Guide
Should your Broward business website be bilingual?
Broward County is one of the places where a second language on your website can matter. Here is how to decide whether you need one, and how to do it so it helps customers instead of confusing them.
Updated
Who speaks what in Broward
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 43.8% of Broward County residents aged 5 and over speak a language other than English at home (2020 to 2024). In Fort Lauderdale itself the figure is 30.1%. The Census figure does not say which languages, but around Broward you commonly hear Spanish, Haitian Creole and Portuguese.
Many of those residents also speak English well. The question is not whether your customers can read English. It is whether some of them would choose you sooner, or trust you more, if they could read about your services and talk to you in the language they use at home.
When a second language is worth it
A second language is worth the effort when it matches how your business really works. Ask yourself a few honest questions.
- Do customers already call or message you in Spanish, Portuguese or Haitian Creole?
- Does someone on your team speak that language well enough to take a call, write a quote and handle a complaint?
- Do your customers make careful decisions where understanding the details matters, such as a roof contract, a medical appointment or a tax filing?
- Do you get word-of-mouth referrals within a community that uses that language?
If you can answer in the language, say so clearly
The most useful line on many Broward websites is short and honest: "We answer calls and messages in Spanish." Put it near your contact details. Only say it if it is true every time someone calls. A customer who is promised Spanish and gets a voicemail in English will not try again.
If only one person on your team speaks the language, say when they are available, or say that customers can write in that language and someone will reply. Matching your phone and email availability to what the page promises matters more than the translation itself.
Use real translation by a fluent person
Machine translation is a useful first draft, but it gets trade terms wrong and can sound stiff or odd to a native speaker. A roof "flashing" or a boat's "canvas" can turn into something that makes no sense. Have a fluent person, ideally someone who knows your trade, read and fix every page before it goes live.
Keep the translated pages up to date. When you change a price, a service or your hours in English, change them in every language at the same time. An outdated Spanish page with old hours is worse than no Spanish page.
One language per page, not mixed text
Avoid paragraphs that switch back and forth between English and Spanish, or English text with a Spanish line under every sentence. It is hard to read in both languages, and it makes it harder for search engines to understand what each page is about.
A cleaner approach is a separate page for each language, with a clear link at the top of each page to switch. A small Spanish page with your services, service area and how to reach you can do a lot, even if the rest of the site stays in English.
Label the switch with the language's own name, such as Español, Português or Kreyòl ayisyen, rather than a flag. Flags stand for countries, not languages, and a Spanish speaker from Colombia or a Portuguese speaker from Brazil should not have to guess which one means them.
Where our websites stand today
Websites on the 2oozy platform are English-first today. If reaching Spanish, Portuguese or Haitian Creole speakers matters to your business, we can talk through options on a call, including how to show clearly that you answer in another language. We will not promise a full translated site that we cannot deliver. Biz Web Helpers and 2oozy are both run by Airmecanx LLC, a Florida company.
Common questions
Is a translation plugin good enough?
It can help a visitor get the gist, but it often mangles trade terms and does not tell anyone you can actually help them in that language. A short, well-translated page plus a true line about the languages you answer in is usually more useful.
Which language should I add first?
The one your customers already use when they call you, and the one someone on your team speaks well. In Broward that is often Spanish, but Haitian Creole or Portuguese can matter more for some businesses.
Can I just say I speak Spanish without translating the site?
Yes, and for many small businesses that is the right first step. A clear note near your phone number and contact form, if it is true, tells customers what they need to know.
Can you build my website in Spanish?
Our platform's websites are English-first today. We can talk through options for your business, such as noting the languages you answer in, on a call.