Website Localization Services: And Why They Can Unlock Unexpected Business Growth

The act of making modifications to an existing website in order to make it more accessible, usable, and culturally appropriate for a certain audience is known as website localization or website translation.

Based on the most recent Forrester Research, users stay on a website for twice as long (referred to as “site stickiness”) if the website is available in the visitor’s original language. This percentage accounts for more than one third of all internet users. 

The benefits of website localization are readily apparent, particularly for businesses that are interested in expanding into new markets, reaching an audience around the globe, and increasing sales on a worldwide scale.

What is Website Localization?

The act of modifying the language, structure, and performance of a website for markets that speak a different language is referred to as “localization.” 

Localization is also frequently written as “L10n.” When all is said and done, localization should result in a website that:

■ Demonstrates an awareness of and sensitivity to language, cultural, and technical variations

■ Does not alter the meaning that was intended when the source text was first written.

■ Reads and sounds as though it were composed in the target culture from the very beginning.

Website localization, when done effectively, results in a website that is accessible to millions of people who may be interested in becoming new clients. As a consequence of this, it is essential to the continued expansion of any company over the course of time.

In Defense of Website Localization: 

Websites are a crucial marketing tool in the digital age of today because they enable businesses to exhibit their services, establish themselves present, and attract new clients. In other words, websites are essential. 

Because of COVID-19 and the constraints that have been placed on people’s ability to be physically present, the importance of an effective website has gained even more attention.

The significance of a website continues to increase in tandem with the development and proliferation of internet technologies, which are becoming more easily available and broad. 

In today’s highly globalized world, a website is an immensely valuable resource for any business because of its ability to bring in new visitors, educate those visitors about the company’s item or service, and ultimately facilitate a sale. 

This is true regardless of the nature of the company, the industry sector in which it operates, or the reason for the website.

It does not matter whether the purpose of a website is to sell a product, provide a service, or offer information to its visitors: in order for the website’s message to have the greatest possible impact, it must be easy to understand by anyone who reads the content of the website. 

Many businesses, in an effort to gain an advantage over their rivals, will invest a significant amount of money, time, and effort into the development of a web page that will feature compelling copy and visuals and will be well-optimized for search engines.

Despite this, many of these same businesses will frequently overlook one essential component, which is languages. Thus this mistake can create a communication gap which can cost both the user and business. 

Advantages of Website Localization

It should go without saying that website location has a massive impact on the infrastructure of business around the world. To name a few, here is the list of advantages of web location. 

SEO Ranking

Enhanced search engine optimization outcomes are possible with a website that has been appropriately localized. Your website will have a higher ranking on search engines as a result of the well-written content as well as the strategic use of keywords on your website.

This can only result in increased accessibility to users, higher website traffic volumes, and greater visibility to the general public.

Brand Image

Websites that are localized express the messaging of your brand in a manner that is more relevant by customizing it to the particulars of the audience being targeted.

The ability to develop a trustworthy brand image locally is one of the benefits of localization, as is the enhancement of seamless connection with local consumers and website visitors.

Expansive Reach

Localization is the preferred technique for your firm to become global. Adding the target market’s language to your website helps you assist the market and render your goods and services more accessible.

You may think English is the contemporary lingua franca and having an English website is adequate, but data suggest otherwise. 25.3% of Internet users prefer English. That leaves 75% who prefer foreign-language content for you to target.

Credibility

Localization shows you care for your audience. It signifies you’ve worked to make your material clear to your audience. You show you are concerned about their requirements and culture by treating them seriously.

This boosts your website’s credibility and audience’s faith in your brand. Own speakers prefer websites written in their native language (68%) and spend most of their time on them, regardless of their English proficiency.

Engagement

A localized website’s increased legitimacy and excellent customer experience can boost consumer happiness and engagement. When customers can find what they need, they’ll return and refer others.

As localization decreases cultural barriers and enhances understanding, users are more likely to spread the news and entice a broader consumers to your website.

Stages of Website Localization

When localizing your website, there are three stages: internationalization, translation, and localization.

Internalization

Imagine that you are setting the groundwork for something during the internationalization stage. The coding and development phase of website design is where this step takes place, and it is what lays the groundwork for localization.

The process of establishing an infrastructure for a website, both on the front end and the back end, that is easily adaptable for different countries’ markets, languages, and cultures is known as website internationalization.

For instance, internationalizing a website can assist in resolving typical problems, such as those with date formats, decimals, currency, or string character constraints.

It may also be helpful in avoiding the usage of concatenated strings and hard-coded strings, both of which may present difficulties for engineers who are attempting to translate and localize website content at a later stage in the process.

Implementing encoding standards such as Unicode, which covers virtually every language spoken on the planet, computer programmers can create websites to make the process of translation easier and more smooth for users.

In the long run, you will have less need to rework the design of your website if you make an initial investment in internationalization. This will reduce the costs of localization to a minimum.

Translation:

After you have localized your website for a certain region, the following step is to translate it.

A translation management solution ought to be utilized in order to carry out this particular stage of the procedure (TMS). This is a piece of software that attempts to automate as much of the process of translation as it possibly can.

Reusing earlier translations for words or phrases that you have already translated in the past is one example.

If you use a professional translation service, they will be able to guide you through the process of selecting, installing, and maintaining a TMS and translational memory database setup that is optimal for your company.

For instance, when you have thousands of ad copies being submitted in many languages on a daily basis, you will require a TMS that connects with your CMS in order to seamlessly transfer product descriptions for translation software, which is then backed by human review.

You should try to find tools that will simplify the process of working directly with the material of the website for translators. If you give your translators permission to work immediately with your programmers, you will facilitate a translation process that is both seamless and collaborative.

Localization

When entering a new market, making a website bilingual isn’t sufficient to make an impression on customers in that market. A site requires to be localized in order to connect on a deeper level with each individual audience.

In essence, localization is the process of adapting content so that it is acceptable for a specific geographic location. When you localize the content of a website, you make it more relatable on a cultural level and more applicable to the intended audience.

The process of localization entails more than simply using the appropriate inflection and vocabulary; it also necessitates changing all of the graphical elements of your website.

Photos, visuals, call-to-action icons, and films should all be modified to conform to the cultural norms and expectations of each specific region.

The importance of the user experience should never be overlooked when it comes to localization. This involves more than just ensuring that it functions properly and seems flawless in each language.

It’s possible that the customer journey routes will need to be altered so that they are understandable in a particular culture and language.

It is advisable, for instance, to use typefaces that can accommodate numerous languages despite the fact that each language has its own unique set of letters and spacing requirements.

Final Word

To engage with clients in your new areas, localizing your website entails doing research and gaining an understanding of the culture of those new regions. This is not a straightforward translation effort.

Even though it can be enticing to automate all of the translations and just hope for the best, the success of your business in emerging businesses will suffer as a result. 

That is why it is so important to hire an experienced service provider that can operate between the nuances and demands. By providing top-notch translation services AfroLingo has established a reputation for itself by working with multiple brands and firms to proliferate a better digital experience. 

We provide ideal services such as 

■ Translation

■ Transcription

■ Interpretation

■ Software localization

■ Mobile localization

■ Desktop publishing

■ And website publishing

Thus work with a translation company that can help you confidently connect with your new audience and boost your business the way it deserves. 

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