Are you wondering how to make your website go global? Have you tried engaging website translation services, or what strategies are you using? In this article, the Future Group, a language service provider (LSP), guides you on the most feasible strategies that can catapult your website to a global level.
The Need to Make Your Website Global
Before discussing the strategies to make your website go global, you must understand why you need to do it. Such an exploration will motivate you to invest in the strategies that we will highlight. Without understanding the objective of internationalizing your website, you cannot be serious about improving your website to match the global scale.
So, what are some of the benefits of making your website go global? They include the following:
New Revenue-Generation Potential
Making your website go global opens your business to a large customer base. It enables you to shift from selling your products and services in your local market to selling them internationally.
If the domestic market is saturated, your sales cannot be optimal. In such a market, the demand for the products and services that you provide is low because of competition.
However, the internationalization of your business takes your products and services into new markets where the demand is high. In return, you end up making high sales than what you are making in the domestic market.
Notably, globalizing your website equates to internationalizing your business. The move facilitates market penetration. In return, you venture into new markets where the demand is high.
Offering More Assistance to People
All business enterprises seek to solve one or more social problems. However, the lack of internationalization hampers the efforts to help as many people as possible. One way of achieving this objective is to make your website go global. In return, you will get requests from people who need your help the most.
Attracting More Potential Talent
When you go global, you open up to high-quality expertise that your domestic market lacks. In return, your business enterprise gains a competitive advantage over similar companies that cannot tap into such expertise.
Increasing Cultural Competence
When you make your website go global, you open up to cultures not found in your country or region. In return, you become more culturally competent because you have to align your business with the cultural values of your potential customers. Remember, it isn’t easy to sell your products and services if they do not match the cultural values of your target customers.
Attracting Foreign Investments
Foreign investments are a valuable injection to any business venture. Going global opens up your business to these foreign investments, making your business entity expand its operations. There is no better way to attract these foreign investments than to make your website go global.
Market Diversification
Market environments differ according to global regions. Some market environments are favourable, while others are quite suppressive. Regardless of the market environment, business enterprises have to operate.
Fortunately, making your website go global opens up your business to regions with favourable market environments. In return, you end up offsetting low sales in harsh markets with high sales from markets with a friendly business environment.
How to Make Your Website Go Global
To make your website go global, you have to do two things: design a global-friendly website and optimize it. Let’s explore each exercise:
Designing a Global-Friendly Website
You must do several things to your website to make it have a global nature. What are some of these things?
Optimization of Content to Match Multiple Languages
You must transcreate your website content in addition to translating it. Transcreation entails recreating the translated content, including its meaning, context, and intent. The move makes your website content fit for your potential foreign customers.
Each target audience requires unique content that matches its cultural values. For this reason, you must convert your website content severally in line with the number of your target audience.
Use Flexible Localization Options
Global websites have default redirection based on dynamic GeoIP tracking. This feature enables websites to choose the default language and domain. Such a website has a rigid localization option.
If you use flexible localization options, your website opens up in any country, even though the website carries a standard brand name. In other words, your website will adopt the language of the user.
Use a Few Text Images
Notably, Google cannot translate text images. For this reason, it is impossible for an international customer to get your message written on a text image on your website. In other words, foreign customers cannot understand your logo, headings, and other information appearing on text images. In return, it is impossible for them to buy your products.
Factually, no software or translator featured on your multilingual website can translate text images. For this reason, use a few or no-text images on your website to make it globally acceptable.
Use Website Color Carefully
Different countries have different colour meanings. For this reason, the consideration of the colour that appears on any of your website features is important when designing a global website. Always use colours that can appeal to the masses. You can opt to research colours your industry uses or colours that appeal to your target international audience.
Use a Localized Checkout Process
The cart leads on your website should be convenient for your international customers. If you are shipping your products to your international customers, do the following:
- Have clear information about whether your company ships to the local address of your international customer.
- Provide cash conversion options to your international buyers. This feature allows customers to convert their local currency into their preferred currency.
- Be transparent about taxes and delivery charges. This move prevents your customers from abandoning their carts.
- Offer multiple payment options. This move enables your customers to use their preferred payment options regardless of location.
Consider the Website Loading Speed
Speed optimization is a prerequisite of an effective global website. Your website should use a content delivery network. This network comprises a group of servers located in several regions across the world. The network speeds up a website loading process when a potential international client accesses it.
Optimizing Your Website for a Global Audience
Once you design a global-friendly website, the next step is to optimize it. The optimization process attracts more traffic to your website. The following are some of the ways of optimizing your website:
Setting up Redirects or Using Country Extensions
Even though it is expensive, building target country domain extensions is an effective way of optimizing your website. Alternatively, you can buy a domain extension and create a redirection to a subdirectory.
Use Cross-Domain Canonical Tags
The canonical link elements allow you to have similar website content on different extensions. The canonical tag duplicates website content and makes the duplication a non-issue to Google. In return, Google cannot flag such content for duplication.
Use the Correct Google Webmaster Tools’ Geo-Targeting
Webmasters geographically direct some websites or sections of websites to specific locations. However, you have to set up the configuration of your website on your webmaster tools account.
Improve the Loading Speed of your Website
A website that loads up quickly ranks better on Google and other search engines. For this reason, ensure that your website can load quickly regardless of the access point or location.
Feature Google Translate on Your Website
If you have limited resources that cannot support setting up local sites for each target country or language, consider featuring Google Translate on your website. This feature is an ideal option for small business enterprises and startups. The feature enables international customers to view the content of your website in their local language.
Even though Google Translate is not the most effective translation tool, it comes in handy in translating your website content. Also, it is a better option than leaving your website untranslated. Over time, you can make improvements by engaging a website translation agency to improve your website after getting sufficient resources.
Make Your Website Compatible With the Latest Browsers
Your website should be compatible with almost all browsers, including the latest ones and some older versions. Some of the latest browsers to consider are Chrome, Android, Firefox, and Safari on Macs, and iPhones.
To find out whether your website is compatible with the most relevant, engaging standards, mobile and accessibility browsers compliance testers. Also, ensure that your website is accessible to disabled people. Such a consideration makes your website all-inclusive.
Incorporate Social Media Platforms
Nowadays, the global population is increasingly spending so much time on social media. In return, social media platforms are an ideal marketing tool that enables business enterprises to reach their target audience. For this reason, you should consider featuring social media links n your website to make it globally accessible.
Before embedding the social media links on your website, you must identify the most preferred social media platform for your target customers. Remember, some countries do not allow the use of social media platforms.
The Bottom Line
The world has become a global village. For this reason, your business should operate globally. To do so, make your website go global. It is a move that can transform your business positively.