The 21st century has seen astronomical growth in global internet users, from 413 million in 2000 to a staggering 4.95 billion by the start of 2022. That’s over 60% of the world’s population. Welsh, Cymraeg, a language that was first written down by the ancient Romans has stood the test of time and finds itself in the now familiar territory of the online world. With such a vast sea of almost 2 billion websites, how has the ever-resilient Welsh language managed to carve its own piece of this multi-billion strong behemoth?
Welsh websites broke ground relatively early. One of the first websites in the Welsh language was from the Welsh Language Board, which launched in 1996. By 2001, Google added a Welsh search engine, a major boost to the Welsh language.
In 2002 it was decided that all UK Government websites that serve members of the public in Wales would be bilingual. With the Welsh language going from strength to strength, soon Welsh culture would create its own world and spread across the globe.
Social media platforms brought an entirely new aspect to the online presence of Welsh language. Companies, artists, and individuals could interconnect, share ideas, and begin to create communities of their own. The introduction of the online media production wing of the S4C, Hansh, made Welsh production on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter an opportunity to build a career in the creative arts through the medium of Welsh. Young people flock to the innovative and inclusive companies, with a following of over 36,000 on Facebook alone.
Without such strides in bringing the Welsh language online over two decades ago, we may not have been able to set out our mission to “Getting Wales Online” and bring small businesses online. We pride ourselves on contributing to this ever-unfolding story.
If you want to join our growing list of clients taking their business online, contact us and begin your own journey now!