How to Translate Your Ecommerce Website: Complete Guide

Want to know how Volant boosted revenue by 39%? They went multilingual – launching their site in 11 new languages with Weglot. And they’re not alone…

‍65% of shoppers prefer buying from sites in their native language. With global ecommerce on track to hit $5.5 trillion by 2027, speaking your customers’ language is essential.

Translating your ecommerce site into another language will help you expand your business into new markets. But how do you go about translating your content to appeal to your international customers?

If you’ve never done it before, your first instinct would probably be to outsource the task to an ecommerce website translation agency.

While they use professional translators to convert your content into your target languages, they do come with their drawbacks. They can be expensive, especially if you have a large volume of content and a less common destination language.

Plus, it’ll take weeks or even months to complete the translation project as they have to translate the content manually. Not to mention all the new content and updates you’ll be making—they’ll have to translate that, too! All that will slow down your engagement and conversion with your foreign audiences.

That’s why using translation software is going to be a better option for your ecommerce store. In fact, it’s possible for you or your team to oversee the translation process of your entire ecommerce website (including the product listings) yourselves. All without racking up translation costs.

Ready to see how easy it is? Here's a quick overview of setting up Weglot on your site:

Note: Weglot is a translation tool that can translate your website into over 110+ languages. Weglot has both automatic machine translations (for speed) and manual translation services (for when you want the human touch).

{{quote-cta-banner}}

What Ecommerce Websites Need From a Translation Service

Generally speaking, here’s what your ecommerce company will need from a website translation platform:

• Fast translations: The faster you can turn your online store into a multilingual website, the faster you can start selling products to your new audience. Software excels here because it lets you do machine translations. This means you can get your ecommerce site translated in minutes, rather than weeks or months and vastly improve the user experience of your customer base. ‍
• High level of customizations: Each multilingual ecommerce site will need different things, from the pages that should be translated to the specific quality level of each translation and how many new languages they need to translate into. That requires translation technology with several features that translation agencies can’t offer.‍
• Implementation (i.e. uploads): You don’t just want your website content translated, you want it translated and put live on your site. ‍
• Ongoing additions/changes: You may want to update the copy on your product descriptions, translate user reviews, experiment with split-testing different landing pages, or add new products to your ecommerce store. This means you’ll need new content translated down the line, or you may want to go back and change previously translated content.‍
• Multilingual SEO: You want to make sure the new translated version of your site is optimized for search engines. That way, the right audience in that language will find your ecommerce store when looking for products in their native language.

When you use an ecommerce website translation solution that’s capable of all these features, translating and localizing your site becomes a much simpler task you can do yourself.

To see how easy, affordable, and customizable it is to translate your ecommerce site with software, start your 14-day free trial with Weglot today.

SEO Localization Requirements for International Success

Before we get into the how-to, let’s clear up a common misconception: SEO localization isn’t just about translating your content. If you want international customers to find you, you’ll need a well-thought-out multilingual SEO strategy behind the scenes.

International Keyword Research Fundamentals

It’s tempting to assume keywords translate neatly from one language to another, but that’s rarely the case. For instance, while "running shoes" might be zapatillas para correr in Spain, Mexican consumers are more likely to search for tenis para correr. These nuances in phrasing can significantly impact your visibility in local search results.

Here’s what you’ll need to factor in:

• Use local keyword tools to research search volume in each target market.
• Understand how people search. German users often use longer queries, while Japanese users lean towards shorter ones.
• Be aware of local competition levels; a saturated term in English might be far less competitive in Dutch.

Hreflang Implementation Essentials

Hreflang tags play a vital role in helping search engines serve the correct language version of your site to the right users. Without them, you risk duplicate content issues or worse, users landing on the wrong language page.

Weglot simplifies this by:

• Automatically adding hreflang tags to every translated page.
• Generating unique URLs for each language version.
• Structuring your site in a way that search engines can easily understand.

Local Search Engine Considerations

Google may dominate many regions, but it’s not the only game in town. If you’re targeting Russia, you’ll need to account for Yandex. In China, Baidu takes the lead. Each of these platforms has its own algorithmic preferences and technical standards.

Fortunately, Weglot is designed to adapt to those local search engine requirements automatically. That means fewer technical headaches for you, and a better chance your content gets discovered, no matter where your customers are searching.

