Croeso! If you run a business in Wales, you’ve probably wondered at some point whether your website should be available in Welsh as well as English. It’s a question we’re thinking about a lot ourselves here at Wrexham Web Design, and not just for our clients. More on that at the end.
Do you have to have a Welsh-language website?
For most private businesses, the short answer is no. Welsh has official status in Wales, and public bodies such as councils and the Welsh Government must meet the Welsh Language Standards, which include providing bilingual websites. Most private companies aren’t covered by those rules.
But “do I have to?” isn’t really the right question. The better question is: would it help my business?
Why a bilingual website can be good for business
- You reach more people in the language they prefer. According to the 2021 Census, around 538,000 people in Wales, or 17.8% of the population aged three and over, can speak Welsh. In some parts of North and West Wales it’s the everyday language of the majority.
- It builds trust and loyalty. Many Welsh speakers notice and appreciate businesses that make the effort, even if they’re also comfortable in English.
- It shows you’re rooted locally. A bilingual site tells customers you’re part of the community, which can set you apart from national chains and out-of-area competitors.
- It can help you be found. People do search in Welsh, and there’s far less competition for Welsh-language search terms.
- It’s the direction of travel. The Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy aims for a million Welsh speakers by 2050, and Wrexham’s hosting of the National Eisteddfod in 2025 was a great reminder of how alive the language is right here on our doorstep.
Full bilingual or a few Welsh touches?
You don’t have to translate everything on day one. There’s a sliding scale:
- Welsh touches: a bilingual greeting, contact details, opening hours and key headings.
- Key pages: Welsh versions of your home, services and contact pages.
- Fully bilingual: every page available in both languages, with a language switcher throughout.
Starting small and building up is perfectly reasonable, as long as whatever you publish in Welsh is accurate and kept up to date.
Getting it right technically
A bilingual website needs a bit of planning behind the scenes:
- Separate pages for each language. Each language version should have its own web address, for example yoursite.com/cy/ for Welsh, rather than swapping text on the same page.
- A clear language switcher. Make it easy to find, usually in the header, and label it in each language (Cymraeg / English).
- Tell search engines about it. Special tags, called hreflang tags, help Google show the right language version to the right person.
- Translate the details. Menus, buttons, form labels, error messages, image descriptions and page titles all need translating, not just the main text.
- Keep both versions in step. An out-of-date Welsh page can do more harm than good, so build updating both languages into your routine.
A word about translation
It’s tempting to rely on automatic translation, and AI tools are getting better. But machine translation of Welsh can still produce clumsy or simply wrong results, and native speakers will spot it immediately. Always have Welsh content checked by a fluent speaker or a professional translator.
There’s help available too. The Welsh Government’s free Helo Blod service will translate up to 500 words a month into Welsh for businesses, completely free of charge, and offers practical advice on using more Welsh in your business.
Watch this space…
We practise what we preach. We’re currently working on making the Wrexham Web Design website fully bilingual, so very soon you’ll be able to read all about our websites, logos and branding in Welsh as well as English. We’ll share what we learn along the way, so keep an eye on the blog.
Thinking about a bilingual website for your own business? Get in touch with Wrexham Web Design. Byddwn yn falch o helpu.