Website Localization: Why Is It Important and How to Do It Painlessly?
When it comes to business, numbers are the most powerful expression. Hence, before we look at some of the benefits of website localization, let’s look at some global stats that make it evident why companies must localize their websites!
So, the world has approximately five billion internet users worldwide. But only about 26 percent of them are English-speaking. Now, over 50 percent of all websites globally are in English. But those websites can reach only 25-26 percent of those English-speaking users! What about the rest of the chunk, which is well over 70 percent? With unilingual websites that probably don’t resonate with non-English speakers, how will companies tap into their markets and grow their presence?
That’s exactly where website localization comes into the picture. It refers to various technical and strategic advantages companies should be cognizant of. Accordingly, let’s look at a few solid reasons that make website localization a must for every business.
What is Website Localization?
The word localization may appear similar to translation. But localization transcends the latter. While translation focuses only on the language, localization addresses every local need for the nuance of the content. With language, it emphasizes getting the tone, the local context, cultural aspect, local preferences, etc., right to ensure the website is in line with the local users’ expectations and resonates with them to make them feel at home.
4 Reasons Website Localization is Important for Every Business
Here are four reasons that make localization imperative amidst growing local language internet users and the consequent emergence of local languages across the internet.
1. Improved Local SEO Rankings and Audience Outreach
Companies looking for local market expansion should strongly consider localizing their website. It is because localization helps augment local search engine rankings and thus helps its outreach proliferate to a broader local audience base. It helps companies use language as a marketing tool to reach more local prospects. The more people see the website and interact with it in their language, the better the marketing effect.
2. Amplified Local Marketing Effect
Yes, that’s precisely the next point. Language is one of the most effective ways of connecting with someone. While in a foreign country, you tend to connect with people who speak or understand your language more quickly. Building business connections is no exception. A website speaking a prospect’s language can have more engaging and meaningful conversations with the latter, thus enhancing the market effect.
3. Enhanced Brand Image and Credibility
An important part of branding is connecting with prospects in the way they like. A localized website serves as a branding tool that has local elements that click within prospects. It provides a highly personalized user experience that enhances the user’s journey with the brand, making them more comfortable dealing with it.
Additionally, localized websites create a higher sense of trust among their local users. Users relate to such websites and bank upon them. Furthermore, adding elements like AI-driven multilingual chatbots helps these websites earn more credibility.
Continued efforts in marketing the website and providing high-quality and accurate local language content can make the website and the brand the users’ default choice!
4. Consumers Prefer Native Language Websites
Globally, about 54-56 percent of consumers prefer purchasing from websites that provide product information in the local language. Besides, more than 70 percent of shoppers buy from sites that have local content. Furthermore, well above 60 percent of people, although proficient in English, prefer reading websites in their local language.
Internet users have become more particular than ever about language preferences. They demand personalized internet browsing experiences. Many regional internet users are reluctant to buy from or interact with websites that don’t have local language content. They don’t consider the website credible and thus don’t connect with it.
Such websites may be able to tap into the English-speaking consumer base. But they will miss out on a significant chunk that either doesn’t speak English or, even if it does, prefers engaging with websites that have local language content.
Localize Your Website Effortlessly with FidelSoftech!
Now that you know how localizing your website can help you, connect with FidelSoftech. We are a prominent lang-tech company with over a decade of experience in localizing websites in over 100+ Indian and foreign languages for diverse business domains.
Our team of language experts and web developers collaborate to effortlessly deliver localized and personalized web browsing experiences. Write to us at sales@fidelsoftech.com to explore our value-based localization proposition and how it can catalyze business growth.
Ref. No – FB12221042