Walk down any high street in Wales and you’ll hear two languages interleaving. Storefronts, buses, and council notices carry bilingual messages by default. That split is more than cultural. It shapes how people search, how Google interprets intent, and how businesses show up locally. If you offer SEO Services Wales wide, or you’re a small business in Aberystwyth or a SaaS startup in the Bay, optimizing for Welsh language queries changes the game.
This is not a niche SEO Services Wales curiosity. Roughly a third of the population can speak Welsh to some degree, rising to a majority in parts of Gwynedd and Anglesey. Schools teach it. Government services prioritize it. People switch between “siopiau gerllaw” and “shops near me” with ease, and their devices reflect that behavior. If your local SEO ignores Cymraeg, you’re skipping a seat at the table.
I’ve worked with teams from Cardiff to Caernarfon, adjusting content and architecture so both English and Welsh queries perform. There’s no one-size blueprint. What follows is a field guide shaped by missteps, lift-and-shift experiments, and a few late nights spent deciphering why “tacsi” outranked “tacsi cymru” for one client while the opposite happened elsewhere. Expect nuance, trade-offs, and enough practical detail to start tomorrow.
Welsh search behavior is not just translation
Bilingual users don’t search the same way in both languages. Welsh queries often carry community and cultural markers that English misses. A parent might search “ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg” rather than “Welsh-medium schools,” even if their device language is set to English. A tourist might type “castell ger Conwy” because a sign they saw used Welsh wording. Many bilingual users mix languages in a single query, writing “pizza Caerdydd delivery” or “siop goffi Swansea.”
Two patterns matter for SEO Wales:
- Mixed-language queries are common. People combine Welsh place names with English service terms or the reverse. Welsh terms often signal a higher intent for local, community-oriented services. When a user chooses “meddygfa” over “GP surgery,” they usually want something nearby and culturally aligned.
Don’t assume Welsh equals translation. It overlaps with identity and intent. That distinction informs everything from keyword research to how you craft title tags.
Site architecture that respects both languages
The plumbing determines what you can rank for. I’ve inherited too many sites where Welsh content lived in PDFs, images, or an orphaned subdomain that Google barely crawled. Build a structure that signals parity between languages and lets search engines understand the relationship.
For most small to mid-sized businesses, a subdirectory model works best: example.com/en/ for English example.com/cy/ for Welsh
Use hreflang to connect the two:
- hreflang="en-gb" for English pages focused on UK users hreflang="cy" for Welsh pages return tags both ways so each language version references the other
This setup avoids splitting authority across subdomains and is easier to maintain than a separate ccTLD. Large public-sector or media sites sometimes succeed with subdomains or separate domains, but it adds overhead. If you choose that path, invest in thorough technical SEO, cross-linking, and crawl budget management.
One more architectural habit that pays off: keep URL slugs aligned across languages when possible, adding Welsh slugs under /cy/. For example:
- /en/dentist-cardiff/ /cy/deintydd-caerdydd/
Consistent structure helps analytics, simplifies sitemaps, and makes internal linking cleaner. If you change slugs, lock in redirects early. Welsh campaigns often roll out around events like Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, which compresses timelines and magnifies mistakes.
Keyword research that reflects real usage
A standard English-only keyword tool misses half the picture. You’ll need to combine data sources and intuition.
Start with native inputs. Talk to staff who serve Welsh speakers. Pull customer emails and chats. Listen to what they call things: deintydd vs denturist? tacsi vs tecsi? arthrediad for distribution? Jot variants. Welsh has regional quirks, and businesses hear them daily. These details outperform any generic list of “Welsh keywords.”
Then layer in tools:
- Look at Google Search Console query data segmented by language page. This is often the richest source for Welsh terms that actually drove impressions. Experiment with Google Keyword Planner by manually inputting Welsh seeds and adding Welsh place names. Expect lower volume, but the long tail drives conversions. Use Trends for peaks around cultural events like St David’s Day, Eisteddfod, or Six Nations weekends when bilingual searches spike. Check the SERP itself. Autocomplete and People Also Ask reveal mixed-language patterns such as “siop electroneg Abertawe” or “cerddoriaeth Cymraeg gigs Cardiff.”
