Localization Strategy
Plan i18n, hreflang, pricing-by-market, and marketing adaptation before or while expanding a SaaS product into new languages and regions.
Overview
localization-strategy is an agent skill most often used in Launch (also Validate, Build, Grow) that plans multilingual growth across product, pricing, marketing, and compliance—not only copy translation.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills --skill localization-strategyWhat is this skill?
- Separates localization (product, pricing, marketing, compliance) from translation-only workflows
- Covers true pricing localization vs cosmetic currency swap for indie SaaS expansion
- Initial assessment reads project-context.md for markets, brand, and stack (Next.js, React)
- Pairs with translation skill for glossary and style-guide execution
- Guides GDPR and regional compliance as part of go-to-market, not afterthought
- version 1.1.0 in SKILL frontmatter
Adoption & trust: 774 installs on skills.sh; 586 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You want global users but only have English UI, unclear hreflang, and no plan for pricing or channels per market.
Who is it for?
Indie SaaS founders picking priority locales, hreflang structure, and go-to-market differences before or during international launch.
Skip if: Teams that only need one-off string translation with an existing glossary—use the translation skill instead.
When should I use this skill?
User wants localization strategy, multilingual growth, i18n planning, global expansion, market entry, hreflang, multi-language SEO, or international SEO.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a prioritized localization strategy tied to stack and markets, with a clear handoff to translation workflow for glossary and style guides.
- Localization strategy covering product, pricing, marketing, and compliance
- Priority markets and technical i18n alignment notes
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
International SEO and hreflang sit in Launch as the canonical shelf for global findability, even though localization work often starts earlier during scope and build. Hreflang, multi-language SEO, and market-specific indexing are core SEO subphase concerns for solo builders shipping multilingual surfaces.
Where it fits
Decide which two locales to enter first and what compliance and pricing assumptions to validate.
Align Next.js or React i18n implementation with locale rollout and UX cultural tweaks.
Structure hreflang and multi-language SEO before indexing new language paths.
How it compares
Strategic localization planning skill, not a translation TMS or automated i18n code generator.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is localization-strategy for?
Solo and indie builders shipping SaaS, AI tools, or content products who are planning new languages or regions and need SEO, pricing, and product adaptation in one plan.
When should I use localization-strategy?
Use during Validate when scoping market entry, during Build when implementing i18n, at Launch for hreflang and international SEO, and in Grow when adapting channels and personas per locale.
Is localization-strategy safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and inspect SKILL.md in your repo before granting agent file or network access; the skill primarily guides strategy rather than calling external APIs by default.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Localization Strategy
# 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 project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for product, target markets, and brand. Identify: 1. **Target markets**: Priority languages/regions 2. **Product type**: SaaS, AI tool, content 3. **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 `<a>` not `<button>`; 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. See **rendering-strategies**. ## 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