German
· DeutschDACH (DE / AT / CH) · 100M+ native speakers, ~€4.5T combined GDP
German shoppers expect precise, formal product copy and complete legal pages. Anything less reads like a scam – and converts like one.
Code
de
Region
DACH (DE / AT / CH)
Shopify
Largest non-English Shopify market in Europe
Why translate
- DACH buyers convert 2–4× higher when copy is fully German – not just translated checkout
- Strict consumer-protection law (BGB, Impressum, Widerruf) makes English-only stores legally risky
- German SEO is dominated by long compound nouns – machine translation alone misses keyword intent
Pitfalls
Du vs. Sie
Pick a register and lock it in your glossary. Mixing the two is the #1 trust-killer in DACH copy.
Compound nouns
'Running shoe' becomes 'Laufschuh', not 'Lauf Schuh'. Generic MT often splits them and tanks SEO.
Legal surface
AGB, Widerrufsbelehrung, Datenschutz and Impressum are mandatory – translate them once with a lawyer, then lock.
Glossary seed
| Source (EN) | German | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cart | Warenkorb | Never 'Korb' alone. |
| Checkout | Kasse | Shopify default; keep consistent. |
| Free shipping | Kostenloser Versand | Not 'Gratis Versand' in formal copy. |
| Sale | Sale / Angebot | 'Sale' is accepted in fashion; 'Angebot' elsewhere. |
SEO tips
- Target compound long-tail (e.g. 'Laufschuhe Damen wasserdicht') – higher intent, lower competition
- Use hreflang de-DE, de-AT, de-CH if you ship to all three – pricing and shipping copy differs
- Translate meta titles AND H1 – Google.de ranks on translated, not source
Next playbook
French