What is HubDB and how can you use it for your website?
Mar 27, 2025
If you need to support global markets by creating content and your website in different languages, HubSpot offers robust multi-language capabilities to help you reach international audiences effectively. Whether you're expanding into new regions or better serving existing multilingual customers, implementing a proper multi-language website is crucial for global success.
Creating a multi-language website involves technical considerations, content translation decisions, and SEO implications. With HubSpot's multi-language features, you can streamline this process and create a seamless experience for visitors regardless of their language preference.
Let's explore how HubSpot supports multi-language websites and how you can implement these features to grow your global presence.
Yes! HubSpot offers several advantages that make it particularly well-suited for creating and managing multilingual content.
HubSpot's multi-language capabilities are built directly into the platform, allowing you to create, edit, and publish content in multiple languages from a single user interface. This integrated approach streamlines content management and reduces the need for additional plugins or tools.
HubSpot automatically implements several SEO best practices for multi-language sites, such as adding appropriate hreflang tags and updating your XML sitemap. These technical elements are crucial for ensuring that search engines understand your site structure and serve the correct language version to users.
Rather than having to piece together analytics from multiple sites or subdomains, HubSpot allows you to view performance metrics across all language versions of your content. You can either analyse each language separately or view combined data for all language variations.
With features like language switchers and automatic language redirection, HubSpot helps provide a seamless experience for visitors regardless of their preferred language.
HubSpot provides several built-in features that simplify the creation and management of multi-language websites. Let's explore these capabilities in detail.
When you create a language variation of a page, HubSpot automatically adds the language code to the URL, following SEO best practices. For example, if your English page URL is example.com/services, the Spanish version would be example.com/es/services.
This automatic URL structuring helps both users and search engines understand the relationship between different language versions of your content.
HubSpot has a smart feature called "language-specific redirects" that helps visitors navigate your multi-language website more intuitively. When enabled, this feature ensures that any links on a translated page will redirect to a version of the destination page in the same language (if available).
For example, if a visitor is browsing your Spanish website and clicks on a link to your pricing page, HubSpot will automatically direct them to the Spanish version of the pricing page, not the English one. This creates a seamless experience where visitors can navigate your entire site in their preferred language without having to constantly switch back.
This feature works only when appropriate translations are available and does not apply to links in menu modules. It's worth noting that HubSpot doesn't use GeoIP or a browser's language settings to automatically display content in the visitor's language. The redirection only happens when a visitor is already viewing content in a particular language and clicks to another page that has a translation in that same language.
HubSpot automatically implements hreflang tags for all your multi-language content. These HTML attributes tell search engines which language you're using on a specific page, so they can serve the right version to users based on their language preferences.
For example, if you have a UK and US website, like we do, if someone in the United States searches for your business, Google is more likely to show them your US English page rather than your UK English one. This not only improves user experience but also helps prevent duplicate content issues that can harm your SEO.
HubSpot Content Hub includes an AI translation tool powered by DeepL, allowing you to quickly generate translations for your content. While this doesn't replace the need for human review, especially for nuanced or brand-critical content, it can significantly speed up the initial translation process.
To use this feature, you can select the language you want to translate to when creating a new language variation. The AI will then generate a translation that you can review and edit as needed.
HubSpot allows you to create blog content in multiple languages, including translating authors and tags. This means you can maintain a consistent blogging strategy across different markets while tailoring content to local preferences and cultural contexts.
When you create a multi-language variation of a blog post, HubSpot maintains the same URL structure except for adding the language code. This ensures that your blog content is properly organised and discoverable for readers in different languages.
Forms are often critical conversion points on websites, so it's essential that they're available in your visitors' preferred languages. HubSpot allows you to create translations of any form and translate all fields and values into your chosen language.
For frequently used properties, field labels and error messages will be translated automatically. For other elements like help text, placeholder text, and default values, you'll need to provide manual translations.
If you're using HubSpot's Service Hub to provide customer support, you can also create multi-language variations of your knowledge base articles. This ensures that customers can access self-service support in their preferred language, improving their overall experience with your brand.
Creating multi-language content in HubSpot is a straightforward process. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:
Once you've created your multi-language variations, you can edit them independently while maintaining their connection within the same multi-language group.
For global content elements, such as headers, footers, or other modules used across multiple pages, you'll need to create separate language variations. These will be applied to all pages using that global content, provided the page language matches.
While HubSpot provides excellent tools for creating multi-language websites, there are several important considerations to keep in mind.
HubSpot doesn't automatically add a language switcher to your site. Unless you have the development capabilities in-house, you'll need to work with a HubSpot website developer to add a language switcher module to your templates. This module allows visitors to toggle between available translations of a page.
The language switcher module will only appear on a page if multiple pages in its multi-language group have been published, so it's important to ensure all language variations are live before launching your multi-language site.
Your site's navigation and footer are typically implemented as global content, which means you'll need to create language variations for these elements separately. This ensures that visitors have a consistent experience throughout your site, regardless of which language they're viewing.
Consider how your navigation might need to adapt for different markets. Some sections might be more relevant in certain regions, or you might need different CTAs for different language segments.
HubSpot uses a subdirectory structure for multi-language sites (e.g., example.com/es/ for Spanish content). This approach has several SEO advantages:
A subdomain approach (e.g., es.example.com) is not natively supported by HubSpot's multi-language functionality. If you absolutely need to use subdomains for different languages, you would need to set up separate HubSpot domains for each language, which introduces additional complexity in management and analytics.
While HubSpot's AI translation feature can speed up the process, it's important to have native speakers review and refine the translated content. Machine translation has improved dramatically, but it still struggles with:
For the best results, consider using a hybrid approach: use AI for initial translation, then have human translators review and refine the content.
There are a few limitations to HubSpot's multi-language capabilities that you should be aware of:
Creating a multi-language website is a significant investment that can yield substantial returns through expanded reach, improved user experience, and increased conversions. HubSpot's Content Hub simplifies this process by handling technical complexities like hreflang tags and language-specific redirects, while keeping all your content, analytics, and marketing tools in one unified platform.
With its AI translation features, intuitive content management, and robust SEO capabilities, HubSpot provides everything you need to create an effective multi-language website that connects with your global audience. Whether you're expanding into new markets or better serving existing multilingual customers, HubSpot offers the foundation for successful international growth.
