--- title: AI Website Translator: Localize Sites Instantly | Smartcat description: Make your site multilingual with one JavaScript snippet — automatic hreflang, translated metadata, and an optional SEO proxy path so pages get indexed. canonical: https://www.smartcat.com/website-translator/ language: en updated: 2026-08-20 --- # AI Website Translator: Localize Sites Instantly | Smartcat ## How Does Smartcat Translate a Website? Smartcat’s website translator makes your existing site multilingual **without engineering work**. **One JavaScript snippet** renders translated pages live. - A **crawler or your sitemap** finds what to translate. - Each update translates **only new or changed content** — you never pay twice for yesterday’s pages. - Translations cover **280+ languages** and apply your glossary and translation memory, so product names stay consistent. Your team reviews them on the real page in a **visual in-context editor** before anything goes live. ## How to Translate Your Website in Five Steps Every new locale used to mean an **engineering ticket**: duplicate the templates, wire up the routing, rebuild the nav. Then the site changed on Tuesday and the Spanish version fell three releases behind. Same work, **five steps**, your team in control. ### From URL to live markets **Paste your URL** into the preview widget above and see your site translated before you commit. **Pick your pages and markets** — crawl the whole site, import your sitemap, or hand-pick URLs. **Get the AI draft** — Smartcat translates every page and applies your terminology automatically. **Review on the live layout** — check translations in place in the visual in-context editor, on staging or production, solo or with your team. Promote each market when it's ready. **Publish and forget** — later changes are detected and translated automatically, and only net-new words are metered. ## Will My Translated Website Rank on Google? Only if search engines can **crawl and index** the translated pages — which is where most quick fixes fail. The old Google Translate widget translated pages in the visitor's browser only: Google never indexed those translations, and it has since deprecated the widget for new sites. Here is how Smartcat handles the **three things** that decide whether a translated site ranks. ### 2 ### Serving Modes: Readable, Then Findable **Default — the JS snippet:** translations render in the visitor's browser. Fastest way to go live, and all a staging, internal or non-public site needs. **Optional — the SEO Proxy path,** enabled separately, is the mode that serves crawlers. The snippet makes your site **readable** in 280+ languages; the proxy path makes it **findable**. Both run from the same translations, and most teams want both. ### Auto ### Reciprocal Hreflang, Generated for You Hreflang is generated **by default**, whatever URL or proxy setup you choose — including the **reciprocal return links** hand-built implementations usually miss. Translated titles, meta descriptions and Open Graph tags come with it, so your French search result reads in French — and so does the share preview. ### 3 ### URL Structures to Choose From A **subdirectory** (yoursite.com/fr/), a **subdomain** (fr.yoursite.com), or a **Smartcat proxy hostname** — plus default snippet mode, which leaves your URLs untouched. - A subdomain needs **one CNAME record** from your team. - A subdirectory needs a **proxy endpoint** on your own web server. - A script tag or Google Tag Manager needs **no infrastructure**. Smartcat never touches your DNS or your web server. The accuracy and quality of translations noticeably improved over the four months of using Smartcat’s AI translation capabilities. Consistency in brand and product terminology across translations is a notable benefit. Claire Delouis Director of Learning Innovation and Digital training, Clarins - [Explore Case Study →](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/clarins/) ## Snippet, Proxy, or CMS Connector — Which Setup Fits You? Proxies are a legitimate architecture — they solved this problem first, and Smartcat uses a proxy layer too. The difference is *where* it sits. - A **full reverse proxy** stands permanently between your visitors and your site: every page view in every market depends on the vendor staying up. - **Smartcat's proxy layer** is optional and sits in the crawler and SEO-delivery path only. ### One Script Tag ### One JavaScript Snippet — No Connector, No DNS Migration The snippet goes on your site **once** — a script tag or Google Tag Manager. In default mode Smartcat fetches translations into the browser: **no visitor traffic routes through a Smartcat server**, so there's no second point of failure. Leaving means removing **one script tag**. ![Add one JavaScript snippet, with no connector and no DNS migration](https://gqucouwbfxremfdhdosu.