Complete Guide to Website Localization – The Do’s and Don’ts for Business Owners
What is Website Localization?
Website Translation and Localisation: What is the Difference?
Importance of Website Localisation
Case Studies for Good Localization Strategy and Localization Process
Take Coca-Cola for instance. Coca-Cola is a global brand with a strong commitment to localizing its marketing efforts. Their websites frequently feature region-specific content, such as culturally relevant imagery, local promotions, and advertisements that resonate with the target audience’s values and traditions. This approach helps Coca-Cola establish a strong emotional connection with consumers worldwide.
Netflix, which is available in many countries, is another wonderful example of how website localization extends beyond language translation. Netflix offers localized websites with translated content, subtitles, and audio tracks for movies and TV shows to cater to a wide range of viewers. They also analyse user preferences and behavior in order to recommend material that is relevant to the viewer’s linguistic and cultural interests.
IKEA is a Swedish furniture retailer that has successfully localized its website into multiple languages. They offer country-specific websites with translated product descriptions, pricing, and local promotions. Furthermore, IKEA displays photos of rooms tailored to mirror the target market’s style and tastes, ensuring an individual shopping experience for each audience.
When you localize your website, you essentially create an engaging and interesting online experience for your customers. This helps you to develop stronger relationships with your clients, increase customer loyalty, and ultimately drive more sales.
Thinking of taking your business to the next level? Try and localize your website!
Process of Website Localisation
Benefits of Website Localisation
Expanded Global Reach
Firstly, a well-planned website localization workflow can help you to enter new markets and reach out to potential clients who may or may not be fluent in the language of your original website.Higher Conversions
Users are more likely to stay on a website longer, browse through the products or services, and make a purchase if they can access it in their preferred language. One of the benefits you can get from localizing? You can increase conversion rates and generate revenue growth by removing linguistic hurdles!Improved User Experience & Increased Customer Engagement
By translating your material into your potential customers’ native language, you are making it easier for them to navigate, grasp the information, and interact with your business.SEO Rankings That Improve Business Performance
A primary advantage lies in the website’s enhanced efficiency through the seamless integration of localization strategies. This allows for a personalised and targeted user experience by incorporating region-specific keywords and targeting specific markets, ultimately increasing search engine ranking and improving business performance. Employing the services of a skilled translator can expedite this process whilst saving costs.Gaining A Competitive Advantage
Localizing your website demonstrates your dedication to the local market and might set you apart from competitors who have not taken this step. Many firms underestimate the value of website localization; but, by investing in this process, you can actually obtain a competitive advantage in international markets. Don’t skip this step!Gain Access to Local Insights
Localization of your website allows you to position your business as a global player who knows and caters to the needs of many markets. It contributes to the creation of a positive brand image, consumer loyalty, and long-term connections with international customers.Improved Brand Image
Last, but not least, it is also important to note that you can actually provide useful insights into local market trends, customer behavior, and preferences. Such information can help you shape your overall marketing strategy and product/service offerings, allowing you to tailor your offerings to certain regions or countries.Further Case Studies on Content Localization Strategy
Types of Website Content Localization
Ensuring website content is properly localized can make a huge difference in the success of a company.
It’s important to take into account linguistic and cultural differences when localizing content. For example, certain colours and symbols may have different meanings in different regions.
Additionally, using localized language and slang can help connect with an audience on a more personal level. Overall, website content localization ensures that a company’s message is communicated effectively and relevantly to potential customers in different regions.
Here are some types of content you can localize:
- Product descriptions
- Contact information
- Marketing messages
- Website images (including price currency, and using locally appropriate images)
- Multimedia elements
- Software and applications (which require translating the user interface, menus, error messages, and other text elements such as adapting date and time formats, number formats, and measurement units to the target audience’s market.
- Game localization (including entails modifying dialogue, subtitles, user interfaces, graphics, and cultural references in order to provide an immersive and culturally relevant gaming experience. Modifying character names, removing references to local pop culture, or adapting gaming features to conform to cultural conventions are some examples.
