13 May Localisation of Websites: 7 Key Factors to keep in Mind
The increasing success of online purchasing and e-commerce websites has highlighted the importance of localising business websites.
A localised website lets users find their cultural “comfort zone”, promoting engagement and consequently encouraging the purchase of products and services. In this way, international businesses can approach their customers and communicate with them, adapting brand content to their needs.
What is meant by the localisation of a website?
Localising a website doesn’t simply mean translating online content into a target language. Instead, the process of localisation consists of linguistic and cultural adaptation, and the goal is to improve the user’s browsing experience on the platform.
The task of localisation is often combined with the work of transcreation, which involves developing creative translations designed to allow a brand to adapt its own identity to various cultural settings in the best way possible.
7 key factors to keep in mind
- First and foremost, it’s important to carefully choose the different languages in which your business website will be translated. A thoughtful analysis of your target language and culture enables you to choose the most appropriate solution for your business needs and to improve the long-term standing of your business.
- Before planning a multilingual website, it’s essential to seek the advice of an expert in the localisation process. This professional guides the brand in producing content, products and services that are culturally aligned with its relevant target audience. The choice of colours, images or numbers appearing on the website can influence users’ perceptions and may interfere with the message the business wants to convey.
- The SEO status of your website must also be overseen to maintain a high ranking on search engines. Choosing the right keywords actually leads to attracting quality traffic on your website. To do this, it’s essential to update and check SEO performance in relation to the multilingual version of the website.
- When it comes to localising a website, the basic principle is to consider the quality of the user experience on various devices. A platform that is well localised and responsive offers users an easy and pleasant experience for browsing and making purchases.
- Your site must also maintain a certain consistency among all its multilingual versions: fonts, colours, logos, menus and small design elements should all remain the same. This helps the brand keep the identity of the business intact.
- Choosing to personalise the customer care services of your e-commerce platform could prove to be a rewarding choice! This solution lets you effectively assist your customers and better respond to their requests.
- Testing a localised website or an e-commerce platform should be carried out before their launch. This process guarantees that each part of the website functions properly, thereby offering users the ultimate browsing experience. The text and visual elements of your website should be tested to ensure they are suitable for the target market.
The localisation of a website is a complex yet essential process. For this reason, it’s important for businesses to take on localisation with help from a group of professionals in the field who can make use of advanced technologies to this end.
In fact, during this step it becomes very important to effectively manage the workflows and operations involved: translation, analysis of linguistic and cultural elements, development of graphics and in-depth study of some aspects concerning the scope of marketing.