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/sc-store/1718697935613tab-placeholder.png) - [See Live Website Translation](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?main-cta-website-translator) ### Indexable URLs ### Turn On the SEO Proxy Path When You Want Pages Indexed Enabled separately, the **SEO Proxy path serves search engines only**. Each translated version is fetchable by a crawler at its **own language-specific URL**, translated titles and descriptions included — so Google indexes the Spanish page as a Spanish page. Ask for it if organic traffic matters. ![Serve crawlers a fetchable translated page at its own language-specific URL](https://gqucouwbfxremfdhdosu.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/sc-store/1724646798276Workflow-control.webp) - [Choose Pages Intelligently](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?main-cta2-website-translator) ### Hreflang ### Hreflang, Titles, Meta and OG Tags Translated Automatically Hreflang tells search engines which language version to show — and it works **only if reciprocal** across every language pair, the part hand-built implementations break. Smartcat generates the reciprocal annotations **by default**, whichever URL setup you pick, and translates titles, meta descriptions and Open Graph tags. ![Reciprocal hreflang plus translated title, meta and Open Graph tags](https://gqucouwbfxremfdhdosu.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/sc-store/1718697935613tab-placeholder.png) - [Protect Approved Content](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?main-cta3-website-translator) ### URL Structure ### Subdirectory, Subdomain or Proxy Hostname — and Who Configures What A **subdirectory** (yoursite.com/es/) inherits your domain's authority; a **subdomain** (es.yoursite.com) starts near zero. - A script tag needs **no infrastructure**. - A proxy subdomain needs **one CNAME** to Smartcat. - A proxy subdirectory needs an **endpoint on your own web server**. Smartcat never touches your DNS or server. ![Pick a URL structure and see exactly who configures what](https://gqucouwbfxremfdhdosu.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/sc-store/1718697935613tab-placeholder.png) - [Launch SEO-Ready Pages](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?main-cta4-website-translator) ### Human Review ### AI Draft First, Human Review Where Quality Needs It **Both, in one workflow.** The AI draft renders immediately. Your reviewers — or vetted linguists from the [Smartcat Marketplace](https://www.smartcat.com/marketplace/) — check translations against the **live page layout** before a market goes live. Website translation services, minus the agency round-trips. ![Scale reviewer coverage only where a human pass adds value](https://gqucouwbfxremfdhdosu.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/sc-store/1718697935613tab-placeholder.png) - [Scale Review On Demand](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?main-cta5-website-translator) ### Your Visitors’ Traffic Never Routes Through Us Translations are fetched **browser-side**, with no server-to-server hop and no Smartcat proxy in front of your visitors. The optional SEO Proxy path covers **crawler and SEO delivery only**; staging, intranet and gated sites never touch it. Your pages stay served by your own infrastructure, under your own DNS, hosting and CDN. ### Where This Falls Short — Honestly • Content behind a login is not picked up by page translation alone • Text baked into images needs the [image translator](https://www.smartcat.com/image-translator/) • App UI strings belong in a [software localization workflow](https://www.smartcat.com/translation-management-system/) • If your site is mostly application, talk to us before you wire anything up ## Or Connect the CMS Your Team Already Uses If your content lives in a CMS, translate it **at the source** instead — content pushes to Smartcat and translations come back into native locale pages, with updates syncing automatically. Ready-made integrations cover the most widely used platforms, including **WordPress, Drupal, Contentful, Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore, Webflow, Wix and Squarespace**. See all [integrations](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/). ### WordPress Translation Plugin Keep multilingual WordPress pages current with live updates, preserved approvals, and less repeat localization work. ### Zendesk Translation Plugin Extend the same market-ready workflow to help content and support journeys that shape the customer experience. ### Wix Translation Plugin Launch localized Wix experiences faster while keeping content, layout, and approvals aligned across markets. ### Contentful Translation Plugin Trigger website localization from Contentful and push only net-new changes through translation, review, and publish. ### Akeneo Translation Plugin Localize product content with fewer repeat