If you’re planning to expand your eCommerce business to a global audience, making your Shopware website multilingual is a crucial step. With Shopware’s robust features and flexibility, creating a multilingual site is easier than ever before. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step by step, ensuring your store can cater to customers from different linguistic regions.
Why a Multilingual Shop Matters
Having your eCommerce website available in multiple languages not only enhances user experience but also significantly increases your reach and potential sales. Consumers prefer to shop in their native language, and offering this option builds trust and credibility with your brand.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Shopware Website Multilingual
1. Install Additional Languages
First, you need to install the languages you want to offer. Shopware comes with several predefined languages and also allows you to create new ones.
- Log in to your Shopware admin panel.
- Navigate to Settings > Shop > Languages.
- Click on Add language and choose from the list or create a new language profile.
For example, to target French and German markets, add French and German language profiles.
2. Create Language-Specific Sales Channels
Sales channels help you separate your storefronts based on various settings, including language and region. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings > Shop > Sales Channels.
- Duplicate your existing sales channel if necessary.
- In the new sales channel, set the language and currency to the appropriate options.
This ensures that users visiting your store from a specific region will automatically see the language and currency they’re familiar with.
3. Translate Categories, Products, and Content
Each product, category, and piece of content in your store must be translated for different languages. Shopware provides built-in support for this task.
- Open the product you wish to translate.
- In the top-right corner, switch to the desired language using the language switcher.
- Fill in the translated fields, including name, description, and meta-information.
- Repeat the process for categories and CMS pages.
Make sure to localize prices and shipping information as well, especially if they differ depending on location.
4. Translate Theme and Storefront Texts
Default button texts, system messages, and other interface elements also need translation. You can do this by editing snippets:
- Go to Settings > Snippets.
- Select a snippet set for the target language.
- Customize the text entries to match the specific language nuances.
This step ensures consistency and a professional look and feel for all language versions of your site.
5. Set Up URLs and SEO for Multilingual Sites
Shopware handles SEO-friendly URLs for different languages by appending language identifiers automatically. However, you should still review and customize URL aliases for your products and categories using the SEO settings:
- Navigate to Settings > SEO.
- Edit the templates for URL generation to include language segments if needed.
- Ensure metadata is appropriate and translated.
Having clean and localized SEO URLs boosts visibility and performance in search engines in different languages.
6. Language Switcher for Shoppers
To allow users to choose their preferred language manually, make sure your theme includes a language switcher. Most Shopware themes already have it by default, but you can customize its look and location:
- Edit your theme or template files if you want to reposition the switcher.
- Ensure the available languages are active in the sales channel settings.
A visible and easy-to-use language switcher enhances user experience and accessibility.
Final Thoughts
Creating a multilingual Shopware website may seem challenging at first, but the platform offers all the tools you need to manage translations efficiently. From adding language profiles to tweaking SEO and UI elements, every step is designed for ease and scalability.
Whether you’re expanding into Europe, Asia, or South America, a multilingual setup can make your store more inclusive, trustworthy, and ultimately more profitable. So, take the plunge and greet your customers in their native language. It will go a long way in building customer loyalty and growing your brand globally.
