Location agnosticism is definitely one of the most advantageous aspects of the internet today. It enables you to reach out to the international audience without physically moving even an inch. This is the reason why a majority of the businesses are embracing the global-friendly approach to target audience from different parts of the world. However, going global-friendly doesn't end at creating a global website. There are many additional elements that need serious consideration to effectively plan the resources and actions for the jump into the international market. To help you out, we have brought together the six top tips that would be of great use to successfully grow your business internationally. Let's have a look.
Set Country Specific Sub-Domains
The first thing you need to do while taking the global approach is to have domains in the specific countries where you are targeting. This enables you to have a country-specific website in that country's language. However, buying country specific domain names can be heavy on the pockets. To avoid the excess expense, you can set country specific sub-domains that too within your main website. It is a cost-effective way that lets you set up new sites in subfolders for various countries. This not only helps you target each country individually but also increases the visibility of your website on various search engines.
Speak The Local Language
Speaking in the language of the country you're targeting is the most important thing to do while going global. Translation of the website content into various languages is the most energy-efficient thing that can be done to cope with the multi-lingual situation. However, while getting the text translation, it should be kept in mind that the content does not lose its meaning. It should not just be a word-to-word translation but a more understood and meaningful one. The translator should be able to understand the culture of the country and keep its audience in mind while translating the website.
No More Text In Images
While automated page translations, search engines like Google cannot translate the text that is written in the image. In order to avoid the language crisis, you should refrain from using text on images. The use of text-based images like flashcards or text heading etc., should be avoided as much as possible. Company logos should also not carry text so that the user from another country using a foreign language does not get baffled by the logo text. There is no software or translator that can translate the text on the image; so, unless you want to spend extra bucks creating multiple images with text in various languages, try to say no to text in images.
Test The Speed
Developing and designing a website for the global market can turn upside down if the speed of the website is not taken into consideration. Testing the website on a superfast broadband service of your country make show the website load speed less than 1 second. Don't get deceived. Internet connectivity of different countries can impact the website loading speed there. Perform speed tests for slower connections and know whether the spite is instantly loading or not. Enabling compressing & caching of content, using fewer elements on one page and optimizing the database to improve the page speed even for slower connections is indispensable in global website design.
Choose The Colors Properly
Colors play an important role in a global website design. Color connotes different things in different countries. Understand the culture of the country and use color palette accordingly. For example, the color green which represents serenity in the US can indicate unfaithful husbands in China and in other countries, it may even represent greed. So, choosing the color after understanding the culture of the countries you're targeting is a must. Design a website with colors that have a global appeal and need not be changed for every country. A global website design can be successful when it does harm the feelings of the country's people and does not have to be changed according to various cultures.
Localize The Website
While targeting any country, it is important that you localize all the elements of the website for local searches. The website should be optimized for all the local searches performed in various countries to target its population. You can go to the geo-location targeting option in the Google Webmaster account to create location-targeted sub-folders. You can even research for location-based keywords and use them in the content, URL, meta description etc. To get higher visibility in local searches, target these location-based keywords in the local language itself.
Add international value to your website and make it global-friendly in true sense by following the tips mentioned above. Remember, an effective global website design is one that goes hand in hand with the cultural dimensions of the countries its targeting. Keep researching your audience and never stop updating and tweaking your website to be embraced by the world with open arms.