How Choosing Website Localization Can Be a Game Changer for Your Business with ConveyThis

At times, many people have difficulty explaining the difference between translation of website and localization of website. Therefore, they make the mistake of interchanging each of the terms for each other. While we can confidently say that the first step when localizing a website is translation, localization goes far beyond translation alone. There are more to localization than just translating the website contents. It involves more work to get your website localized.

In this article we will be discussing how the choice of localizing your website can be a game changer for your business. However, before we dive into further information, let us first know what localization stands for.

What is Localization of Website?

Localization of a website means adapting the content, product, document of the website to match or meet up with the standard of language, culture and background of a specific target group. The web content could be images, pictures, graphical illustrations, languages, user experiences so that the taste and need of the target group can be met. This will make your business to be readily accepted by the people in such category having realise that their concerns have been taken care of in a language and manner that is suiting to their hearts. A successfully localized website should demonstrate the ethics, norms and values of the visitors of the website in other to draw their attention to your products and services. That is why when you are localizing your website, know that it is a process that involves careful thought and logical approach in handling the contents, designs or presentation of your website. This is because what is been rendered in the original form may have to be rendered in another complete form for another locality because of their cultural and ethical background.

So when visitors are on your website, they should feel at home, so to say. They should be comfortable browsing through your website. You should consider the following when localizing your website:

• Translation: contents of your website should be rendered in a language that the visitor of your website are not having difficulty understanding and that they are quite familiar with. Hence, when localizing, first thing you should have at heart is that you will be translating your website to the language of the target audience.
• Adapting graphical illustrations and representations to the locale: all graphical items that is on the original content must be carefully reviewed and adapted to the target location. Certain designs may be seen as offensive in a target group while ordinarily might not be so in the original context.
• Ensure that designs and images properly reflect the translated text: your designs and text should be complimentary and corresponding. It should not go against each other.
• Adherence to what is familiar and locally required: you will not want to use examples, illustrations, currencies or units of measurements that the target audience know little or nothing about. If you ever make that mistake, you localization is not complete. It will definitely affect your sales or goals on the website.
• Follow the format known locally: when mentioning names, address and phone numbers, ensure you follow formats that are understandable to the people in the target group. Use their date format, address format and phone formats.
• One more important thing is that you should read and learn about what is legally acceptable in the locality. Are local regulations going to limit your sales, for online stores? Has the local authority placed a ban beforehand on what I am planning to advertise on my website? What are the legal requirements in the locality? These and many other questions like that to be given a serious thought during localization.

Now let us discuss how localization provides help for you market and businesses.

How Localization of Website Supports your Business

In this section of the article, we will be discussing four (4) ways in which website localization supports and provides needed help to your online business.

1. More Traffic Generation

You can drive or generate more traffic on your website with the help of localization. According to Common Sense Advisory, global consumers rating to 72.4% had shown that instead of them using a foreign language when shopping they prefer to shop online using their local language. When your website is of high standard and useful content, the specific targeted audience will be move to storm your website. If you will like to reach out to at least eighty percent (80%) of the world’s population via your website, you should translate such website to nothing less than 12 different languages. You can only imagine the number of visitors that will be attracted daily on the world most translated website, jw.org, having their web content in over nine hundred (900) languages.

These facts and figures indicate that a goal of reaching meaningful numbers of individuals whether for business purposes or other purposes requires localization.

2. Localization Can Influence The Rate At Which People Buy Your Products

People tends to trust something or someone they know many things about especially when there is a point of common ground. A localized website shows users personalized experience that they can always count on to let them know they are on the safe end. Users of internet are more inclined to visit websites that encourages their cultural, ethical, commercial and professional values. According to phrase.com, “78% of online shoppers are more likely to make a purchase on online stores that are localized. Businesses that sell products or services in English to non-native English speakers have a better chance of converting the majority online shoppers if their website is localized instead.”

No wonder, localizing your website will not only drive plenty customers to your page but will also subconsciously influence their decision to buy from you as they will be more inclined to do that. So if you want to make improvement in your sales by having more people buy from you, then you have to localize your website.

3. Localization Transforms Your Business to an International Business

In the past, if you want your business to go global, you will exert so much effort. In fact the efforts may just not be enough to push your brand to an international scale. During those years, going from a local level to an international level will require more time, energy, investments and so many untold resources. However, it is a different case today because with the simple act of localizing your website, you online business will be launched into a global business. You can do this quite easily. Interestingly, localization of website serves as the most cost effective means to take your business up to a higher level. It is quite an efficient, effective, productive and practical way to first test internationalization of your business and later you can make modifications and adjustments to your goods, services and products when it is imperative or the review from customers call for such.

4. Localization Enhances Search Ranking and Help Decrease Bounce Rate

When placing contents on the website, you should bear in mind your target audience. This require that you make extensive research on what will be inviting to your audience and then tailor your contents towards the result of your research. This is paramount because you will definitely not want to do things that your customers will detest or that will make them feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. Remember that localization of website is about improving the experience of your users. So whatever you are placing out there should be carefully thought out so as to cater for the needs of your audience and potential customers in the said target group. When you do this, your bounce rate (i.e. the numbers of people that leave your page after visiting only one page of your website) will drastically reduce.  Visitors will stay longer on your website and navigate several pages. And when such happens, your search ranking will increase automatically.

In summary, localizing your website can be a game changer for your business. You can have a business breakthrough with website localization. There are thousands to millions of internet users outside there today, that you can win their heart to always visit your website when you localize your website. In fact, localization of website is the cheapest way in which you can take your online business on websites to a global scale. And when you have achieve this, it will automatically translate to more sales. Thereby, generating more revenue for your business.

With the above mentioned opportunities that localization of your website promises, you should have no other thought at the moment than that of starting your website localization right away. You may think doing this is going to be some complex issues or processes and that it will probably involve some huge amount of money. Well, that is not the case. You can try our super easy, simple, low cost website localization and translation service on ConveyThis. It is a perfect design for start-ups and medium size enterprises and businesses.