The 10-Point Website Localization Checklist for Developers

Localization is more than swapping English text for another language. A translated website has to detect the right locale, keep layouts stable, format local data correctly, and avoid breaking core user journeys. Use this checklist before launching a new market.

1. Detect locale carefully. Combine browser language, explicit user choice, and saved preferences. Do not force a country just because of IP address.
2. Keep a visible language switcher. Users should be able to correct detection quickly, especially when traveling or using shared devices.
3. Separate text from code. Avoid hardcoded strings in templates and scripts where possible. If the site already exists, use a crawler-based layer like Nexling to collect visible text.
4. Plan for longer copy. German, French, Spanish, and many other languages can expand labels significantly. Buttons and cards need room to breathe.
5. Handle right-to-left layouts. Arabic and Hebrew need more than text translation. Check alignment, icons, form order, charts, and navigation.
6. Format dates and numbers by locale. A date like 05/06/2026 is ambiguous. Use culture-aware formatting for dates, decimals, percentages, and currencies.
7. Protect product terms. Brand names, plan names, API names, and technical terms may need glossary rules so they stay consistent.
8. Review SEO metadata. Titles, descriptions, canonical URLs, Open Graph tags, and sitemap entries should match localized pages.
9. Test forms and validation. Error messages, placeholders, address formats, phone numbers, and tax fields often expose hidden localization gaps.
10. Measure after launch. Track conversion, bounce rate, support tickets, and search visibility per language so you know where to improve next.

A strong localization launch is iterative. Cover the core experience first, review high-value pages, and then keep improving as real visitors show you where translation quality matters most.