Be realistic about scale. Welsh volume will be smaller, but conversion rates often run higher because language choice acts as a trust signal. When we localized a multi-location clinic, the Welsh pages drew only 18 percent of traffic but converted new patient bookings at 1.7 times the English rate. Fewer visits, more appointments.
Writing for Welsh and English audiences without duplication
Copy is where many teams stumble. Two frequent errors: machine-translating English content and calling it a day, or writing a single English page and mentioning “we also serve Welsh speakers” as a footnote.
For Welsh language pages, aim for parity and purpose:
- Write in natural Welsh that mirrors how people speak locally. Borrow loanwords when they fit user expectation. “Wi-Fi” is fine. So is “e-bost” instead of “email,” depending on your audience. Don’t mirror English structure word for word. If the English page leads with national credibility, but your Welsh customers care more about community roots, reorder sections. Emphasize staff who speak Cymraeg, local testimonials, and Welsh operating hours for holiday periods like Noson Guy Fawkes or Gwyl Ddewi. Add content users uniquely expect in Welsh. Examples include Welsh appointment lines, bilingual forms, and links to Welsh FAQs.
On English pages, recognize bilingual reality. Mention that service is available in Welsh and link clearly to the Welsh page. That internal link becomes a relevance signal and helps users switch languages easily. Also consider using Welsh place names on English pages where appropriate. For example, pair “Cardiff” with “Caerdydd” in a natural sentence, not a keyword string.
On-page optimization: small changes with big impact
Search engines rely on familiar signals. The trick lies in tailoring those signals to bilingual behavior.
Title tags: Include the Welsh term and Welsh place name where relevant. For a taxi firm, “Tacsi Caerdydd | 24/7 Taxis Cardiff” serves both bilingual users and mixed-language queries. Keep it readable, don’t cram variants. My rule: one Welsh core term, one English equivalent, one place name.
Meta descriptions: Write persuasive Welsh on the Welsh page, English on the English page, and avoid stuffing. Mention proof points that matter locally, like community sponsorships or local dispatch numbers.
Headings: Reflect user vocabulary. Welsh pages should use Welsh headings first, then any English terms if they help clarity. Don’t flip that order.
Body copy: Sprinkle Welsh synonyms naturally. For example, a dental practice might cover “deintydd,” “triniaethau dannedd,” and common treatments like “lanhau proffesiynol” or “gwynnu dannedd.” Use them in sentences that read like a conversation, not a dictionary.
Image alt text: Local Welsh descriptors help accessibility and relevance. “Siop goffi yng Nghaernarfon gyda theras awyr agored” is more descriptive than “coffee shop front.”
Structured data: Keep it simple and consistent across languages. LocalBusiness schema should carry the same NAP details. Don’t try to translate organization names if your legal entity is registered in English, but you can use the Welsh trading name in the “alternateName” field.
Local SEO for a bilingual map pack
Google Business Profile has become the front door for many local searches, and Welsh queries trigger it often. Treat your profile with the same bilingual care as your site.
Business name: Use your official name, but if you operate a bilingual trading name, you can list it as Name - Enw Cymraeg, provided it matches signage and other citations. Consistency matters more than maximal keyword use.
Categories and services: Categories are constrained, but you can add services and descriptions in Welsh on your Welsh site and mirror that phrasing in posts or Q&A. If your front-of-house staff speak Welsh, say it clearly.
Reviews: Encourage reviews in both languages. I’ve seen profiles where 30 percent of reviews were in Welsh, and those reviews became prime context for Welsh queries. You can’t ask for a specific language, but you can reply in kind and set a bilingual tone that customers follow.
Photos and updates: Post bilingual updates around Welsh holidays, local festivals, or match days. Visuals of bilingual signage reinforce trust.
Citations: Local directories in Wales vary in their Welsh support. Prioritize accuracy. If a directory allows a Welsh description, use it and include the Welsh place name. Keep NAP identical across versions. One mistake I see: using the Welsh spelling of the street on some citations and the English on others. That causes duplicate listings and hurts authority. Pick one for the address line and stick to it.
Content that earns links from Welsh communities
Link building looks different when Welsh is part of your identity. Volume is lower, but relevance and community alignment are higher.
