Internationalization guide
Successfully address multilingual target groups and utilize the full potential of your language versions
1 Why this guide?
Many online store owners want to reach new customer groups by offering additional language versions—a sensible and important step. Our agents will help you make your online store multilingual: products, categories, CMS content, image descriptions, meta tags, and more—all automated and requiring no manual maintenance.
In fact, there’s enormous potential here: Only about 14% of Google searches in Europe are conducted in German. Most users search in French (13%), English (12%), or Italian (10%)—languages that are often spoken right across national borders.
In practice, however, it’s also clear that translations alone are often not enough to tap into the full potential of foreign-language target audiences. Visibility, trust, and relevance only arise through the interplay of several factors.
A key success factor: Marketing measures you already use in your primary language—such as Google Ads, campaigns, or third-party listings—must also be implemented in the additional languages. This is the only way to effectively reach your target audiences where they search, compare, and buy.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to make the most of Reqser—and which additional strategies can help you turn your multilingual capabilities into actual revenue.
2. What Our Agents Do for You—and What Else Is Important
Our agents automate key tasks related to translation, image descriptions, metadata, and language management for your online store. They thus provide a solid foundation for your multilingual setup.
✅ Our agents will take care of this for you:
- Translation Agent — regularly checks your online store and translates products, categories, CMS content, snippets, emails, SEO URLs, and more — using Dictionary and automatic quality checks
- Image Agent — generates custom alt and title tags for each image, context-sensitive and accessible
- Meta Agent — generates SEO meta titles and meta descriptions for products, categories, and sales channels
- Instant Translations for changes made directly in Shopware
- Language-based redirects for visitors
- Smart URL Handling for Translated Content and Internal Links
- Interaction Between Agents — The Image Agent and Meta Agent provide content in your native language; the Translation Agent automatically handles all foreign languages
🔍 Other relevant success factors (not part of our agency):
- Targeted SEO strategies & keyword research
- Local advertising and content campaigns (e.g. Google Ads, social media)
- Expand your external data sources with translated content (e.g. for marketplaces)
- UX customizations for specific target markets (e.g. payment methods, layouts)
➡️ Our agents handle the technical side—you remain in control of the strategic approach to your target audiences.
3. seven success levers for multilingual stores
3.1 Ensure visibility
Reqser automatically redirects visitors based on their preferred language—ensuring a seamless first impression. Nevertheless, it's important that users can also switch the language manually if needed.
- Place language switcher visibly, e.g. in the header and mobile menu → This allows users to switch to the desired language at any time - an important factor for conversion and user experience.
- Check redirects regularly to ensure that all target groups land reliably in their language
3.2 Don't forget the SEO basics
A technically well-translated online store is the foundation—but to make sure people can actually find you, it’s worth taking a look at a few basic SEO rules:
- Set hreflang tags correctly — Shopware can do this automatically in some cases; Reqser monitors your configuration and alerts you to any discrepancies
- Manage Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions by Language — the Meta Agent automatically generates them for products, categories, and sales channels
- Optimize Alt and Title Tags for Images — the Image Agent handles this in an accessible and context-sensitive manner; this is also relevant in light of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), effective in 2025
- Check template for correct SEO output → Ensures that meta descriptions, titles and other SEO texts are actually translated and loaded in the frontend. Not all templates are configured multilingual by default - check in the source code whether the translated content is also output to Google and other search engines.
3.3 Localization instead of just translation
A good feeling for language comes from cultural relevance:
- Adapt prices, units of measurement and payment methods to local customs
- Take writing style into account, e.g., 🇬🇧 British vs. 🇺🇸 American English — dictionary rules in the translation agent are useful for this
- Regional holidays, delivery conditions or legal information can also be important
3.4 Making content multilingual-capable
To ensure that your agents can process content automatically and efficiently, they should be designed to support multiple languages from the start:
- Do not use texts in images → Texts that are embedded directly in graphics cannot be translated automatically. Instead, use text modules, CMS elements or experience worlds/HTML to display content. This enables automatic translation, better adaptation to different screen sizes, accessibility for screen readers and easier maintenance.
3.5 Building trust
A professional presence in the foreign language creates the basis for trust - a key success factor in e-commerce.
- Translate legally relevant content, such as terms and conditions, privacy policies, and shipping information → This content is not only legally required, but also helps build trust in your online store.
- Display customer reviews, FAQs and support texts in the appropriate language → This makes visitors feel they are being taken seriously - which reduces abandoned purchases and increases conversion.
- Maintain dictionary rules for brand and technical terms → Consistent terminology across all languages conveys a professional image and strengthens your brand.
3.6 Extending external data streams
Translated store content is not enough if important information outside the store is missing or remains incomprehensible.
- Provide product data for marketplaces (e.g. Amazon, eBay) in the appropriate language → Many platforms require complete, localized data - and reward this with greater visibility.
- Localize feeds for comparison portals and price agencies → Uniform, linguistically adapted data improves findability on external platforms.
- Provide search and recommendation tools such as DooFinder with multilingual product information → Internal search results and recommendations should also appear in the correct language - this improves the user experience and conversion.
- Expand social media and API data with multilingual content → This keeps your product information consistent in ads, posts and other channels.
3.7 Actively addressing target groups
Translated content ensures visibility - targeted campaigns ensure relevance and growth.
- Place ads in the relevant language (e.g. Google Ads, Meta) → This is the only way for campaigns to achieve their full effect - culturally and linguistically appropriate to the target group.
- Create landing pages for relevant keywords, promotions or markets → Localized pages improve SEO performance and appeal directly to searchers.
4. recommendations for implementation
Many of the measures mentioned can be implemented on your own with a manageable amount of effort. For more complex topics such as SEO or campaigns in new markets, it’s worth working with experienced partners.
→ You can find detailed instructions for the technical setup of your agents in the Shopware documentation — for the Translation Agent, Image Agent and Meta Agent.
→ If you’re already working with an agency: Feel free to share this guide—it provides a solid foundation for your collaboration.
→ If not: We’d be happy to connect you with suitable agencies from our network that have experience with multilingual online stores.
Our goal is to support you not only with translation, but also with the effective use of your language versions.
5. any questions? We are happy to help
Our support team is available to you at any time - whether for technical questions, setup or to assess your current configuration.
Just write to us if you have feedback, ideas or specific challenges. We look forward to supporting you.