Being aware of these pitfalls helps you maintain quality and efficiency throughout your localization process.

Translating everything at once

Translating your entire website immediately can lead to wasted time and budget. Focus first on high-impact pages that drive conversions, leads, or revenue.

Treating one language as one market

Languages like Spanish, French, or Arabic serve multiple regions, each with its own cultural and linguistic nuances. For example, Spanish for Spain differs significantly from Spanish for Mexico or Argentina. Always localize terminology, tone, and imagery to match regional expectations.

Ignoring keyword localization

Directly translating English keywords often fails to capture local search intent. Always perform localized keyword research to identify how people in the target market actually search for your product or service.

Skipping technical SEO basics

Make sure your multilingual setup includes correct character encoding, currencies, date formats, and address structures. Proper hreflang tags, canonicalization, and sitemaps are essential to avoid duplicate content and ensure search engines display the right version to each audience.

Forgetting maintenance

Localization is not a one-time project. Schedule regular updates with every new product release or website change to keep translated pages accurate and aligned with your brand voice.

Avoiding these common pitfalls will help your multilingual website perform better in both user experience and search visibility across all target markets.

Tools that make this easy

Managing multilingual SEO and localization requires the right set of tools to handle research, tracking, translation, and automation efficiently. The right combination can help you scale faster and maintain quality across multiple languages.

Analytics and search tools

• Google Analytics 4: Track sessions, conversions, and engagement by language and region.
• Google Search Console: Analyze search performance, impressions, and clicks by country or language.
• Ahrefs, Semrush, or Sistrix: Perform localized keyword research and monitor competitors’ rankings.
• Google Keyword Planner: Estimate search volume and CPC data in multiple markets.

Market data sources

• World Bank Open Data: Check GDP per capita, internet usage, and demographic insights.
• Statista or IMF Data: Evaluate e-commerce potential and digital adoption by country.
• SimilarWeb: Compare traffic sources, audience behavior, and engagement metrics across competitors.

Workflow and localization tools

• Translation Management Systems (TMS) with translation memory and glossaries to maintain consistency.
• CMS connectors or APIs to automate content delivery and updates between your website and translators.
• QA and review tools for managing linguistic and SEO checks before publishing.

By integrating these tools into your workflow, you can manage multilingual SEO more effectively, reduce manual tasks, and maintain brand quality as you scale your global content.

Why we at MotaWord make a great partner once you have chosen your target languages

We understand that once you have identified your target languages, you are ready to execute, and that is where we step in. At MotaWord, we provide an end-to-end localization solution designed with multilingual SEO in mind. Our human-first translation platform is supported by advanced technology, allowing you to scale efficiently without sacrificing brand voice or SEO quality.

We deliver fast and scalable human translation through a network of thousands of native translators, helping you expand quickly and confidently. We also provide SEO-optimized translation and localization, as explained in our article The benefits of implementing multilingual SEO are clear. We understand that simply translating words is not enough.

Our workflow includes translation memory, glossaries, human review, and quality assurance to maintain tone and keyword consistency across languages. You get transparent pricing with no hidden minimums, so you only pay for what matters. Our platform also integrates with your content management and marketing tools through connectors and APIs, such as the MotaWord Translations connector, making localization seamless.

We also provide continuous localization support, ready for updates, product launches, or content expansions without restarting from scratch. As our article Localization of your website increases traffic and conversions explains, localization is not just about the initial translation but about long-term growth.

How to set up with us

1. Share your brief with us, including target languages, audiences, tone, and key pages.
2. Provide your brand glossary and style guide, even if it is an early draft.
3. Prioritize your Level 1 pages, such as the homepage, landing pages, pricing, and contact page,s for an initial quick win.
4. Connect your CMS or repository to automate the translation and publishing process.
5. Launch a pilot project in one language, analyze performance, and then expand strategically.

By working with us, you gain a localization partner who understands multilingual SEO, scalable translation, and data-driven growth, ensuring every localized version of your website performs at its full potential.

Copy and reuse this checklist

To keep your multilingual SEO project organized and aligned with business goals, use this quick checklist as a reference throughout your process. It summarizes every key step from strategy to execution so you can monitor progress and ensure consistency.

• Goal written and success metric chosen
• Top countries and search queries exported
• Market checks added for size, competition, and practical fit
• Short list created and scored on one page
• Validation tests run with real traffic
• Depth level chosen per language
• Rollout plan set with waves and owners
• Measurement and reporting set up by language
• MotaWord selected and briefed with glossary, style guide, and page priorities

Following this checklist will help you make smarter localization decisions, minimize wasted effort, and build a multilingual website that attracts qualified visitors and converts them effectively.

By keeping the scope small at first and expanding where the data and customer response guide you, you can create a sustainable multilingual SEO strategy that delivers long-term value.

Frequently Asked Questions About Multilingual SEO

1. Does translating your site affect SEO?

Yes, translating your website can improve SEO when done properly. Each translated version helps your site rank for localized keywords and reach audiences who search in their native language. Make sure translations are accurate and optimized, and use hreflang tags so search engines know which version to show. High-quality, localized content can boost traffic, engagement, and conversions across multiple markets.

2. Is it worth it to translate my website into multiple languages?

It depends on your audience and business goals, but for most global-minded companies, the answer is yes. If your analytics show traffic from non-English-speaking regions, localization can drive measurable growth in leads and sales. Start small by targeting two or three languages with the highest potential, validate results, and scale from there.

3. How do you handle SEO when translating your site into many languages (10 or more)?

Scaling multilingual SEO takes planning and consistency. At MotaWord, we have translated our own website into more than six languages. It was a challenge to maintain consistency and SEO structure across all versions, but it has significantly increased our traffic and expanded our reach in markets like Canada, Turkey, and parts of Europe. The key is to use translation memory, glossaries, and technical SEO best practices to manage quality at scale.

4. Would translating my site into 50 or more languages suddenly help traffic?

Not right away. Translating into many languages at once will not guarantee instant results. Search engines need time to index new pages, and translation quality plays a huge role in how well translations are received by users. Poor translations can reduce trust and engagement, while high-quality localization improves conversion and retention. Another important factor is that keywords rarely translate directly. People around the world search differently, using unique phrases, questions, and idioms in their own languages. Successful multilingual SEO requires researching localized search intent and adapting your content so it truly matches how people in each region look for information online. Quality and relevance always outperform quantity in multilingual SEO.

How to Turn Data into Global Growth with MotaWord

Selecting the right languages for your website is more than a translation choice; it is a strategic move that can expand your global reach and drive measurable business growth. When guided by data, multilingual SEO becomes a precise, results-oriented process rather than a guessing game.

Begin by defining your goals and understanding your current performance. Combine insights from analytics, keyword data, and revenue sources with external market research to discover where your content has the strongest opportunity. Validate your language options through testing before scaling into full localization.

At MotaWord, we help businesses transform this process into a streamlined and scalable workflow. Our platform connects expert linguists, translation memory, and real-time collaboration tools to deliver accurate, SEO-ready translations that rank and convert.

By working with MotaWord, you gain more than a translation provider. You gain a partner who understands how data, language, and SEO work together to unlock global growth. Start small, stay analytical, and let localized content powered by MotaWord help you capture audiences around the world.