Target local media that publish bilingual features. Some titles run Welsh sections or commission content tied to events, heritage trails, or education. Offer data that interests their readers. A Cardiff retailer analyzed year-on-year demand for Welsh-language children’s books around holiday seasons and secured coverage that drove referral traffic and brand searches.
Sponsor community events that resonate in Welsh. Choirs, junior rugby clubs, Urdd Eisteddfod qualifiers, local history societies. Most will list sponsor links on their sites. Those pages often rank for Welsh place terms and carry meaningful local signals.
Create resources in Welsh that English-language competitors don’t provide. Example: a landlord compliance checklist in Welsh for Cardiff and Newport, paired with template notices in both languages. That page drew organic links from advice forums and council resource lists for two years.
Outreach tone matters. Sending a generic English pitch to a bilingual or Welsh outlet rarely lands. Demonstrate that you understand their audience and can provide value in Welsh or English as needed.
Analytics, measurement, and the messy middle
Tracking Welsh performance gets fiddly. You’ll need to segment by language version and sometimes by query language, which Search Console only partially exposes.
Set up views or reports that isolate /cy/ content. Watch impression trends around local events and education cycles. Welsh traffic tends to season differently from English due to school calendars and holiday rhythms. Accept that volume swings are normal.
Measure outcomes, not vanity metrics. For a service business, Welsh conversions per visit might outrun English even if sessions lag. In one Rhondda client’s case, Welsh pages delivered 22 percent of total leads but accounted for only 12 percent of traffic. We doubled down with more Welsh FAQs and saw lead quality improve too, not just quantity.
Treat mixed-language queries as a lens on intent, not a reporting error. If “boiler repair Caerdydd” brings users to your English page and they bounce, consider a Welsh landing page that mirrors the query phrasing or adjust the English page to acknowledge bilingual service with a prominent switcher.
Technical pitfalls that waste months
I’ve seen perfectly good Welsh content underperform because of avoidable technical errors. A short checklist helps.
- Hreflang conflicts: Don’t pair en-gb with cy-gb. Use cy without region on Welsh pages, en-gb on English, and include self-referential tags for each. Canonicals pointing across languages: Each language version should canonicalize to itself. Cross-language canonicals collapse pages in the index. Hidden or image-only Welsh text: Google can’t parse text embedded in images. Render Welsh text as HTML. If design constraints push you toward images, use alt text and accompanying live copy. Inconsistent sitemaps: List both English and Welsh URLs in your XML sitemap. If you maintain a language-specific sitemap, submit both and keep them fresh. Automatic redirects based on IP: Forcing Welsh users to English because their IP appears non-UK, or flipping English users in Wales to Welsh without choice, frustrates people and confuses crawlers. Offer a subtle language switcher and remember user choice with a cookie.
Crafting a bilingual content calendar that doesn’t exhaust your team
Teams burn out when they try to double everything. The smarter approach is to prioritize pages with direct commercial impact in both languages, then selectively localize supporting content.
Start with money pages: service pages, location pages, contact paths. Translate and localize these first. Ensure forms and transactional steps support Welsh where legally required or commercially sensible.
Next, tackle evergreen posts that answer recurring questions in Welsh. For a trades business, that might be “Beth i’w wneud os yw eich boeler yn stopio gweithio” with practical steps and a CTA for emergency callouts. These posts attract links and nurture trust.
For high-output blogs, use topic clusters wisely. If you have a deep English cluster on “walking routes near Snowdonia,” you might produce fewer but richer Welsh pieces that cover the most searched routes and add community knowledge like Welsh trail names, parking advice, and bilingual signage tips.
Templates help, but break them when needed. Welsh syntax and emphasis differ. A literal translation of a headline that performs in English could read stiff in Welsh. Give your translators or Welsh content specialists the authority to rewrite rather than rephrase.
Working with an SEO Consultant who understands Wales
Many businesses look for an SEO Consultant to help expand into Welsh language search. Vet them with practical questions. Ask to see bilingual case studies or at least evidence of hreflang implementations that worked. Check if they have relationships with Welsh media or organizations. Look at how they set goals: do they talk solely about traffic, or about Welsh conversions, call tracking, and map pack visibility in Welsh queries?
