Website Localisation Services
Creating a Localised, Easy-to-Find Website that Appeals to Your Chosen Local Export Market/s
Website localisation is the key to getting buy-in from your target market: It means adapting your website design, content, messaging, graphics, USP to your target market - not necessarily all, but all that is required to blend into the market, yet stand out in the market.
The term ‘localisation’ is used differently by different people. Wikipedia defines website localisation as “the process of adapting an existing website to local language and culture in the target market“.
Many people mistakenly think website localisation is the same as website translation. However, this is not true and it is important to note that translation, while very important when targetting countries with a different native language, is only a small subset of website localisation.
Content localisation and marketing localisation is a central part of website localisation
The purpose of website localisation is to increase both visibility and buy-in in the local target market. Content localisation and marketing localisation are therefore key. For content localisation it is important to provide content that is relevant for the target market. This may be different to the content you provide in your local market or another export market. It is also important content is SEO optimised for the target market, e.g. way of SEO-focused website translation.
Content is not the only part of a website that needs to be localised
In addition to marketing and content, other aspects of a website – such as design, functionality, search engine visibility – need to be localised. In the case of e-commerce, webshop localisation also tends to involve considerable legal adaptations, so that the online shop meets the legal requirements of the target market.
Content in all formats needs to be localised
In order for the website to contribute to lead generation, lead conversion and/or sales, web content in all formats (text, graphic, photo, video, audio) needs to meet the requirements created by the business environment of the export market, in particular with regard to competitors and customers.
All content needs to be localised
All text content on the website (including visible webpage text, metadata, keywords) needs to meet the requirements and search, word choice, and spelling patterns of (potential) customers in the export market. For English export markets, this means attention needs to be paid to international SEO (ISEO). For non-English export markets, this means text needs to be translated paying close attention to multi-lingual SEO, which is a special form of ISEO. In some cases, especially when the text has a strong marketing focus, transcreation is required to re-create the marketing message to that it is suitable for the target market.