How You Can Quickly and Accurately Translate Your Ecommerce Website With Software

Weglot is translation toolthat works with any ecommerce platform including specific setup for:

Shopify and Shopify Plus Integration

Getting started with Weglot on Shopify takes less than five minutes. Just install the app from the Shopify App Store, connect your account, and choose your languages. From product pages to checkout and customer emails, your entire store is automatically translated – no extra setup needed.

WooCommerce Translation

Running a WordPress store? Weglot’s plugin pairs effortlessly with WooCommerce, translating everything from product options to shipping details. It keeps your store fully functional while making sure every part speaks your customers’ language.

Magento Multilingual Setup

Magento’s architecture may be complex, but Weglot handles it with ease. Compatible with both Magento 1 and 2, it takes care of translating configurable products, custom attributes, and more, without disrupting your store’s advanced setup.

BigCommerce Localization

Weglot taps into BigCommerce’s powerful API to translate your entire product catalog, all while preserving your store’s custom design and features. It’s a straightforward solution for businesses that need enterprise-grade performance with hassle-free translation management.

Platform Feature Comparison

Not all platforms are created equal when it comes to translation capabilities. Here's how Weglot adapts to each.

There are 4 key things that make Weglot a great solution for translating your website:

• A website that’s translated in minutes, not days or weeks. Weglot uses automatic neural machine translation from leading providers like DeepL and Google Translate to translate your content quickly and as accurately as possible. Plus, whenever you add content to your original site, Weglot will automatically detect, translate, and update your translated websites.‍
• Translations you can edit. With Weglot, you can easily make edits to any of your translated copy on your live site (so any changes you make are automatically updated on your site). If you don’t have your own translation team, you can outsource the job to professional translators directly through your Weglot account, making your workflow effortless. ‍Plus, with translation memory built into the product, benefit from the same phrases and taglines always being translated the same way.
• Localization options. When serving a global market, it’s crucial to ensure you tailor your online store to the context of your audience, whether in Spain, China, or Germany. All to provide a top-tier customer experience and improve conversion rates. Weglot makes ecommerce localization simple through various collaboration and translation management tools, allowing you to implement your localization strategy flawlessly.
• Advanced multilingual SEO features. Weglot won’t just translate your ecommerce website, it’ll also make sure your new site is optimized for SEO to help it rank in its new language.

The Perfect Combination of Machine Translation and Human Translation

Pure human translation undoubtedly gives you the most accurate results. But it’s also expensive and time-consuming.

So, we recommend a faster and more practical method: translate your site with machine translation. Then, you can use human translators (also through Weglot if you want) as and when you need them.  

Machine translation is perfect for ecommerce stores that are constantly updating their product catalogs. When you add new content or products to your store, Weglot automatically translates it. This was a big win for Volant, a Norwegian ecommerce business that has websites in 11 languages, including French, English, German, Spanish, Norwegian, Italian, and several more.

Since using Weglot, they’ve seen a 2.4x increase in online visits. Their revenue from international markets had also jumped 39%.

They need to make regular updates across all language versions of their website, and Weglot lets them easily update and translate their 100k word website in multiple languages.

How? Weglot automatically detects new content on their original English site, and then updates all of their translated sites. A streamlined workflow for their team and an improved online shopping experience for their international customers. Easy.

To get started with Weglot, simply pick your source language (i.e. the language your site is currently in) and then pick which language you want it translated into. You can translate into as many languages as you need. We have over 110 different language options, including right-to-left languages like Arabic and Urdu, and custom languages.

Bonus Feature: Get Professional Translation Services Through Weglot

Sometimes, you’ll want a professional translator to review parts of your ecommerce site. When you do, you can easily order professional translation services through Weglot.

This is still much more affordable and faster than using an agency because you don’t need to track down a translator on your own. Plus, when the translations are ready, they’re automatically updated on your site in 24-48 hours. This cuts out a lot of manual work.

Investment and ROI: What to Expect

When you’re expanding into new markets, knowing what translation might cost, and what you’ll get back, is key. Here’s how it usually plays out depending on the size of your business:

Small Stores (Under 10,000 words)

Starting from around $15/month, this tier typically covers essential pages with basic machine translation. It’s a smart move if you’re testing international waters without going all-in. Many businesses quickly see increased conversions from overseas as a result.

"CSA Research found that 76% of online shoppers prefer to buy products with information in their native language. In addition, 40% will never buy from websites in other languages."

– CSA Press release

Growing Brands (10,000–50,000 words)

This is the sweet spot for most ecommerce businesses. Expect to spend between $50–$150/month for full catalog coverage and the ability to tailor messaging for different regions. Brands like The Bradery are already translating 500 products a day at this level, and have fully automated the process.

