As companies grow internationally, it’s now more important than ever to translate website content to reach potential new customers and clients. By having a localized website that speaks the languages of your target audiences, you will be able to connect with them better and drive traffic to your website from all corners of the world.
Why website localization is important
Most people only search and read the information in their native language, so if your site isn’t in that language, people simply will not engage with it – they may not even find it in the first place.
This is a problem that can be avoided with website localization.
The core component of localization is a translation, which should be immaculate to not deflect local consumers. If you are confident enough doing it yourself – kudos to you, but most likely skills at your disposal are insufficient to provide a good result. In case if you are set on the idea of performing translation by yourself and have an understanding of the target language and culture, you can tackle this task with the help of some translation courses, which will allow you to brush up on some linguistic nuances of the language. Whichever your approach is, it must be emphasized that website translation should be done by someone with a high level of proficiency.
Please remember that it’s not just the text on your website that needs translating, but any images containing text too. You might have banners, infographics, or other images with text on them, which will all need to be translated if you want to use them to target a new market. Color and imagery choices should also be revised when doing website localization because some cultures are sensitive towards certain colors or graphics, and for your content to be appealing those factors must be taken into account.
It is not surprising to learn that website localization can increase traffic to your website, but how exactly does that happen?
5 ways in which localizing your site may increase traffic
- Appealing to a global audience. As was mentioned previously, people show a tendency of favoring content in their language, so website localization will help you attract people from different countries, increasing your traffic.
- More SEO options. If your site is localized you have an option of implementing multilingual SEO – use keywords in different languages for different versions of your website. This way your site will be ranked higher in search results, therefore available for more people to discover. This is a great trick as many companies mainly use keywords in English.
- Local targeting. Having a localized website will allow you to post content, catering especially towards the target country audience, such as offering special discounts and sales on local holidays. This will help engage more potential customers as well as keep your actual buyers active on your site.
- Great user experience. The statement that users and customers prefer using websites with a user-friendly interface and easy-to-follow navigation will not raise any eyebrows. Localizing your website allows you to add not just eye-catching culturally appropriate graphic content and text, but also live chat in the target language that will allow customers to get a better user experience with your site. User experience (UX) is an important factor at play when it comes to SEO and can help your ranking.
- Everything is linked. Once your site is localized you can start working on a blog in the language of the target country, filling it with locally relevant articles, adding links to your website, as well as other local websites that may be interested. This will undoubtedly lead to better website recognition as well as increased referral traffic.
If you want to learn more about how website localization can affect traffic, you can check out this Source for a curious study done using a specific product as an example, which shows a more practical approach and makes understanding localization and traffic correlation easier.
All things considered, website localization seems like a very good idea, so where does one start? If you have no previous experience with website localization and have insufficient knowledge of the target language, your go-to option is having someone with more experience do the job for you. This translation services review will help you choose the right agency to localize your site the right way. Localization is a demanding endeavor, it requires special knowledge and is easy to mess up, so getting some help with it on the side is the right call.
Every website owner wants their web recourse to be successful and engage people of all backgrounds. In the modern world localization is a great way to achieve that and get internet users to interact with your site. In many ways, the internet keeps us connected, and making your website a multilingual platform will help further that mutually beneficial connection.
BIO
Henry McDowell
Formerly a legal translator, presently a full-time creative writer, Henry McDowell adores hunting for cool topics and doing research. He likes translation and believes in a creative approach to any task. Glad to share his findings with people, Henry gives himself fully over to content creation.
