Content production takes tremendous strategy, effort, and analysis. Crafting blogs, infographics, image quotes, and related materials that garner attention, educates, and convinces consumers takes serious finesse. You also have to ensure that articles and social posts are more effective than the competition and still adhere to SEO best practices. Tackling all these nuances feels like a herculean task.
Considering content creation is an increasingly challenging undertaking, shouldn’t you try to get the most out of your materials?
Then consider translating your content into other languages to reach new audiences. There’s no reason why everything you create can’t go global.
English, despite being spoken by roughly 1.5 billion people (or about 20% of the global population), accounts for more than 51% of all content online.
This divide presents massive opportunities for brands who are willing to go the extra mile to capitalise on underserved markets.
While many opt for translation plugins to try to fill this void, these are not the best ways to translate a website or its content. This is because such automated tools do not understand the nuances of many languages, often creating nonsensical translations; this could actually damage your reputation and alienate audiences.
Here are 10 compelling reasons to get started transcribing your website content right away.
1: Increase Your Customer Base
In the global economy, effective website transcreation is necessary for a variety of reasons.
In order for brands to capture overseas consumers, webpages must be served in their native tongue.
Various studies have indicated that roughly 72% of consumers spent the majority of their time online visiting websites in their first language. The same number of people also state that they are more inclined to make a purchase if the product info is in a familiar dialect.
Furthermore, from a psychological standpoint, we know that global shoppers are less likely to purchase an item from a site that is not in their native language and the vast majority always visit websites that feature their preferred language. It makes sense that people want a shopping experience in their native tongue wherever possible.
2: Your Company Ships Internationally
Many websites and ecommerce stores cater to foreign crowds with international shipping and various currency payment options. Despite this, many of these sites house English-only content.
By providing customers with product information in native languages, you greatly increase the chances of making a sale.
3: Your Competition has a Multilingual Website
If your competition is serving a variety of audiences around the world through a multilingual site, they are likely capturing more eyeballs and revenue online.
The longer you go without a translated version of your site, the stronger your competition grows across global communities.
4: Be a Global Powerhouse
On the other hand, if your rivals don’t boast a multilingual website, you are presented with a fabulous opportunity to capitalise on this fact and create custom content for foreign consumers. Many of these folks will no doubt be your loyal customers even if your competition steps up its game.
5: Data Indicates Translation is Logical
When digging through your site’s traffic data, you might find that your visitors’ geographic data is more diverse than expected.
If you are gaining sizeable volumes of foreign traffic, determine what languages these folks speak and seize the opportunity to capture this business.
6: Enhance International SEO
Global SEO is one of the most effective strategies for developing an international presence as this will ultimately drive traffic to your site, generate leads, and boost other supporting factors. Most importantly, keeping an international SEO strategy can skyrocket your conversions, which is the heart of any successful online business.
The best way to translate a website and optimise it for multilingual SEO purposes is to hire a transcreation agency with search engine expertise.
7: Increase Time on Site
Most translated websites receive the added SEO benefits of lower bounce rates, greater user interaction and time on the site.
This will not only help your international SEO efforts but it will also increase the chances of making a sale.
8: Cost Efficiency
In addition to website translation services, contributing to a site’s bolstered international presence is one of the most cost effective ways of reaching foreign audiences.
By providing your website’s content in a variety of languages and showing users how to change languages on pages, you can effectively capture new users, build confidence with shoppers, and reap a multitude of other benefits.
9: Build Trust Worldwide
Online consumers typically only shop with websites that they deem trustworthy.
When a site is in a language that people don’t understand, they are more likely not to trust it.
A site that is thoughtfully and accurately presented in a variety of languages, however, gives an air of polish, authority, and global credibility that helps to form significant consumer confidence. A multilingual site gives consumers the impression that the brand cares deeply about their experience.
10: Build a Stronger Brand
Whenever a brand is able to establish a foothold in foreign markets, it reaps the benefits of strengthening its brand on a global scale.
Nike, Pepsi and Amazon did not become the household names they are today by providing audiences with English-only content.
While these reasons for website translation are informative, you may still be at a loss in deciding which languages to focus on for your translation efforts.
Original article here.