In today’s interconnected world where cross-border business is the new norm, does it make sense to have an English-only website? 75% of customers prefer to buy goods and services from those websites that are in their native language. Moreover, 87% of non-English potential customers won’t buy from the English website. So, if you aspire to reach international markets, how do you exactly plan to do so without localization? For every business, big or small, website localization is a must to unlock new markets and build a global reputation. 

This article explains the role of localization in website development to help you make a better, well-informed decision for your business. So, if you want to make a stronger impact on global audiences with your website, keep reading! 

Your company website is the global facade of your business. Because it is where you can attract potential clients and convert them into paying customers. Your website should be welcoming and inclusive for a global audience. Do they feel welcome? If not, why so? 

When you decide to build an online platform for your global audiences, you must prioritize not only the multilingual aspect of your website but also the cultural and technical elements. This is part of planning and should be decided before starting the design and website development. 

For lasting success overseas, your business must be understood (linguistically) by the potential clients and reflect the cultural values of the target market (s). According to the Director of Research and Development of CCJK, Mr. Tahir, who has more than two decades of industry experience, the end goal of website localization is that:

“The global customers, who choose to interact with your website, must feel understood, welcomed, and comfortable doing business with you”. 

This is where you need to go for the best website localization services. But is investing in localization really worth it? You might have the same question in mind.  Well, if done right, it can be a game changer and boost your success across the borders.

Where Exactly Does Website Localization Meet With Development?

Website development itself is a vast field comprising different programming languages and their respective preferences. Whereas, website localization includes adapting the different elements of UI/UX and web code. Mainly aimed at making the website compatible with diverse global languages and cultural elements. Not only this but when you aim at the globalization of your website, you need to adhere to the requirements and preferences of the target audience(s). 

Simply put, if you have plans to go global, localization should be considered right from the start. It should be included in the initial planning phase.  Several localization aspects must be kept in mind throughout the process, from planning to website development and its deployment and maintenance.

What Lays the Foundation of Successful Localization?

Internationalization! For those who are not familiar, internationalization, also known as (i18n), is the process of preparing your website for seamless localization. It includes code preparation for localization:

  • Character encoding_ to properly display characters of different languages in an organized manner.
  • Code and content separation_ to help translators easily translate content.
  • Placeholder text for dynamic content to guide translators for flawless content adaptation. 

Planning for multilingual compatibility from the beginning can save you from a lot of hassle. Once you prepare your website code for multilingual audiences, it is time for localization. 

Website localization is the process of curating the essential elements of a website to the specific linguistic, cultural, and other specific requirements of the target audience/market. It also includes adjusting, curating, and customizing relevant aspects of the website from layout to the payment method according to the preferred way of the target audience(s). Additionally, it includes managing the space for all the supported languages. It is important because different languages expand or shrink when translated. For instance, the German language expands up to 35%. 

Want to know more about the best practices for website localization?

Let’s discuss the essential elements of website localization that come into play when strategizing and implementing the localization strategy.

Create Your Localization Strategy

Before the initiation of localization, businesses must curate a website localization strategy. It includes the roadmap of how you are going to approach your outreach, marketing strategy, messaging, and content according to the specific requirements and preferences of the target market. It is also crucial that the localization strategy is in sync with your business. 

To start working on the localization strategy, you need to know about the target market, language, and culture. Consider these points while curating a strategy for your business. 

  • Identify and understand the target audience(s), such as their buying patterns and behaviors, preferred payment methods, or any cultural preferences. 
  • Consider the changes and variations from brand language to target language while maintaining the local tone and voice. It is also important to consider mobile vs web design and experience. 
  • Relying on the dedicated services of the website localization company is a must. 
  • It is also important to decide the KPIs to measure the performance of the strategy.

Implement the Website Localization Strategy At the Page Design Stage

Most of the time, at the website development stage, the deadlines are very tight and there is no localization strategy in place. So most businesses design their websites with the support of one language. This increases the cost and decreases the efficiency of the website localization process. 

Others make the banners and language strings customizable for the addition of more languages. But most of the time, they ignore the addition of visual elements like pictures. So, curating a befitting localization strategy will not only save time, but also decrease the cost of localization resources. 

At CCJK, we have a team of subject-matter expert native language professionals and a complete suite of CAT tools required to perform website localization according to the specific requirements of your business. Moreover, we have advanced quality assurance tools to measure the performance of the localized websites. 

Role of CAT Tools in Website Localization

From the wake of localization technology, computer-assisted (CAT) tools facilitated language service providers to execute the website localization process. More importantly, these CAT tools are focused on assisting high-quality transaltion results.

The results of website localization depend on the process and quality of website localization. The “result” part comes under the responsibility of best website localization services and the “quality” part comes under the project management and quality control process. Whether it is the translation of a webpage, software, or a large volume of website data, the consistency of text, language, style, and terminologies is important. 

CAT tools not only improve the quality of the outcomes but also assist in the website localization procedures, improving speed, quality, and consistency. 

Create a Localization Workflow for Your Internal Teams 

The workflow of the website localization process depends on the scale of the website. If it involves a bulk of pages, complex coding, and UI changes, then product managers, developers, writers, proofreaders, marketers, and translators are involved. Moreover, quality control and proofreaders are the backbone. 

There are mainly two localization workflow trends that are in vogue: Waterfall and Agile localization.

  • Waterfall localization is where the localization process is initiated only after the completion of website development with completed language strings. 
  • Agile localization is a modern and continuous localization process which is carried out in parallel with the website development process. CCJK is a leading website localization company and follows the agile localization method.

Translation of Your Website

Once you create a localization strategy and decide the workflow, it is the right time to choose a localization partner, and take a step toward starting your global journey.  The close collaboration of website developers and localization experts will help create a perfectly localized website for global audiences.

Translation is an integral part of a diverse process called localization. And to achieve desired results, the services of a leading website translation company must be acquired. That said, you need to choose the right localization partner such as CCJK, which is a website localization company with more than two decades of industry experience. Our motto is:

“Prioritizing quality to ensure client satisfaction”

Bottom Line

Website is the professional face of your business. And if you are aiming to reach global lucrative markets, localization is a wise and strategic investment. Make sure you plan early, devise a comprehensive and result-oriented strategy, and hire a website localization company to ensure your audience enjoys a seamless user experience. Remember, if you plan for localization beforehand, and integrate your strategy in the web development phase, it will save you resources, cost, and time. 

Moreover, if you have already launched in the local market, and are now looking to go global, the assistance of LSPs is more than necessary. 

Ready to tap global markets? Contact us now! Here at CCJK, we have the tools and expertise needed to localize your website for multilingual audiences.