The 5 Dos of Website Localisation
Do understand your target audience
First and foremost, identify key demographics and characteristics of your target audience. Once you have done that, you can then craft tailored messaging and marketing strategies that resonate with your target audience.Do conduct thorough market research
You might need to continually analyse and adjust your market research based on feedback and performance metrics. Do not make assumptions about your target audience without data to support them.Do use culturally appropriate images and graphics
Besides using appropriate language and terminology, you also need to consider the kind of images and graphics you can use for the particular market. There are some general guidelines. For example, displaying a delicious burger with precisely melted cheese and fresh vegetables can be enticing when presenting information to a Western market. In some Asian markets, however, stressing traditional and cultural features of the cuisine, such as exhibiting a nicely designed sushi platter, can resonate with your audience better.Do use local payment options
When it comes to offering a complete experience, it is always better to localize your payment options and translate them into their respective languages. This can encourage your website visitors to remain longer and make more purchases because they can see how much they are spending in their local currency, as well as boost their sense of security.Do test your website in different languages and countries
Linguistic Accuracy: Translating a website entails more than simply changing words. Each language has its own syntax, cultural nuances, and idioms. Testing the website in several languages ensures that the translations are correct, culturally suitable, and convey the desired content successfully. A term that works well in English, for example, may be confused or objectionable when translated directly into another language. SEO and Search Rankings: Each country’s search engines and algorithms differ, as do user behavior and search patterns. You can optimise your website for local search engines, keywords, and user expectations by evaluating its visibility and ranking in multiple markets. Technical Compatibility: Special characters, text orientation adjustments (e.g., right-to-left languages like Arabic), or date and number formats may be required by different languages and areas. Testing the website in different locations ensures that these technical aspects are handled correctly. Here are some fun facts! Do you know that a date format that works well in the US (MM/DD/YYYY) may be confusing in Europe, where the conventional format is DD/MM/YYYY? Japan on the other hand usually uses YY/MM/DD in its date format.The 3 Don’ts of Website Localisation
Don’t rely solely on machine translation
While machine translation has greatly improved, it is also critical to avoid depending solely on such advanced technologies. They may not reflect the intricacies of language and cultural context effectively and could result in erroneous or offensive translations. All as said, we always need to have a good content localization process in place and get your website localized optimally.Don’t ignore cultural differences
Each culture has its own set of conventions, values, and beliefs. Failure to account for cultural variations can result in misunderstandings or even offense. Colours, for example, may have various connotations in different cultures. White is associated with purity in Western civilisations but sadness and mourning in some Asian traditions.Don’t forget about local regulations and legalities
Each country may have its own set of laws and regulations governing website content, data privacy, terms of service, and so on. To avoid legal complications, it is critical to research and follow these requirements.The 4 Steps to Website Localization
Define your target market
It is critical to establish your target audience and their cultural preferences before beginning the localization process. Investigate the locations or countries you intend to target, including their language, cultural subtleties, and local market trends. If you are localizing a website for the Japanese market, for example, it’s critical to grasp their own business etiquette, design preferences, and language peculiarities.Select a trustworthy website localization company
Finding a reputable multilingual website localization company is critical for achieving high-quality outcomes. Look for organizations that specialise in website localization and have worked with your target markets in the past. Examine their portfolio and client testimonials to determine their experience and dependability. At WhizWordz International, we have a pool of highly trained and qualified translators, editors, and proofreaders to take on your content localization strategy projects in Singapore.Adapt your content and design accordingly
Once you’ve found a website localization partner, collaborate with them to tailor your content and design aspects to the target audience. This includes translating text and altering specific words or terms to suit the local preference. For example, if you are localizing a food delivery service for the Chinese market, you might need to include their local food names instead of their universally known names.Updating your localized contents
Always update your localized content based on user feedback and evolving and different market trends to keep relevant!Localisation Strategies for Business Owners
There are various processes involved in the process of website localization strategy and adapting your website to an international market.
Follow these four steps for website localization:
Need some good localization ideas and localization solutions? Here are a few!
- Tailor pricing and promotional strategies to align with local market trends and consumer preferences
- Smartphones have one of the highest penetration rates in the world.
Your website should be mobile-friendly and optimised for different devices and screen sizes. To deliver a fantastic user experience for mobile users, responsive design and fast loading times are essential.
Besides localizing it to different languages, you should also adapt your content accordingly for mobile scenarios as they often require a different style of presenting the information.
Collaboration with local influencers, bloggers, or complementary firms can help business owners acquire visibility within their target audience.
Guest blogging, cross-promotions, and sponsorship of local events can all help to raise brand awareness and increase local interest.
You can always post these contents in a primary language and localize them to different countries and markets.
Localised customer service
You can improve customer satisfaction by offering customer service in local languages and offering contact information that your target audience can easily find.
Multilingual chatbots, customised FAQs, and providing localized SOP guidebooks for your local specialised hotline staff can all help with this.
User-generated Content (UGC)
Encouraging and publicising UGC from local customers helps develop a sense of community and trust.
To demonstrate positive experiences and enhance trust, you can add and localize testimonials, reviews, or social media posts from delighted consumers to new potential customers around the world.
Website Translation and Localization Company in Singapore
Look no further than Whizwordz International!
Our team of localization experts specialise in content marketing and website localization, ensuring your message is conveyed clearly and effectively in multiple languages. Whether you need a website translated or help with adapting your content to different cultural contexts, we have the skills and knowledge to help!
