Website Localization: Should You Translate Your Website?

Should I translate my website? That’s a question many business owners are asking themselves. And with good reason. With today’s rapidly globalizing economy more and more businesses are deciding to translate their websites, and they’re reaping big rewards. There have never been more reasons to translate your website. This blog will examine some of these reasons and will show why, for many businesses, translating is a must.

Localization Expands your Reach

Research shows that customers are much more likely to interact with your brand when they are able to access it in their native language. Localization is the process of adapting an existing website to local language and culture in the target market, and it is the best way to reach new markets. It will help you create brand awareness, and educate potential customers, distributors and partners about your company. By expanding the target audience to include speakers of other languages, you will reach more people, and by reaching them in their native language, they will feel more comfortable interacting with your website.

Increasing Your Conversion

When potential customers are able to learn about your brand in their preferred language, it will create trust and respect for your company. This will increase the amount of time spent on your site, and decrease your site’s bounce rate. A “bounce” occurs when a potential customer visits your website but does not interact with it. This could mean they leave after visiting the first page of your website, or that they do not click on any of the links that are available. The longer they explore your page, and the more they are able to read about your products and options, the more likely they will convert into a sale.

SEO Boost

Another huge benefit to translating your website is better SEO results. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines. This is done primarily with keywords. When you translate your website into other languages, you increase your likelihood of being found through search engines. This becomes hugely important for your company’s visibility. This means that your content will rank higher in the results if you are able to provide a version of your content in your user’s native language.

Differentiate Yourself from Competition

Translating your content gives you a huge advantage over your competitors. When non-English speakers search for products or services, their options can be limited. With a localized website available in targeted languages, you’re already ahead of competitors who are not offering translated websites. If you get a head start and enter a new market ahead of the competition, a translated website will help you achieve market share more quickly. It can also give you the opportunity to set up standards for quality and customer service that your competition will need to meet later.

Keep Up with Competitors

If your competition is already serving online customers in their preferred language, to be relevant in that market you need to translate your website too. Customers in global markets have many brands to choose from, and they have come to expect to be served in their preferred languages. If your company doesn’t offer them localized, culturally-relevant online experiences, they’re far more likely to prefer your competitors’ offerings.

Reaching International Markets: Avoid Pitfalls

If your goal is to reach international markets, there’s no better way than to localize your website for those markets. But be careful! Customers in different countries want and expect an extraordinary website experience. They want something that is relatable, something that speaks to them in their own language, and in their own culture.

Straight translation will not get your brand there. You need to localize your website to the language and culture of your target market. If you rely on auto-translation, your website will be sorely lacking in the personalization that your customers want. It is important to know about the culture of your target market. Professional localization services will help you shape your brand to meet the wants and needs of your new markets.

At Australis Localization our team of translators and linguists stand ready to help you meet these challenges in a fresh, unique, and effective way that’s sure to create relationships that last. Contact us today and let us show you how we can help your company be the best!