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Translating website server vs. client-side?
Hi everyone! I'm looking for option to translate our website to reach a wider audience. And have some questions:
* I've heard mixed things about using AI translation tools like Google Translate. Will it negatively impact my website's SEO ranking?
* Should I translate content directly on the website (client-side) or use a server-side solution? What are the pros and cons of each approach?
* I'm worried about creating duplicate content by having separate pages for each language. Will this get me penalized by search engines?
Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
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Gaurav
Hi Anna!
1. I'd never use an AI tool to translate a website, even if its from Google. These tools are good at translating words, but they will break the overall flow of the sentence. It can badly hurt SEO. Always hire a translator or someone who has a good command over both the languages.
2. It really depends. If you want to translate it on server, you need to identify the client's language preferences. This would increase the load on the server if you are translating on a per-request basis. The best thing to do here is cache or pre-generate versions of your page in every language that you want to support. But this might not be feasible if you have too many pages (and its hard to detect the language preferences on the server, you need to use a cookie or ip to resolve the location, its a blind guess on the first render). What you can really do is use a client side solution (such as react-i18n). This will reduce the strain on server but will increase the size of your client bundle, unless you're using a translation service on the client (it has its own downsides of extra latency and network requests)
3. This is not really a problem. Just add a canonical meta tag on every translated page pointing to the main page. Crawlers will understand canonical pages.
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1. Always have it checked by a human/native speaker
2. SEO-wise, you will rank much better with server-side solutions for searches in their native language. It's a game changer to enter another market before a competitor or copycat pops up.
3. The metatag indicates that it is a different language to the Google crawlers. If you only change the language on the client site, the content of the crawled site looks identical and doesn't get indexed.
I work at inlang.com and we have all the developer tools, a Figma extension and a no-code web editor to solve your problems. Also, feel free to jump into our Discord and ask for help :)
AI translations like Google Translate can be a starting point, Anna, but for SEO and user experience, professional translations are worth the investment. Server-side translation can offer a seamless experience and help avoid duplicate content issues, which, if handled correctly with hreflang tags, won't incur penalties by search engines.
Translating services play a crucial role in today's globalized world, facilitating communication and fostering understanding across linguistic and cultural barriers. these services enable individuals, businesses, and organizations to bridge the gap between languages and reach a broader audience.