As your business is going global, simply translating your content and copy may not be enough anymore. Today, consumers everywhere are looking for brands that they can relate to and resonate with, ones who truly understand their needs and wants, and can communicate and deliver it well enough. Your customers need to know who you are, what you can offer them, and if you're the better option when compared to other brands.
It goes without saying that one of the most important assets of every brand is its website. Your website is where your customer can find all the information they need to make the decision of whether they'll choose you or not. From your company's history to your product and service offerings, as well as the value that you're ready to provide them, it's important that it is communicated well.
The best way to do so? Localise your website!
What is website localisation?
Website localisation is adapting an existing website to the local language and culture of your selected target market—attuning it based on the new cultural context and linguistics. In short, you wouldn't just be translating your website word for word, but refining it in such a manner that portrays it to be truly local.
In succeeding to do so, you'll be able to provide a useful, relevant, and convenient experience for users who are browsing through. As compared to merely translating your website, which may leave gaps that could potentially confuse customers, localisation is key in building your website to be suitable for your target market and audience.
Why should I localise my website?
Localising your website is great for many reasons, all of which only stand to benefit your business and bring it to greater heights. Here are a few of those benefits, to name a few.
1. Improved brand image & credibility
Through localising your website, you'll be able to establish a trusted brand image with your target audience.
With a reliable and efficient website that contains all of the information that consumers need, and through showing that you thoroughly understand your market with relevant copy, your customers will be more inclined to see your brand in a positive light—therefore, improving your overall brand image and reputation as a whole.
Although English is known as the global lingua franca, however, localising your website will show to your audience that you have, in fact, carried out your research on the market and subsequently, devised appropriate strategies to not only enter into the market, but to serve your customers well. It shows that you have gone the extra mile to ensure that your website content will be fully relevant to your target market. Rather than taking the easy way out through simply translating your website, you're showing effort through treating them as a unique market and group with their own distinct cultures.
All in all, it'll build an excellent image for your brand, and will allow you to gain the loyalty and satisfaction of your customers too.
2. Higher customer engagement
When you localise your website in such a manner that allows your consumers to fully relate to and understand the content, you'll be effectively increasing your customer engagement as a result.
Localising your website would allow your customers to easily browse through and locate what they're searching for—it'll be easier for them to understand the information that you're sharing with them, and with a user-friendly website, they won't have a difficult time finding their way around it and would be a guaranteed enjoyable user experience.
It's all about understanding how your customers manoeuvre through your website and look for information, because if you can simplify that process for them, they'll stay on your website longer as you've already piqued their interest. The more time they spend on your website, the more they'll learn, and the higher chances of them converting into your actual customers!
3. Improved & higher SEO ranking
Through localising your website, you'll be able to secure better Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) results and boost your website's overall ranking, which makes you more visible to consumers.
Translating your content may not be able to capture all of the important key words required to boost your website's SEO. It is only by localising your website that you'll be able to identify what your customers are looking for, and to incorporate that into your copy as you're refining the website.
With well-written content that's loaded with the effective use of keywords, your website will rank higher on online searches, which means that you'll gain higher levels of visibility, increased website traffic, and improved accessibility to a wider range of users!
Does my website need to be localised?
All evidence points to a yes! Go one step further from translating into localising, and you'll be effectively setting your brand up for greater successes by a mile. It's all about understanding your target market's cultural context and linguistics so that you're able to build content and refine your website into one that'll suit their appetite the most.
Consumers nowadays want to feel understood, heard, and cared for. They're all about the customer experience, and you can provide exactly that by building a website that's catered just to them. When you show effort, customers are able to detect that, and they'll be more inclined to choose you over other brands that may not go as far as to attend to their needs and demands.
Is your brand going global? If so, will you be taking the bold move to localise your content? If you are, feel free to reach out to our team of experts here to help localise your website or any other content that you may have! We can help you find what you need and build your content and copy for the target market of your choice—just reach out to us whenever you're ready!