It’s NOT All or Nothing

6 – Website Localization:  Don’t make the “all or nothing” mistake.

Marketing is communication.  If you don’t speak or write in your prospects’ language, that communication cannot occur.  And today, the primary medium of communication is the internet.

If you haven’t localized your website into the languages of your prospective customers so they can understand what you can offer them — and why they should buy it — how much business are you losing right now?

Have any of your competitors localized their websites yet?

In the long run, website localization can yield an outstanding return on investment, including in some cases allowing a company to stay in business.

But for a small or medium-sized company, the upfront cost can be a challenge, especially if your website is large and complex, or if you are doing business or want to do business with speakers of other languages. For this reason, we find that many good companies are missing out on the global profits they could otherwise easily have.

Fortunately, there’s a simple and very cost-effective solution to this problem. It is not necessary to localize your entire website all at once. You can do it one step at a time and let it pay for itself as your profits grow. Just start with something, and add more later.

For example, how about doing just your home page, your contact page and two or three key product pages? If you can’t decide which product pages to do for each country, a fairly quick in-country market study can help determine that.

If an abridged website like this still seems too daunting, you can do something even simpler — a one- or two-page summary of your company in .doc format. This can include your history, your mission, your key products and contact info. Your marketing copywriters should be able to produce that in an hour or so. Or if you need help, we have writers who can do it for you. And you can include a link to your main website for prospects who do understand English and want more detailed information.

Translating this one- or two-page summary into many languages will enable you to reach more foreign markets at a fraction of the cost of localizing your entire site. Then, as you gain experience in each market, you can gradually localize additional product pages, and eventually your entire website.

Just get started.

If you fear that you can’t communicate with foreign prospects if they write or call, we have you covered there too. We can quickly translate their emails and your replies, and you can speak to them 24/7 through our telephonic interpreters.

Also, be sure to have your domain name translated and registered in host countries’ search engines. The cost is negligible and enables your overseas prospects to find you far more easily.

For a free quote for any website option, market study, interpreters or overseas domain registration, please contact us.

PROUD PROJECT

When Apple wanted to release its quarterly financial statements in six languages within three hours of its US press conference, they turned to us. We assembled six multilingual teams who spoke IT and Finance, and arranged for them to translate, edit and proofread the final versions within Apple’s short window of opportunity. In that way, the US announcement made the same-day editions of business newspapers and media around the world in each target language… a successful solution to Apple’s critical timing and concerns.

Thank you for helping us to become one of the most enduring and experienced language agencies in the world.

If You Missed Tips #1-5:  See our Newsletter Archives