Agencies that offer SEO Services across the UK can succeed in Wales if they commit to local expertise. That might mean hiring Welsh speakers, partnering with local translators who understand digital nuance, and allocating budget for bilingual content rather than treating it as a bolt-on. If you hear “we’ll machine translate and move on,” keep looking.
Legal and ethical dimensions you should anticipate
Public sector bodies and some regulated services face requirements for Welsh language provision. Even private firms gain goodwill by treating Welsh as first-class. This is more than compliance. It’s brand. A bank that provides bilingual fraud alerts and a Welsh helpline earns trust in ways flashy campaigns never do.
Be careful with partial promises. If you say “cymorth Cymraeg ar gael” but your phone tree routes Welsh callers to an English-only agent, you damage credibility. Align operations before promotion. It’s better to offer Welsh support during specific hours and state that clearly than to imply 24/7 coverage you can’t deliver.
Respect place names and identities. Use “Caerdydd (Cardiff)” or “Bangor, Gwynedd” thoughtfully. In North Wales, Welsh spellings are the norm on signage. Reflect that reality online where it helps comprehension and search alignment.
The economics of Welsh SEO: when the smaller slice pays more
Executives sometimes balk at spending on Welsh content because volumes look modest. Put numbers on the board. If a localized Welsh page brings in 40 visits a month and converts at 10 percent for a high-margin service, that can beat an English blog post drawing 600 visits with negligible intent.
ROI becomes clearer when you tie Welsh pages to specific outcomes. Track calls from the Welsh version of the contact page. Tag forms in Welsh. Use GBP call history where available and annotate Welsh ad pushes. I’ve seen SMEs recoup a year of Welsh content investment from a single enterprise contract initiated via a Welsh landing page that ranked for “cyflenwi meddalwedd Cymraeg i fusnesau.”
Avoid treating Welsh as an afterthought you budget for only once. Like any channel, it compounds. As your Welsh footprint grows, so does your brand recognition in communities that refer and advocate. That network effect beats short-term traffic spikes from generic English content.
A pragmatic rollout plan you can start now
If all of this feels like a lot, here is a short path to momentum that doesn’t overwhelm a lean team.
- Stand up /cy/ with two or three core service pages and a contact page. Implement hreflang correctly and test with the International Targeting report or a trusted hreflang validator. Optimize your Google Business Profile to reflect bilingual service. Upload a few bilingual photos and craft a Welsh description. Publish one high-value Welsh resource tied to your main revenue driver. Make it excellent, with local references and clear next steps. Clean up citations for consistency and add a handful of Welsh-friendly directories. Align address spelling and opening hours. Collect and respond to a first wave of reviews in Welsh, led by your existing customers who already use the language.
This minimal viable footprint often wins a place in Welsh SERPs faster than expected. From there, expand selectively, using data to guide what to translate next.
Where the market is heading in Wales
Voice search and on-device assistants are shifting queries further into natural language, and in Welsh that means more conversational phrasing. Optimizing for “sut mae newid teiar?” helps capture those long-tail spoken questions. Video content in Welsh, even short explainers with subtitles, is underutilized in many niches. It earns links and embeds in community Facebook groups that still act as a discovery engine in towns across Wales.
Council procurement portals and education hubs are also modernizing their digital infrastructure. Businesses that align early with bilingual expectations in these ecosystems will find tender processes smoother. For service providers in healthcare, legal, and financial services, Welsh provision will hike from “nice to have” to “expected.”
And here’s the subtle shift I’m seeing: mixed-language queries are getting cleaner results. Google seems better at interpreting “plumber Caernarfon argyfwng” as a strong local intent instead of splitting the difference. That favors sites with solid bilingual signals, not just translated pages.
Final thought, minus the trumpet fanfare
SEO Wales is a practice of respect as much as technique. Respect for how people speak and search, for the history embedded in place names, and for the practicalities of running a business that serves both languages well. Do the basics right, avoid shortcuts that backfire, and invest where intent meets identity. Whether you’re handling it in-house or hiring SEO Services from a partner, treat Welsh as a real market with its own voice. The returns are steady, defensible, and rooted in community, which is a rare advantage in a volatile search landscape.