Why your website should speak Catalan (and how it affects SEO)
45% of Catalans search Google in Catalan, but 90% of business websites are Spanish-only. Having your website in Catalan multiplies local visibility and builds trust. Here is why and how.
Key points
If you run a business in Catalonia and your website is Spanish-only, you have a problem you probably do not know about: you are invisible to 45% of your potential customers. Not because they have not searched for you, but because Google does not show them your website when they search in their own language.
At serpixel (Clever European Business, S.L.) we have analysed real ranking data for Catalan-language searches, and the conclusion is clear: publishing in Catalan is not a sentimental choice, it is a business tool with measurable returns.
The reality: almost nobody competes in Catalan
These are real Google figures for commercial searches:
| Search query | Results in Spanish | Results in Catalan | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| “electricista Barcelona” | 2,100,000 | 95,000 | 22:1 |
| “web design company” | 4,500,000 | 120,000 | 37:1 |
| “restaurant Girona” | 3,200,000 | 210,000 | 15:1 |
| “solar installer” | 1,800,000 | 45,000 | 40:1 |
The average difference is 25 times less competition in Catalan. That means with the same effort, you have 25 times more chance of reaching Google’s first page if you publish in Catalan.
Why does Google show results in Catalan?
Google’s algorithm follows a simple principle: it wants to give the user the most relevant result in their language. When someone sets their browser to Catalan or searches with Catalan words, Google prioritises:
- Catalan results over Spanish ones
- Local results over national ones
- Results with correct hreflang over those without
This means a website with a properly implemented Catalan version (with hreflang tags, original content, and appropriate keywords) automatically gains positions over competitors who only have a Spanish website.
The trust factor: speaking the customer’s language
SEO is not just about rankings. When a customer lands on your website, language matters. A study by Common Sense Advisory found that:
- 72% of consumers spend more time on websites in their native language
- 56% consider having information in their language more important than price
- Conversion rates increase by 20% to 40% when content is in the local language
For a business in Catalonia, this has a direct impact: if a customer from Manresa searches “reformes cuina” (kitchen renovations) and finds your website in Catalan, the perception of proximity and trust is immediate. You are from their territory, you speak their language, you understand their needs.
What does your website need to work in Catalan?
Running your website through Google Translate is not enough. A multilingual website that works for SEO needs three things:
1. Catalan keyword research
Keywords in Catalan are not translations from Spanish. People search differently:
- “Diseño web” (ES) vs. “disseny web” (CA): different keyword, not a translation
- “Presupuesto reforma cocina” (ES) vs. “pressupost reforma cuina” (CA): spelling and vocabulary variations
- “Electricista cerca de mí” (ES) vs. “electricista prop de mi” (CA): different local expressions
You need Catalan-specific keyword research, identifying search volume and competition for each term.
2. Original content, not translated
The best Catalan content is not a translation from Spanish. It is content conceived in Catalan:
- Local references: mentioning specific regions (comarques), towns, traditions
- Natural expressions: Catalan has its own forms of expression that do not translate literally
- Cultural context: Catalans search “fires i festes” not “ferias y fiestas”
At serpixel, each language version is created as independent content, adapted to the real search patterns of each language.
3. Correct technical implementation (hreflang)
Hreflang tags are the mechanism that tells Google which version of your website to show each user. Without them, Google may:
- Show the Spanish version to a Catalan speaker
- Penalise you for duplicate content between versions
- Completely ignore the Catalan version
A correct implementation includes:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="ca" href="https://example.com/ca/page/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es" href="https://example.com/es/page/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/en/page/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/ca/page/" />The x-default points to your website’s primary version, and which one that is depends on your market. If the business is strictly local and most of its customers search in Catalan, pointing it at the Catalan version makes sense. If you sell across Spain, Spanish is the version that should carry the x-default, with Catalan properly declared as an alternate.
What happens when a business publishes in Catalan
The pattern repeats across very different sectors:
A farm school that publishes its content in Catalan enters searches like “granja escola Barcelona” or “activitats nens natura” far sooner than it does for the Spanish equivalent, where the same keyword faces vastly more competition.
An agricultural cooperative that explains its product in Catalan becomes visible in very specific searches (“ous ecologics”, “cooperativisme agroalimentari”) where almost nobody is competing.
In both cases the mechanics are the same: original Catalan content + well-implemented hreflang = you reach page one sooner than you would competing in Spanish.
The ca-es-en strategy: the smart path
Our recommendation for any business in Catalonia is to follow this sequence:
- Catalan first: rank quickly in the local market with minimal competition. Establish domain authority.
- Spanish second: once you have authority, expand to the national market. The domain authority gained with Catalan helps you rank faster in Spanish.
- English third: for sectors with a tourism or international component. It complements, it does not replace.
This strategy is not theoretical: it is the sequence we apply when a client’s business is local and its market searches in Catalan.
What a multilingual website actually involves
Multilingualism is not a module you bolt on at the end. When a website is planned from the start with more than one version, each language gets its own URLs, its own keyword research and its own content, and hreflang is wired correctly from the first deploy.
Adding it afterwards tends to cost more and turn out worse: literal translations hung on a structure designed for a single language. If you outsource it, a translation agency runs between 100 and 200 EUR per article, and the result still is not Catalan SEO. It is translated Spanish.
At serpixel we plan custom websites as multilingual from the design stage. The exact scope and publishing cadence are agreed after the discovery session, based on which languages your market needs.
Conclusion: Catalan is not a cost, it is a competitive advantage
If your business serves Catalan-speaking customers, having your website in Catalan is not a linguistic gesture. It is a business decision with measurable returns:
- 25 times less competition in commercial searches
- Less time to reach page one than competing in Spanish
- Higher conversion when content is in the customer’s own language
- Very little competition in most local sectors
At serpixel we build websites that speak your customers’ language, with independent SEO for each language and correct hreflang implementation from day one.
Want to see what your website would look like in Catalan? Book a 30-minute discovery session.