Enterprise Operations (50,000+ words)

For high-volume, multi-language setups, budgets usually land between $200–$500/month. But the returns can be substantial.

Want to gauge your potential return?

Here’s a quick way to estimate your monthly revenue gain:

Average order value × Expected monthly international orders × Conversion rate uplift (typically 20–40%) = Monthly revenue gain.

If your revenue gain ends up being 3x your translation spend (or more) you’re in the profit zone.

Optimize Your Translated Website for SEO

It’s not just your content you need to translate, but your on-page SEO, too. These include alt tags, meta descriptions, and meta titles. If you outsource your translation, you’ll have to remember to send all that, too.

But that’s just one small part of optimizing your translated site for SEO. It’s not enough for a significant boost in rankings in your different locations.

With Weglot, we have built-in SEO functionality that will help your ecommerce website rank in its new language. For example:

• We automatically create unique URLs for each translated version of your ecommerce site. These are called subdomains or subdirectories. For example, weglot.com is our English site, while weglot.com/de/ is our German site. You (and search engines) can tell it's German by the “DE” in the URL. This helps your German-speaking customers know they’re in the right place, and it also tells the search engines that your translated site is meant for German speakers.

• We add tags in your source code that tell Google you have other different translated versions of your site. When Google looks at your site, it’ll see code that tells it you also have other translated versions of your store. This helps Google recommend your site to the right people based on search queries.

By helping your site with SEO, Weglot increases the likelihood that your translated site will reach a wider audience online.

Just take a look at The Bradery, a French ecommerce website that uses Weglot to translate over 500 new products each day. Speed was of utmost priority to translate such a large volume of content each day, and doing all of it manually was simply out of the question.

They saved hundreds of hours by translating their site with Weglot. The English translations were high-quality enough to leave alone, but as the Spanish market was a key one for the company, they had their small Spain-based team take advantage of Weglot’s post-editing features.

After Polaar, another French ecommerce company, translated their site into 2 languages with Weglot, their organic US traffic doubled. The speed and automation that Weglot gave them definitely amplified their online presence—it was precious time saved that translated into higher visibility.

For example, one of our customers is Ron Dorff, a French-Swedish sportswear brand. They used Weglot to translate their French site into German and English. Since translating their huge catalog of 150 products, they’ve seen a 70% increase in international sales. And a lot of that traffic is coming from search engines.

Because Ron Dorff used Weglot to translate their site, they get the right kind of multilingual visibility. So, when a French-speaking customer searches “Ron Dorff Dad t-shirt” in Google, they automatically get taken to the French site, while a German-speaking visitor will get sent to the German site.

Common Implementation Mistakes to Avoid

Even with top-tier tools, ecommerce translation can get messy without the right approach. Here are the most common pitfalls we’ve come across, and how Weglot helps you steer clear of them.

Translation Quality Mistakes

Relying solely on machine translation, without review, is a gamble. Today’s AI tools are powerful, but some content calls for a human touch:

• Product names and slogans often include brand nuances or wordplay that don’t translate well.
• Legal content and warranties need to be exact. There’s no room for ambiguity.
• Marketing copy should feel natural in the target culture, not just translated word-for-word.

How Weglot helps: Use our visual editor to tweak translations directly in context. For business-critical content, you can order expert human translations with just a few clicks. Need to control how specific terms appear? Weglot’s glossary feature lets you define exactly how certain words should – or shouldn’t – be translated.

Technical Setup Issues

A single missed tag or untranslated element can cause major issues – think broken checkouts or poor international SEO. Common trouble spots include:

• Skipped hreflang tags.
• URL slugs left untranslated.
• Meta descriptions missing in target languages.
• Incomplete checkout flows that confuse customers.

Weglot’s solution: We handle hreflang tags automatically, detect dynamic content site-wide, and offer hands-on support to ensure everything works smoothly.

Cultural Missteps

Going global means more than just translating text. It’s about understanding local expectations:

• Preferred payment methods vary (e.g. Western markets often favor direct debit or bank transfers, while in Japan, konbini payments are expected).
• Holidays and seasonal shopping habits differ by region.
• Images and visuals need to resonate with local audiences.

With Weglot, you can easily tailor images and content by language, adapt messaging for different markets, and integrate with local payment systems.

Regional Compliance: Don’t Get Caught Off Guard

Expanding into new markets is great. Just don’t let compliance trip you up. Weglot takes care of the translations, but there are a few local rules you’ll need to keep on your radar:

• EU markets: GDPR is a must. That means your privacy policy and cookie notices need to be properly translated and legally reviewed. Weglot will translate them, but it’s worth having a lawyer give them a final check.
  
