Imagine losing up to 90% of your competition. Website translation and localization services provide you with the ability to do this. You need to research possible foreign markets first. Next, you need to establish an international content marketing strategy. Then, use a translation company that specializes in localization services. It is also possible to find people native to those areas where localization is necessary.
You now have everything you need for an international audience. Your website is more visible, as is your digital footprint and influence. Why is this important?
Is it possible to outmaneuver all the competition? Let us look at some facts compiled by the World Economic Forum in a report about language diversity. Out of the top 10,000,000 websites, 90% are in 10 languages.
There are approximately 350,000,000 native Spanish speakers on the internet. Still, only about 5% of content on the internet is in Spanish.
China has the most number of internet users with over 800,000,000. Yet less than 2% of internet content is in traditional Mandarin Chinese. China also has many different languages and dialects. The most common language besides Mandarin, is Cantonese.
Cantonese is native to people from Hong Kong, Macau, and the Guangdong province of China. Cantonese is also spoken in most Chinese immigrant communities. India has approximately 550,000,000 internet users. This is also a potential market for profitable returns.
Website Translation – The Foundation of a Successful Multilingual Marketing Campaign
Imagine if someone created the perfect translation app or the perfect translation plugin. It would still lack one crucial element. Clicking a button on a website to get a translation is great. Yet, it will not result in that website getting indexed by the search engines in a foreign language.
The intention is to avoid as much of the competition as possible. A full website translation is a more ideal solution.
The translation will ensure the search engines index the website in every language. This will help to increase free, organic traffic to the website. SEO is not the only benefit of website translation.
The translation will also provide the tools you need to multi-purpose the content. Multi-purposing is using the same content in different media formats.
It may be necessary to make some design changes if you are going to do a website translation. Though the benefits in SEO and increased visibility should make the effort worthwhile.
You may want to optimize your website also. This is very important for eCommerce and affiliate marketing sites. These sites seem to be suffering the most from the latest Google update.
Brand consistency is also a concern. Sometimes the website translation involves languages written from right to left. You can then reverse the template in the same fashion. The ads on the right should now be on the left and vice versa. This will result in a more consistent user experience.
Localization strategies present another unique opportunity for the website owner. It is now easier to build a personal relationship with the foreign visitors. This is imperative to any successful marketing campaign.
Website Translation and Digital Marketing Localization Strategies
A complete translation will also present opportunities to use website localization. Localization strategies must be specific to those areas for the website translation.
Some localized expressions do not work with literal translation. A literal translation of these expressions can change the meaning of a conversation. This is why it is important to use a translation company that focuses on localization.
Another option is to have someone who is from the desired area. For our example, let us look at a website translation from English to Spanish. A localized English expression may not work in the Spanish speaking markets online. Using localization strategies, the translator may replace the expression with a local expression.
It does not matter if you are marketing products, services, or information. It is important to establish a personal relationship with the target demographic. This makes it easier to elicit the desired response from the visitor.
This is true no matter what the response may be. You may want them to click on an advertisement, provide their contact information, or “buy now”. It does not matter with proper localization strategies in use.
Website translation also presents opportunities for pictures, and any mention of geographic locations. None of these opportunities are available when using translation plugins or extensions. The ability to focus on local features is a powerful marketing tool. It is wise to consider this along with all the benefits of translation and localization.
English Only Websites are Fading Fast – Website Translation or Bust?
The year 2020 is a landmark year. It will mark the first time in history that less than half the content on the internet is in English. This is according to Wired Magazine in an article written in December of 2019.
There is some bad news, even when using translation to avoid marketing competition. It is likely the competition will catch up soon.
There is also good news. Start your successful multilingual digital marketing campaign today and you have a head-start. You will be well-established when the competition is only starting their international campaign.
The website translation and localization campaign will help with more than website visibility. The website translation provides the tools necessary to multi-purpose all the marketing content. If you also use video translation, the benefits of your multilingual presence increase.
The video translation services provide you with search engine indexed srt files. This increases the visibility of your video marketing content. Add in a multilingual social media marketing campaign and voila! Now you have a complete recipe for success.
Digital marketing is a veritable buffet. Why would any digital marketer want to starve? The world is, in a sense, knocking at your door. Translation and localization services ensure everyone gets the message.