cycles by translating only updated catalog data. ### Drupal Translation Plugin Run staged multilingual Drupal launches with centralized review and automatic reuse of approved translations. ### Ghost Translation Plugin Publish multilingual Ghost content faster with live-ready copy and preserved editorial decisions. ### Unbounce Translation Plugin Test and ship multilingual landing pages quickly while keeping campaign approvals and updates in sync. ### Instapage Translation Plugin Localize landing pages for each market and keep test variants moving without restarting review from zero. ### Weebly Translation Plugin Keep multilingual Weebly pages aligned with your source site while Smartcat applies only the changes that matter. ### Squarespace Translation Plugin Maintain design integrity and search-ready copy while launching Squarespace content for more markets. ### Webflow Translation Plugin Move Webflow pages from source update to staged multilingual launch with faster approvals and less manual rework. ### Lander Translation Plugin Launch multilingual acquisition pages faster and keep localized variants aligned with campaign changes. ### Framer Translation Plugin Move from design-led websites to live localized experiences with reusable approvals and less manual cleanup. ### WooCommerce Translation Plugin Localize storefront pages and product updates while protecting approved commerce content and SEO structure. ### BigCommerce Translation Plugin Keep global storefront content current by translating only new changes and pushing launches faster across regions. ## Trusted by 1,000+ Enterprise Brands **76% of consumers** prefer purchasing products with information in their own language (CSA Research, survey of 8,709 consumers in 29 countries). Smartcat fits teams that need multilingual launch speed, reviewer control, predictable cost on a living site, and infrastructure that stays under their own DNS, hosting and CDN. ### 9.6/10 for ease of setup, on G2 ### 9.3/10 for ease of use, on G2 ### 1,000+ enterprise brands trust Smartcat ### 280+ languages available as a source or a target Preview Your Site in Another Language Paste your URL and see your site translated in the **live preview**, before you commit. One snippet to go live, automatic hreflang and translated metadata, and an optional **SEO Proxy path** when you want those pages indexed. - [Book a Personalized Demo](https://www.smartcat.com/book-a-demo/?main-cta7-website-translator) ## Pay for Net-New Content, Not for Repeating Yesterday’s Work The rate is the ordinary one: **1 Smartword ≈ 1 source word**, per target language, with **no website surcharge and no multiplier**. What differs is *what gets counted*. Website translation meters **unique content fragments** — titles, paragraphs, buttons, navigation, footer, hero — counting each **once** and reusing it everywhere it appears through the Smartwords cache. Your nav, your footer and the “Book a demo” button repeated across **400 pages** are paid for once, not 400 times. For contrast: - **Image translation** — a flat **1,000 Smartwords per image**. - **AI dubbing** — charged at **10× the word count**. - **Website translation** — neither multiplier. ### 2–3 days ### Turnaround, Down From 10 for Smith+Nephew, down from 10 days with their previous providers. - [Read Case Study](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/smith-nephew/) ### Up to 70% ### Lower Localization Costs for Stanley Black & Decker while maintaining quality and scaling output. - [Read Case Study](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/stanley-black-and-decker/) ### 31 hours ### Saved Every Month for Babbel teams managing multilingual content operations. - [Read Case Study](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/babbel/) “Has been a gamechanger in terms of us being able to create campaigns and localise/translate at pace across all the markets we operate in. We were able to integrate with our ESP directly.” Verified User in Food & Beverages, Mid-Market Jun 17, 2026 “I find Smartcat easy to use and it helps me find the resources I need. The initial setup was also easy… it helps translate when no native speaker is available.” Verified User in IT & Services, Enterprise Jun 09, 2026 “The translation memory and AI suggestions help me work faster. They usually preserve the document's formatting, which saves me time.” Hika T., Freelance Translator Jun 29, 2026 Your Website, in Every Market’s Language — Without Touching Your Codebase Paste your URL, see your site translated in the live preview, and launch the markets that are ready. Free for 15 days with 15,000 Smartwords, no credit card. - [Get My Free Trial Account](https://smartcat.com/sign-up?main-cta8-website-translator) ## Question Not Covered? Talk to a Website Localization Specialist A 1:1 walkthrough with a specialist on your actual website, no commitment — your CMS, your