  
• China: It’s not just about switching to simplified Chinese. You’ll need an ICP license to operate legally, and your product descriptions must meet strict labeling rules, especially if you’re selling imported goods.
  
  
• Middle East: Languages like Arabic require right-to-left formatting, but that's just the start. Local customs vary widely, so be sure your content is culturally appropriate – what plays well in the UAE might not in Saudi Arabia.

Pro tip: Begin with regions that share regulatory similarities with your home market. Expanding from the US to Canada or from France to Belgium is usually smoother than diving straight into a highly regulated market.

Ready to Roll? Here's Your 4-Week Plan:

Week 1: Get Set Up

• Install Weglot on your ecommerce platform.
• Choose target languages based on your market insights.
• Review the homepage and top product pages for translation quality.

Weeks 2–3: Refine

• Polish product and marketing copy.
• Set translation rules to keep brand language consistent.
• Order professional translations for your most important content.

Week 4: Launch & Learn

• Go live with your multilingual site.
• Track traffic, conversions, and behaviour by language.
• Collect customer feedback to guide future tweaks.

And the best part? You can try all this risk-free with Weglot’s 14-day free trial – plenty of time to see impact before choosing a plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to translate an entire ecommerce site?

The first pass takes just minutes. As soon as you install Weglot and choose your languages, your entire site is automatically translated. From there, it’s about fine-tuning. Most teams spend a week or two polishing key pages and product descriptions before going live.

Will translated content affect my SEO rankings?

In a good way, yes. Translated pages unlock new search markets and don’t compete with your original content. Weglot creates dedicated URLs for each language and adds hreflang tags to help search engines serve the right version. Many sites see their organic traffic grow significantly after adding a new language.

What if I’m switching from another translation tool?

No problem. Weglot supports migration from platforms like WPML and Polylang and can import your existing translations. The process is smooth, and our team helps ensure your SEO rankings stay intact. Your translated URLs won’t change, so your search visibility remains steady.

How reliable is machine translation for product descriptions?

Machine translation is around 85% accurate for most ecommerce content. Things like specs, dimensions, and standard features usually translate well. For anything with a brand voice, like taglines or playful copy, you can now use Weglot AI to create your own language model. The model learns your brand identity through your translation edits, to generate automatic translations that match your tone and style.

Can I translate just parts of my site?

Yes, you’re in full control. You can start with a few bestsellers, a specific category, or even just your homepage. Use Weglot’s URL rules to include or exclude content based on your goals. Many brands start small, then scale once they see traction.

What about customer support in other languages?

Weglot handles your front-end content, but support is a separate consideration. A common starting point is translating FAQ pages and automating responses to common questions (Weglot can help there too). As you grow in a region, it may be worth adding native-speaking support hours or working with local partners.

How do I decide which languages to add first?

Start with your data. Check your analytics to see where your traffic is coming from, and where people are dropping off. High bounce rates from specific regions often signal a language gap. Also consider where you can ship and take payments. If you can’t support a market operationally, it’s best to wait before localizing for it.

Next Steps: Translate Your Ecommerce Website with Weglot (Free Trial)

For fast-moving ecommerce sites looking to grow, time is of the essence. And with Weglot, you don’t have to sacrifice quality for speed—you can have both.

When you use Weglot to handle your ecommerce translation, you get:

• Fast, high-quality machine translations. In just minutes your ecommerce site can go multilingual, and with our AI language model, you can train a custom model based on your brand’s tone.‍
• Translations you can edit. You can manually edit your translations, either with your own team or with professional translators sourced through Weglot.‍
• SEO features for your newly-translated site. Weglot’s multilingual SEO features will help your translated sites rank in the right search engine and in front of potential customers.
• Lower translation costs. Weglot uses DeepL, Microsoft Translator, and Google Translate to provide a first layer of automatic translation. That eliminates the need to outsource your entire translation project to a professional or an agency, which could quickly become expensive. On the other hand, you can also order professional translations from the Weglot Dashboard for sentences and pages that definitely need a human touch.
• Customer support. Weglot has been translating websites since 2016, and we’ve built a dedicated support team to handle any technical questions and queries.

Ready to join over 111,000 websites already using Weglot? Start your 14-day free trial today and discover why leading brands like Microsoft, IBM, and Steve Madden rely on us to power their global reach.