Should your website have a Spanish version?
It is worth it when a real share of your customers prefer Spanish and you can serve them in Spanish, on the phone and on the job as well as on the page. Census Bureau figures show almost one in five people in the United States spoke a language other than English at home in 2019, most often Spanish. Check your own area and inquiries first, and have a fluent person review every page instead of publishing unchecked machine translation.
What the Census numbers show
The Census Bureau's report "Language Use in the United States: 2019" says 78 percent of the U.S. population speaks only English at home. A Census Bureau article on the same 2019 data says 67.8 million people, almost 1 in 5, spoke another language at home, and that Spanish was the most common of those languages, at 62% of them.
The same article says 39% of people who spoke Spanish at home spoke English "less than very well". So many Spanish speakers are also comfortable in English, and a Spanish version usually matters most for the customers who are not. These are 2019 national figures; the Bureau's language use page links to more detailed tables.
Look at your own area and leads
A national figure does not describe your service area, and the mix of languages can vary a lot from one county to the next. Your own records are often the clearest guide: how many callers ask for someone who speaks Spanish, how many messages arrive in Spanish, and how many jobs you already do in Spanish. Add the language to the notes in your lead list for a few months before you decide.
Why unchecked machine translation can backfire
Machine translation is fast, but it can get trade terms wrong, sound stiff or change what a warranty or a safety note says. A visitor who reads awkward Spanish may assume the service will be just as awkward. Use translation tools for a first draft if you like, then have a fluent speaker, ideally one who knows your trade, read every line. The related answer on whether AI can write your website covers checking machine-written text.
Be ready to serve in Spanish
- Start with the pages that matter most: the homepage, main service pages and the contact page.
- Say who speaks Spanish and when, so a caller is not surprised if the first person who answers does not.
- Reply to Spanish inquiries in Spanish, and note the language on the lead.
- Put a visible link to switch languages on every page.
- Keep both versions up to date together; the related answer on describing your services covers what each service page should say.
What it will not do
A Spanish version does not by itself bring in more customers. It makes the site usable for people who would rather read Spanish, which helps only if the rest of the business can serve them too.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, "Language Use" (topic page)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Sandy Dietrich and Erik Hernandez, "Language Use in the United States: 2019" (ACS-50, 2019 American Community Survey data, September 2022)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Sandy Dietrich and Erik Hernandez, "Nearly 68 Million People Spoke a Language Other Than English at Home in 2019" (December 6, 2022)
Related answers
Websites, upgraded or built
Most businesses do not need a new website. They need the one they have to load fast, say clearly what they do and ask the visitor to take one step.