Table of Contents
How Automated Translation Widgets Function
Crawlability Challenges with Client-Side Translation
The SEO Impact of Language Translation Widgets
Creating Dedicated, Optimized Subdomains or Subdirectories
Does a Language Translation Widget on Your Website Help or Hurt SEO?
There seems to be some confusion about whether using a non-enterprise level, language translation widget (via a plugin such as Translate WordPress with GTranslate) on a website helps SEO. When you add a translation tool to your website, it changes how your website looks to users. But search engines like Google see it differently. So, in this article, I will break it all down for you.
How Automated Translation Widgets Function
Website Language translation tools rely on smart tech from services like Google Translate or Neural Machine. In particular, non-enterprise level language translation widgets for websites (such as the free version of Weglot or GTranslate) often use JavaScript to dynamically swap out text in the user’s browser. Thus, when a user clicks on the language flag icon, the page displays an approximate translation of the content in their language. It’s all client-side work. That means the server sends the original page, and the browser handles the rest. In this way, no new files get created on your website.
Crawlability Challenges with Client-Side Translation
Search bots like Googlebot scan your website to build indexes. They grab the raw HTML first. If language translations happen after that via JavaScript on the client-side, it might be missed during the initial crawl and could be subject to indexing delays or accessibility issues for some bots. Thus, search engine bots do not index client-side, dynamic content reliably.
The SEO Impact of Language Translation Widgets
Indexation and Search Visibility
Search engines can render client-side, JavaScript language translated content, but often times it is difficult, not guaranteed and subject to delays. Thus, for reliable and faster indexing of all web page content, server-side rendering (SSR) or static rendering (SSG) is recommended to improve SEO.
Keyword Targeting in Translated Content
Keep in mind that search engines, particularly Google, reward use of localized terms. Server-side, language translation widgets ignore these nuances in regional slang or trends. Thus, effective SEO needs keywords that match user intent. Widgets translate words directly. “Running shoes” becomes “zapatos de correr” in Spanish. But locals search “zapatillas deportivas.” Thus, semantic gaps can hurt rankings in the SERPs.
User Experience (UX) and Bounce Rate
Non-enterprise level, client-side language translation widgets offer website visitors convenience. However, if these types of translation widgets provide poor or otherwise inaccurate translations, this can frustrate visitors and lead to higher bounce rates. Higher bounce rates can hurt your website’s search engine rankings.
Creating Dedicated, Optimized Subdomains or Subdirectories
Utilizing subdirectories or subdomains for different languages may be a smarter option. Use /fr/ for French or fr.example.com. In this way, each language gets its own optimized content. Translations done by humans, not software, that can create tailored content localization. This lets you customize keywords and meta tags per region.
Does a Language Translation Widget on Your Website Help or Hurt SEO?
It depends. Generally, yes, if you are using a non-enterprise level, client-side, language translation widget that dynamics translates within the user’s browser. By and large, no, if you are using an enterprise-level, server-side translation tool (provided the translations are accurate) that that creates dedicated URLs for each language (especially if human translated) that can be indexed by search engines such as Google.
EMAIL US