Globalization and the internet have created a plethora of opportunities for businesses to enhance their customer base. The internet has lowered the barrier of entry for small and medium sized businesses to allow people from around the world to find their products. In order to reach these new audiences, though, businesses need to consider how their brand is being read and seen by people from other cultures. This is where website localization becomes a crucial part of e-commerce. Businesses of all sizes must consider their foreign audiences when marketing their product, but how do they accomplish this? Here are several tips for better website localization:
Consider the Languages, Not Just the Country: One of the biggest mistakes some businesses will make when translating content to people of another country is not putting much thought in the makeup of the country. For example, there may be a huge population of immigrants from another country or there may be a large military population, etc. Consider not just the country when making translation decisions, but the demographics of that country's population as well.
Hire a Translation Company to Perfect Colloquialisms: You're trying to sell a product to a population. You not only need to have your messaging translated correctly; your copy should only sound like how your target audience would speak. Hiring a professional translation company with translators who actually have origins in the target country can be of great benefit as you attempt to brand your product or services correctly while adapting to how your target audience speaks.
Get Dates, Times, and Currency Correct: Residents of different countries may have very subtle nuances in how they write how the date or the time. Some may put the date first; others may write out the month first. It really depends on how they were educated and what the professional norms are for that particular country. Obviously, each country will have different currencies as well. So when dealing with shipping dates and currency on a localized e-commerce site, make sure that each localized page has the correct information that pertains to that particular country.
Localization matters. If you want to appeal to a global audience, you need webpages that reflect not only your brand, but the cultural norms of a particular country. Keep these and other best practices in mind to ensure you maximize on all new growth opportunities across the globe.