Strategies: Localization

Guides localization strategy for AI/SaaS products expanding into global markets. Covers i18n implementation, translation, pricing, and marketing adaptation--not just text translation.

When invoking

On

first use

, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On

subsequent use

or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first:

If

.claude/product-marketing-context.md

or

.cursor/product-marketing-context.md

exists, read it for product, target markets, and brand.

Identify:

Target markets

Priority languages/regions

Product type

SaaS, AI tool, content

Technical stack

Next.js, React, etc.

Localization vs. Translation

Localization includes:

Product

Features, UI/UX, cultural adaptation

Pricing

True localization (adjust by market) vs. cosmetic (currency only)

Marketing

Channels, content, user personas

Compliance

GDPR, local regulations

Technical (i18n)

URL Structure

Choose one; be consistent:

Option

Example

Pros / Cons

Subdirectories

/en/

,

/de/

,

/zh/

Recommended; maintains domain authority

Subdomains

de.example.com

Separate hosting; less authority transfer

ccTLD

example.de

Strongest geo signal; costly

Use subdirectories, not subdomains

for i18n; subdomains transfer less authority.

Default locale

Root path for default (e.g.

/

for English); prefix for others (

/zh/

,

/de/

).

IETF BCP 47

Use valid codes (

en

,

en-US

,

zh-CN

,

pt-BR

). Same language, different country (e.g.

de-DE

vs

de-AT

) needs ≥20% content difference for Google to differentiate.

i18n SEO Principles

No hardcoded strings

All user-facing text via translation dictionary.

Symmetric alternates

Every locale page lists ALL other versions (including self-reference). ~75% of international sites have hreflang errors; missing reciprocal links is the most common.

x-default

Always include for fallback when user language/location doesn't match any version.

Canonical alignment

Canonical must match the same regional version hreflang refers to; misalignment causes Google to ignore hreflang.

Full SEO coverage

Metadata, OpenGraph, JSON-LD (

inLanguage

), and sitemap all locale-aware.

Common Issues (Next.js + next-intl)

Issue

Solution

Route conflict

generateStaticParams()

; validate locale

Auto redirect

localeDetection: false

Middleware

Apply only to prefixed paths (e.g.

/zh

)

URL duplication

Manual switcher;

getLocalizedHref()

SEO

Hreflang

on all language versions; self-reference + symmetric annotations.

Language switcher

Use

not

; links in initial HTML.

Canonical

Handle multi-domain if using local TLDs; align with hreflang.

SPAs

Use sitemap-based hreflang as backup when HTML head is JS-rendered.

Keyword Research by Market

Market

Tool

Russia

Yandex Wordstat

Korea

Naver DataLab

Global

Google Keyword Planner, SEO tools

Consider: Cultural expressions, search habits, competition, long-tail in small markets.

Terminology & Translation

Translation workflow, glossary, style guide

See translation for full workflow Avoid machine translation for product/marketing: See translation (Human vs MT) Pricing Strategies Strategy Use True localization Adjust price by purchasing power Cosmetic Display currency only; same price Tools Parity Deals, Chargebee i18n SEO Checklist (New Feature / New Locale) New feature with i18n Add translation keys to all locale JSON files. Use translation for glossary, style guide, and translation workflow. Add generateMetadata() with alternates (hreflang) per page. Add JSON-LD with inLanguage and translated fields. Add page to sitemap with hreflang annotations. Set lang attribute on

; UTF-8 encoding. New locale Add locale code to config; create {code}.json dictionary. Register in sitemap locale list; regenerate. Add OpenGraph locale and alternateLocale . Ensure all alternates are symmetric (every page lists all versions). Multilingual Risks Batch publishing : Too many translated pages at once can trigger de-indexing or thin-content penalties. Mitigation : Roll out slowly; ensure content is product/industry relevant; avoid Wikipedia-like breadth; monitor indexing in GSC. Avoid IP-based redirects that override user preferences. Machine translation without localization for product/marketing (see translation ). Missing reciprocal hreflang between language versions. Canonical tags that conflict with hreflang. Output Format Market priority i18n approach Keyword strategy per market Pricing recommendation Technical checklist i18n SEO checklist (if applicable)