staging flow, your reviewer model, and whether you want the SEO Proxy path from day one. - [Book a Personalized Demo](https://www.smartcat.com/book-a-demo/) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do I translate an entire website into another language? Smartcat's Website Translator translates a whole site in three moves: - **Discovery** — pages are found through a crawl, your sitemap, or a custom URL list. - **Translation** — into your target languages, with your terminology applied. - **Delivery** — the translated pages render live through a lightweight **JavaScript snippet**. No rebuild, replatform or code changes are required, and unchanged pages are left untouched on later updates. ### What is the Smartcat Website Translator? It is a **website translation agent** that translates your site and serves the translated pages to visitors automatically. AI Coworkers translate **net-new content**, apply your terminology, and preserve translations your team has already approved instead of re-processing them. ### How do I translate a website into English and keep it up to date? Point Smartcat at the site and select **English** as the target language — the Website Translator translates the discovered pages and renders them live. On each sync only **net-new and modified content** is translated, so an English version stays current without anyone re-translating pages that did not change. ### Does Smartcat website translation require a reverse proxy? **No.** The default mode is a **JavaScript snippet** that renders translations in the visitor's browser — added as a script tag or through Google Tag Manager, with no DNS work. An optional **SEO Proxy path** can be enabled separately and serves crawlers only; it is never in your visitors' request path, unlike full-proxy translation tools. Internal and staging sites do not need it. ### Will translated pages be indexed by search engines? **Yes, with Smartcat's SEO delivery enabled.** It generates hreflang tags automatically and translates title tags, meta descriptions and Open Graph tags. Crawler-visible translated URLs are served through the optional **SEO Proxy path** — the snippet alone renders for visitors in the browser, so enable SEO delivery when organic visibility matters. ### What URL structure do Smartcat's translated pages use? Three options: a **subdirectory** (yoursite.com/fr/), a **subdomain** (fr.yoursite.com), or a **proxy hostname**. - Snippet mode needs **no DNS changes**. - A proxy subdomain needs a **CNAME** from your team. - A proxy subdirectory needs a **proxy endpoint** on your web server. Smartcat never touches your DNS or servers. ### Which CMS platforms does Smartcat's Website Translator work with? **Any CMS** — the JavaScript snippet is platform-agnostic and can also be deployed through Google Tag Manager. Smartcat additionally offers ready-made integrations for the most widely used platforms, including [WordPress](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/wordpress-wpml/), [Drupal](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/drupal/), [Contentful](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/contentful/), [Adobe Experience Manager](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/adobe-experience-manager/), [Sitecore](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/sitecore/), [Webflow](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/webflow/), [Wix](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/wix/), and [Squarespace](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/squarespace/). See all [website translation integrations](https://www.smartcat.com/integrations/category/website-translation/). ### How accurate is Smartcat's website translation, and can my team review it? Accuracy comes from combining AI translation with **your own assets** — translation memory reuses approved wording and your glossary is applied automatically. High-value pages route through the **Smartcat Editor**, where in-house reviewers or Marketplace linguists approve or refine each translation — and approved segments stay approved on later syncs. ### Does Smartcat charge to re-translate unchanged website pages? **No.** Smartcat charges for **net-new content** — unchanged pages and approved translations are preserved rather than reprocessed, so recurring cost tracks how much your site actually changes. A free trial includes **15,000 Smartwords over 15 days** with full access to Smartcat's translation capabilities. ## Sources and proof points - [*Survey of 8,709 consumers in 29 countries finds that 76% prefer purchasing products with information in their own language*](https://csa-research.com/Blogs-Events/CSA-in-the-Media/Press-Releases/Consumers-Prefer-their-Own-Language). CSA Research. - Smartcat. [*Clarins: multilingual launches accelerated and repeat localization work reduced*](https://www.smartcat.com/cases/clarins/).