Do you want to broaden the horizons of your business by dissolving the geographical barriers? Make an entry to the World Wide Web with your own business site and localize it to address the language preferences of your target customers. Design your own multilingual and multiregional website by following the best practices below:
1. Market research:
Conduct market research to identify your potential target markets and learn about the legal, technical and administrative requirements involved in international trade.
2. Languagetranslation:
Invest in a multilingual Content Management System while building your company website to manage the website in multiple languages.Get your translation done by a qualified language professional, who can also knowledgeably interact with your web developer. Avoid online translator tools so that quality of content is not compromised which in turn impacts user experience and search engine rankings.
3. Cultural assessment:
Get a cultural assessment done to find out the cultural considerations of your target market in order to build an emotional connection with them. It will also help you design a multiregional website for your target customers. Unlike multilingual websites which have more or less similar content, multiregional websites display audience-specific content.
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4. Ease of Access:
Link your multilingual websites to your English-language site by providing prominent access on each page of the latter. It may either be a pull-down menu or a separate page altogether depending on the number of languages. But remember to list each language in its own language (“espaƱol” for Spanish, for example).
5. Domain and URL strategy:
Consider registering international domains if multiregional websites are part of your expansion strategy. Also use the same URL structure for all your foreign language sites to make it easier for search engines to relate them to each other.
6. Choice ofgraphics:
Try to choose graphics that are culturally neutral and do not offence or portray any specific ethnicity.
7. RWD optimization:
Responsive Web Design (RWD) uses fluid design wherein components of a web page are assigned percentages instead of fixed width. As a result, as the screen size changes, the elements change proportionately. Therefore, work with your translation partner to prepare your translated text accordingly.
8. Online features and functionality:
Incorporate interactive features and functionality on multilingual websites such as Print or Email This Page, RSS feeds, and more. Also consider adding multi-currency support if your site has an e-commerce component.
Designing multilingual websites can be tricky as it even involves subtle cross-cultural aspects which if ignored can make your investment go waste. Therefore, start with a proper plan and implement it in a progressive manner to minimize cost and get the best possible outcome.
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