Create a multilingual website with a multisite approach and increase reach

One multilingual website is far more than a „nice-to-have“ today. For many organisations – especially in Education, health and public services – she means above all: Access, trust, and measurably more reach. And that's not just internationally, but very specifically local.

how significant the leverage can be, our current Case Study with the First Aid School Berlin.The target group consists of professionals, parents, and
Carers with very different linguistic backgrounds. The aim was
Not „expansion“, but better accessibility for the Berlin community.

We have a for that multilingual website implemented, content localised, booking processes linguistically simplified – and even a welcome video dubbed into several languages. The result: significantly higher range, localised SEO, fewer barriers and a clear USP in the market.

What does „multilingual website“ mean in practice?

A multilingual (localised) Website provides content in several languages – users select the appropriate language and receive information Understandable and consistent.

In the case of the first aid school, this was crucial because many potential participants Not perfect German speak. The challenge: content must not only be translated but also adapted so that it Understood, will do. become (especially with course content and emergency reference).

Our task in the project:

• Building a website in multiple languages (including German, English, Turkish, Arabic...)
• Translation and quality assurance of all course pages
• Simplification of language-critical booking steps
• Synchronization of welcome videos by language (dubbing + integration per language version)
• Culturally appropriate image and text language

We will use this case study as a concrete example going forward, as it shows how multilingualism works in everyday life.

Why a multilingual website is also worthwhile locally

Many people immediately think of „global markets“ when they hear multilingualism. In reality, the biggest impact is often right on your doorstep.

In cities, there are large target audiences with Turkish, Arabic, Ukrainian, Polish, or English background. If a website is only available in German, it automatically creates a barrier and, consequently, a real conversion killer.

The effects in the project:

• Reach more people (more visibility in multiple languages)
• less uncertainty („I understand the course structure and content.“)
• More bookings through better understanding and trust

Multilingualism isn't „nice“ in such cases, but Competitive advantage.

Step 1: Understand the target audience and prioritise languages sensibly

The most important question isn't: „Which languages are cool?“ but: What languages does your target audience really need?

At the first aid school, we did a small but clean analysis for this:

• Which languages do enquirers actually speak?
• Which languages are particularly relevant for course and emergency information?
• Where are the hurdles in the current booking process?

Among the priorities at the end were, among others. German, English, Arabic, Turkish, Croatian, Polish, Hindi, Spanish, Vietnamese and Portuguese.

Important: Dear start with the most relevant languages and later expand, rather than implement everything halfway finished at once.

Step 2: Plan the technical implementation as a multisite or multilingual setup

So that a multilingual website really works cleanly, it requires a clear structure and this is exactly where the MultisiteThought into the game.

Depending on the CMS and objective, a multilingual setup could look like this, for example:

• a website with language versions (e.g. via plugin / language layer)
• or a Multisite Setup, where language pages are organised as separate instances (sensible depending on requirements)

Crucially, URL structure, maintenance effort, SEO, and workflows must align.

Tool selection: suitable for the CMS and content sensitivity

There are various ways: from automated translations to professional workflows. Tools such as WPML (WordPress) or Weglot making integration easier.

In this project, we (due to the existing WordPress setup) worked with WPML worked and on manually quality-assured localisation set.

Why? Because course information and emergency contexts sensitive are – machine translation is not enough here. It needs Linguistic precision.

Step 3: Translation is not enough – localisation makes the difference

A strong multilingual website is not created by „copy-pasting into other languages“, but by Localisation.

Translation vs. Localisation

• TranslationContent is being translated.
• LocalisationThe content is additionally adapted culturally and contextually (tone, examples, imagery, expectations).

Practical tip for B2B websites

Write the source texts so that they are easily localisable:

• Clear, simple sentence structures
• No unnecessary idioms
• Consistent terminology (especially for services, course formats, prices, CTAs)

Step 4: Incorporate media for a stronger impact of multilingualism

Many websites translate text and then leave videos, graphics, or central UI elements in German. This breaks the experience.

In the project, we therefore also localised the welcome video:

• AI-powered dubbing
• lip sync cut
• Integration per language version on the corresponding page

That was more than a „nice to have“. It was a clear signal:

„You are welcome here. No matter what language you speak.“

Step 5: Set up UX, language switching, and conversion cleanly

Multilingualism must Easy to use be, otherwise no one will use it.

Intuitive language switching

We have implemented a clearly visible language switcher that also works on mobile. Additionally important for SEO:
Every language has its own URL structure (clean indexing, clear allocation).

Consistent course structure for trust

For each language version, the course information was structured identically:

• What is being learned?
• Who is the course for?
• Duration and price
• Registration process

The result: mehr Vertrauen and better conversion, because users don't have to „guess“.

Step 6: Measure success and iteratively improve multisite/language versions

Multilingualism is not a one-off project, but a process.

Meaningful KPIs include, for example:

• Visitor numbers per language version
• Organic visibility per language (localised SEO)
• Conversion rate is language (e.g. bookings, contact requests)
• Cancellations in the booking process

Additionally, direct feedback is worthwhile:

• short surveys
• Contact forms per language
• Qualitative feedback from support/phone

This allows the multilingual website step by step better, instead of just „translated“.

Multilingual website as a strategy, not a feature

The "aha!" moment from the case study: Multilingualism is not just relevant for international brands. It is a strategic lever to truly reach local communities.

First Aid School Berlin has today:

• A strong unique selling proposition
• a more accessible, inclusive user experience
• fewer uncertainties in communication
• more bookings
• a more modern, trustworthy brand

Why Multisite and Multilingual Setups are Gaining Importance

The future belongs to scalable content structures: more languages, more target audiences, more local visibility, without the maintenance exploding. That is precisely why the Multisite-approach (depending on the organisation/setup) increasingly attractive for many teams: clear responsibilities, clean structures, scalable processes.

If you have a multilingual website plant, a strategic approach is worthwhile:

• Prioritise languages based on data
• Choose the structure (Multisite vs. Language Layer) to suit the CMS
• professionally localise (not „just translate“)
• Represent UX and conversion cleanly in every language