Website text for a bilingual customer base

If many of your customers prefer Spanish, the best setup is usually a full English version of your site and a full Spanish version, with a clear language switch at the top of every page. Each version lives on its own set of pages, written by someone who speaks the language well, not machine-translated and left alone. If a full second site is too much, a smaller set of Spanish pages covering your main services and how to reach you is far better than mixing both languages on every page.

Why it matters for local businesses

Plenty of US businesses serve neighborhoods where many customers speak Spanish at home, or both languages. When someone looks up a roofer, a dentist or a tax preparer, they want to understand the details: what is included, what it costs, what to bring. Reading that in their stronger language makes the decision easier and the call more likely.

It also signals something before a word is read: that you can serve them, and that someone on your team will understand them on the phone. Only make that signal if it is true.

First, can you serve customers in Spanish?

Before you build Spanish pages, be honest about what happens when someone calls or arrives.

Does someone on your team speak Spanish well, and when are they available?
Can quotes, invoices and contracts be explained or provided in Spanish?
Will emails in Spanish get a reply in Spanish?

If the answer is "sometimes", say so on the page: "Se habla español. Para atención en español, llame de lunes a viernes de 9 a 5 y pida por Rosa." A Spanish website that leads to an English-only phone call is a disappointing experience.

Page structure: two versions, not mixed pages

The cleanest structure is two parallel sets of pages:

English pages at your normal addresses: /services/, /about/, /contact/
Spanish pages under their own section: /es/servicios/, /es/nosotros/, /es/contacto/

Each Spanish page matches an English one. A visitor on the English roof repair page who switches language lands on the Spanish roof repair page, not on the Spanish home page.

Why not put both languages side by side on every page? It doubles the length, confuses screen readers, and makes the page hard to scan in either language. It also makes it harder for Google to know which language a page is in, so it may not show the right version to the right searcher.

There is a technical step that helps Google connect the two versions: a small tag in each page's code that says "this page also exists in Spanish, here". It is called hreflang. Most website builders with a language feature add it automatically. Google explains it in its help for site owners at developers.google.com. If your builder has a built-in multilingual feature, use it instead of creating copies by hand.

Put it at the top right of every page, in the header, where people look for it.
Label it with the language name in that language: "Español" on the English pages, "English" on the Spanish pages. Not a flag; flags stand for countries, not languages.
Make it large enough to tap on a phone and visible without opening the menu if you can.
When tapped, it should go to the same page in the other language.

Do not automatically switch language based on the visitor's location or browser setting without letting them choose. Plenty of people in the US prefer the version their browser does not suggest.

Who should translate

Automatic translation tools are much better than they used to be, and they are a reasonable starting draft. They still get trade words, local terms and tone wrong, and sometimes say something misleading about prices, warranties or legal terms.

The usual approach:

Write or finish the English version first.
Get a first Spanish draft, from a tool or a bilingual staff member.
Have a fluent speaker who knows your trade read every page and fix it. Ideally someone from the community you serve, because word choice varies between Spanish speakers from different countries. A neutral, widely understood Spanish usually works best for a general audience.
Read the Spanish version on your phone, the way a customer would.

Be extra careful with anything that has legal or money meaning: warranties, financing, terms of service, privacy policies. Have those reviewed by someone qualified, and check with your attorney if the Spanish version will be relied on.

Redesigning a website in another language for your customers covers planning a translation as part of a redesign.

What to translate first if you cannot do it all

Start with the pages that bring the call:

Home page: what you do, where, phone number, hours.
Your main services, each with what is included and how you quote.
Contact page, with a note about when Spanish speakers are available.
Your questions page, if you have one.

About pages, blog posts and older content can wait. A small, accurate Spanish section is better than a full one with mistakes.

Forms, buttons and small text

The details often get missed:

Buttons: "Call now" becomes "Llame ahora", "Request a quote" becomes "Pida un presupuesto".
Form labels and error messages: name, phone, message, and what appears if a field is missing.
The thank-you message after a form.
The footer: hours, address, links.
Photo descriptions for screen readers.
Your Google Business Profile: you can mention "Se habla español" in the description, and add the attribute if Google offers it for your category.

Make sure messages sent through the Spanish form reach someone who reads Spanish.

Keep both versions in step

The biggest long-term problem with bilingual sites is drift: you update prices, hours or services in English and forget the Spanish pages. Within a year the two versions say different things.

When you change an English page, change its Spanish twin the same day.
Keep a list of every page and its pair.
Once a season, compare hours, phone numbers and prices across both versions.

What to do this week

Decide honestly how you can serve customers in Spanish, and when.
Pick the four pages to translate first.
Find a fluent reader who knows your trade to check the translation.
Add a clear "Español" switch at the top and a Spanish line under your main heading.
Test the Spanish contact form and make sure replies come in Spanish.

Mobile layout matters even more with two languages, since Spanish text often runs longer; mobile-first page layout covers what goes first on a small screen. If your current site has no room for a second language, you can see your site rebuilt first and add Spanish pages from there.