In our day and time, many business owners online talk about localizing their content and attracting a more local audience. You might have heard this term many times but like many other terms related to business activities, it can seem rather confusing.
If you wish to learn more about content localization and get a better understanding of the whole process, this article will help guide you through some of the most important steps of localizing your online content.
What exactly is content localization?
First of all, it is important to note that many people seem to confuse localization with translation. While translation is a big part of the localization process, it is not everything that matters. In order to localize a website, a blog post or a series of products you will have to adapt every single element to the specifications of the local audience you are trying to attract.
Therefore, content localization is a process that refers to adapting a product or the written content of an entire website in order to make it appealing to a certain geographic area and its residents. It is used by businesses who wish to expand their sales abroad and make sure that their audience can relate to and enjoy the products and online content they produce.
Ways to localize your content
Now that you have a better understanding of what exactly content localization is, it is time to come in contact with some of the ways you can localize your content on your website. These are some of the most common things you need to take into consideration in order to make sure that your localization process is a success.
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User experience / UX localization
The biggest reason why a business owner decides to localize their online content is that they wish to reach markets in different countries and regions from all over the world. In order to make this happen, you need to make sure that your potential customers in that region will be satisfied with the localized content you are providing them with.
Think of your website as it is currently set up in your native language. Your pop-up windows, chat-bots, product descriptions and even the reviews you have chosen to include are all in a common language your target audience is able to understand.
All of these factors make the users’ aka your potential and current clients’ experience a lot easier and help them get a better understanding of your website features, products and every piece of written content you have included on your website.
In order to make the localization process complete, you will have to make sure that you start by localizing everything that can make the user’s experience easier. This could also include the domain name of your website, as it can make it a lot of sense to the local users who access it.
Lastly, it is also important to note that you might come across the term UX in many posts regarding content localization. UX is another way of saying User Experience and it just comes to show how important this aspect of localization is.
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Localizing your written content
After making sure that everything regarding the UX aspect is covered, you should start localizing the rest of the written content on your website. This part will include any articles you have created which will help promote your brand’s products and services or other online activities.
In order to make this process easier for you, you should start by picking which articles can be localized for your new target audience. This will become a lot easier for you if you have thought about what your target audience in this country or region will enjoy. You can save a lot of time and resources if you choose which pieces of written content you wish to translate and it will allow you to focus on more important things on your website.
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Localizing your audiovisual content
Another thing you need to take into consideration apart from your written content is the audiovisual content you have shared on your website. This includes any infographics, pictures which contain text and also any videos you might have created which are meant to promote any product or service you have to offer.
Audiovisual content is a great way for you to catch your potential customers’ eyes and make them more interested in your content. By localizing that, you will be able to make your website a lot more accessible and interesting for any new customers who come in contact with your brand for the first time.
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Working with a native translator
Working with a local, native translator should be your number one priority when it comes to localizing your written content. As it was mentioned earlier, a simple translation isn’t going to cover every aspect of the localization process.
In order to make sure that you localized a piece of text correctly, you will need to be certain that when a native speaker reads it, they will be able to fully understand every phrase, joke, and pun you have intended to use in it.
This is exactly why a native translator is the only person that can do the job correctly. Each different language has its own native words and phrases and they oftentimes not be understood with a simple translation. These will make your content seem a lot more organic and help your target audience relate to your written content a lot easier. If you can’t come in contact with any native translators, you can head over to PickWriters and choose the native translator or translation service which best fits your needs.
A native translator will also help you manage and localize your SEO keywords a lot easier. Even if you translate a keyword correctly to the new language, the new word might not be considered a successful keyword. A native translator will be able to guide you through the right keywords in order for your content to rank high on the result pages of the various search engines.
The benefits of content localization for your brand
Choosing to localize your website can be a great idea if you wish to expand your sales and start making your business known in other parts of the world. While it might need quite a bit of work and dedication in order to achieve the localization, you will still be able to enjoy a lot of benefits and you will make sure that you are providing your customers with the best services possible.
Which languages do you consider the most suitable for reaching an international audience?
Author Bio: Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Now she runs her own FlyWriting blog.
