Website Localization And Its Importance In 2021

While globalization lowered the many barriers for business in the international market, the language barrier still exists. With the content revolution brought by the internet, language has become a critical factor in a business’ success.

Websites being the main gateways to communicate with the customers about products, processes, and more, effective communication with international customers is crucial. As such, mere translation of content from one language to a target language will be insufficient to attract customers. Here lies the importance of website localization.

What is Website Localisation?

A business, entering a new market, adapts its products and processes considering the cultural and behavioral aspects of the target population. Similarly, website localization is the process of adapting a website to the linguistic and cultural aspects of a target market.

It involves creating a web design catering to the target population’s cultural beliefs, showcasing the target market’s time and currency symbols, adapting target language semantics in the content, etc.

Take, for example, Austria and Germany. While German is the spoken language in both countries, the cultural difference between the two countries gives a different meaning to certain words. Thus, providing similar content to the audience of both countries will put a business in an awkward situation. Website localization is the way out.

How Important is Website Localisation in 2021?

The year 2020 is witness to the sharpest growth in multilingual websites. As the online economy saw its sharpest rise, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have adopted a multilingual website strategy to reach global markets. As more and more enterprises adopt this strategy, the trend will continue in 2021.
But, a multilingual website alone will not bring the desired results unless the website is localized. According to a top Website Localization Company in Dubai, there are many reasons for this.

1.Makes the Website Feel Natural

A multilingual website without localization appears artificial. Users feel such a website to be off-putting as they can perceive that the business is trying to make a hard sell. But, a localized website lends a natural air to the website. Users will find such a website comfortable to look around. They can read the information without hassle. Such a website lends authenticity to the business.

People also trust a brand that provides native language content. In a survey conducted by Common Sense Advisory recently, over 65% of the surveyed users preferred content in their native language. This makes a case for investing in website localization.

2.Addresses Cultural Diversity

Website localization addresses cultural influences within a language. The example of the German language is already discussed. Now consider English, for example. The cultural differences of the Americans, Canadians, the British, and the Australians are visible in their English. Thus, website localization will help address these cultural differences and reach a wider audience.

3.Customer Engagement

English is the predominant language used on websites across the world. But, the latest CSA-Research report shows that regardless of a user’s proficiency in the English language, they spent more time on non-English websites. This means providing native language content along with localization will have better chances at engaging customers.

Bottom Line

In 2021, a business from a small town in India can do business globally if it could adopt a website localization strategy. Such is the importance of website localization in 2021.
Implementing a website localization strategy and delivering content consistently calls for hiring a professional. International Communications Services-Dubai (ICS-Dubai) is one such professional website localization company in Dubai. ICS-Dubai has the experience, expertise, and resources to localize a website in any language. To know more about the abilities of ICS-Dubai, please click here.