On this page
Key takeaways
- Give each language its own URLs, such as /ne/..., so search engines can index both.
- Use hreflang tags so Google shows the right language to the right searcher.
- Devanagari needs a font with full coverage, generous line height and no letter-spacing tricks.
- Machine translation is a first draft; anything people rely on should be read by a native speaker.
Many Nepali customers search in Nepali, in English, or in romanised Nepali typed with an English keyboard. A website that only speaks English misses a large share of them, and one with a "translate" widget is invisible in Nepali search results. Building a proper bilingual site is not difficult, but it has to be designed in from the start. This is how we do it.
Who needs Nepali pages
Schools, clinics, NGOs, local services and anything dealing with families or older customers benefit most. Many businesses serving mainly professionals or tourists may be fine in English. The test is simple: in what language do your customers phone you? If the answer is often Nepali, your website should be able to answer in Nepali too.
One URL per language
The single most important decision is to give each language its own address — for example /services in English and /ne/services in Nepali. Search engines index URLs, not buttons. A widget that swaps the text in place with JavaScript leaves only one version for Google to see, so the Nepali edition never appears in search at all.
Separate URLs also let visitors share a link in the language they read, and let the language switch keep them on the same page in the other language rather than dropping them back at the home page.
Tell search engines how the pages relate
Add hreflang tags to every page, pointing to its English and Nepali versions, plus an x-default for everyone else. These tell Google that the two URLs are the same page in different languages, so it shows the right one to each searcher instead of treating them as duplicates. Include both versions in your sitemap with the same alternates.
Devanagari typography
- Use a font with full Devanagari coverage, such as Noto Sans Devanagari, so conjuncts and vowel signs render correctly on every phone.
- Self-host and subset it. Devanagari fonts are much larger than Latin ones. Serving only the characters you need keeps pages fast on mobile data.
- Never letter-space Devanagari, and never apply uppercase transforms. Tight tracking that looks elegant in English breaks the connecting headline (shirorekha) in Nepali.
- Allow more line height. Vowel signs above and below the line need room, or lines collide.
- Check font weights. Very light display weights that work in English look broken in Devanagari.
Numbers, dates and phone numbers
Nepali readers often expect Devanagari numerals (१२३) on Nepali pages and Bikram Sambat dates where official or school matters are concerned. A school notice dated only in AD, for example, is harder for many parents to use. Forms should accept both scripts, and phone fields should accept the common formats people actually type: 98XXXXXXXX, +977 98XXXXXXXX, and with or without spaces.
Translation that people can trust
Machine translation is a useful first draft and a poor final one. Anything people rely on — fees, medical advice, legal terms, admission rules — should be read by a native speaker before it goes live. Where you publish a page in English only, say so on the Nepali route rather than showing a half-translated page.
In the admin, store the two languages as paired fields on the same record, so an editor changing an English price sees the Nepali price beside it. That one design choice stops translations silently falling behind, which is the most common failure on bilingual sites.
Do and don't
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Separate URLs per language with hreflang | A translate widget that swaps text in place |
| Keep visitors on the same page when they switch language | Send them to the other language's home page |
| Self-host a subset Devanagari font | Load a full font file from a third party on every page |
| Review translations with a native speaker | Publish raw machine translation for fees or health advice |
| Store both languages side by side in the admin | Keep Nepali in a separate system nobody remembers to update |
Launch checklist
- Confirm every page has an English and a Nepali URL, or a clear English-only notice.
- Check hreflang tags and the sitemap include both versions.
- Read every Nepali page on a cheap Android phone over mobile data.
- Test the language switch from deep pages, not just the home page.
- Submit a form in Devanagari and confirm it arrives intact.
- Have a native speaker sign off on fees, policies and anything medical or legal.
Where to start
Pick the five pages your customers use most and plan their Nepali versions first, rather than translating everything at once. If your current site cannot support separate language URLs, that is a sign the structure needs rebuilding; our web development work includes full Nepali editions, and you can see examples across the school and NGO sites in our portfolio. Our guide to mobile-first design covers keeping those Devanagari pages fast.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Google indexes Devanagari content and shows it to people searching in Nepali, provided each language has its own URL and the pages are properly linked with hreflang.
As a first draft it can save time, but it is not good enough for content people rely on. Have a native speaker review anything involving money, health, law or admissions.
A well-maintained font with full Devanagari coverage, such as Noto Sans Devanagari, is a safe choice. Self-host and subset it so it loads quickly on mobile data.
Where your readers expect them, yes — school notices and official matters especially. Many sites show the BS date with the AD date beside it.
- nepali language website
- bilingual website nepal
- hreflang nepali
- devanagari font web
- nepali and english website