5 Advantages of Translating Your Website
The digital world has come to stay. It’s almost unthinkable to imagine everyday life without using the internet as a facilitator of our main activities. We do all kinds of activities through it: We buy, work, study, learn, and much more. We are interconnected through screens and the endless world of digital platforms available to us today. This explains why translating your website and making its content available to new audiences could be such a beneficial strategy for internationalisation.
Some Context First
Recently, Statista, an online statistics portal, published a report describing how the number of social network users has increased (and will further increase) worldwide between 2016 and 2023. The article states that by 2021, there would be about 3,210 billion active monthly users, most of them from the Americas and Asian countries.
The following graph shows how the percentage of people or “web surfers” is expected to increase further by 2023.
Worldwide percentage of monthly social media users between 2016 and 2023 (Source: Statista)What does this mean? It means that we have a big challenge ahead. On the one hand, to manage to stand out among all these searches and posts. And on the other hand, to reach the desired target audience among all active internet users. Thus, managers should take time to understand their behaviour on their websites and analyse the number of people active on social media when doing market analysis.
#OptimationalTip: If you want to boost sales and the number of website visitors, consider translating your website.
In this article, we tell you 5 advantages of doing it. Shall we start?
Why Translate Your Website?
1. Website Translation Increases the Possibility of Reaching More People
If you translate your website into different languages, you will be able to expand your audience reach. This happens because people prefer to visit sites that are available in their native language. A survey conducted by CSA Research revealed that “76% of online shoppers prefer to purchase products in their native language.” At the same time, it showed that: “60% rarely or never buy from English-only websites.”
These percentages prove that having your website translated into different languages can help you increase the number of people navigating it. Consequently, you will increase the chances of getting a higher number of sales.
#OptimationalTip: If you want to reach audiences worldwide, translating your website is a must.
2. Website Translation Improves User Experience
Nowadays, companies need to pay attention to the experience users have when navigating their websites.
What is this about? It’s about how the person feels when navigating your page, blog, or communication channels. Every person who lands on your website does so to fulfil a need. Thus, one of the greatest challenges in creating content is paying attention to all the details. From the words you employ to the time it takes for the different sections to load. This has to do with the fact that people seek to find solutions quickly and efficiently.
Having said that, imagine that a person visits your website but can’t understand your content because it’s not available in their language. Or maybe they can only understand just a part of it. That person will probably be a potential (but lost) customer, user, or reader.
We have already seen that users prefer to buy products on sites that are translated into their language. The survey conducted by CSA Research also revealed that: “Seventy-five per cent of respondents say that they are more likely to purchase from the same brand again if customer care is in their language. This preference is strongest among those with less competence in English. But even 60% of those who are most confident in reading English favour having customer care in their language.”
#OptimationalTip: If you want people to buy your services, revisit your website, and re-read the content you produce. Then analyse your website from your user’s perspective. Do users find what they are looking for? Is your website user-friendly and easy to navigate? Is it translated into the languages of your target audience?
3. Website Translation Allows You to Better Connect With Your Clients or Readers
The main aspect you should consider when communicating something is your target audience. Although these are words we hear and read every day, it sometimes happens that daily priorities or the lack of time distract us and push us away from it. Knowing your target audience helps you understand how to communicate with them effectively. Additionally, it helps you understand the best services you can offer to your audience and through which channels. And here is a point that should not be overlooked: Communicating is not only about providing information. It also involves knowing how to understand your audience and connect with them.
It often occurs that websites are translated in a literal way. That is to say, without considering which words your audience uses the most or which would be most appropriate. Therefore, if you want to reach your clients or readers, you’ll have to connect with them in their language. Apple, for instance, one of the world’s leading technology companies, understood that its audience was global. For that reason, its website is currently available in 130 languages.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll have to translate your website into all these languages. But it does mean that you must consider where your audience is located to strategically choose the languages you want to translate your website into.
#OptimationalTip: Analyse your target audience in detail and communicate in their language. Even if your content is intended for Spain and Mexico, both Spanish-speaking countries, this doesn’t mean that the same words or expressions can be used.
4. Website Translation Improves Your SEO Ranking
Improving your SEO ranking refers to making “tweaks” to your website so that search engines can better understand it. As a result, you will rank among the top sites when a user searches for information linked to your content or services. For this to happen, it’s necessary to optimise the website by focusing on different aspects. They include: Creating meta descriptions, naming each section of your website differently, being concise and descriptive, and using titles that are related to your site, to name but a few.
Bear in mind! In the first place, users prefer sites in their native language. Secondly, a good user experience is based on giving the audience what they need. And finally, it’s crucial to speak the same language as your audience. With all this in mind, translating your website is an effective way to optimise your SEO and reach new audiences.
#OptimationalTip: If you want to reach your target audience, team up with a multilingual SEO agency to adapt your content to the languages you need. Otherwise, you will get low-quality content that won’t help you achieve your sales or conversion goals.
5. Website Translation Improves Your Brand Image
Websites translated into different languages tend to be more reliable. In fact, people tend to associate companies with a global footprint as being more prestigious. This is because they can reach a broader audience or because they have more customers.
At the same time, translating your website into different languages will prove that you care about your audience. Since your content will be approachable, it’ll be easy to interpret by people from different countries.
#OptimationalTip: If you seek to increase the prestige and credibility of your website, you should ask yourself: How approachable is my content for my target audience? Is my content consistent with the image I want to portray?
Final Thoughts
Internet is a synonym for globalisation. In the blink of an eye, people from all over the world can land at your website. Therefore, if you want to reach a greater number of clients or users and boost your sales, translating your website is a must. And remember! Translating your website with machine translation software won’t be enough.
If you are not sure where to start, contact us today. We are certain we can help YOUR business grow.