Clicking on a website in pursuit of information takes a fraction of a second. Within 50 milliseconds, the user will have decided whether to stay on the website or leave for a more inclusive experience. To that end, many website owners are turning to content translation to help foster an inclusive digital environment that welcomes a global audience and boosts website traffic.
Having an internationally-focused website in English is no longer enough. Over half of global websites are written in English, yet only a quarter of internet users are English-speaking. With nearly three-quarters of online customers preferring to use a website in their language, there is definitely room for improvement in this regard.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- Why it’s necessary to translate your website into alternate languages.
- The most effective ways to get the translation ball rolling.
- How professional translation services can boost your website traffic.
Should You Consider Content Translation? Yes!
There’s usually a reason why users are directed to a specific website, whether it’s to find a particular piece of information or to look for an answer to a specific question. If a website does not cater to the user’s specific needs, potential traffic will be lost. While appearing in search results depends on your SEO and content, you can appeal to a far broader audience by ensuring that alternate language options are provided.
Translating your website content will help to maintain and potentially increase the flow of traffic to your website. Most users don’t have the time or the inclination to tackle the challenge of translating the content themselves. While Google does provide translation services, these are never 100% accurate, affecting a user’s experience. Clicking on another website would usually be the easier option for the user.
The Benefits of Boosting Your Language Options
Increasing Traffic Flow
It isn’t easy to connect with global customers when you don’t provide content in their native language. Don’t limit your customer base by creating a website in just your mother tongue. You are spreading your business net into a much wider pool of potential customers by translating your website into various language options. You can further increase your traffic and foster visitor loyalty by localizing your content rather than just translating it.
Improved Multilingual SEO
Finding your website easily through search engines is essential. SEO and other digital marketing strategies have proven that. If Google is able to index your website in diverse languages, your website will rank higher on the list of search results. This increases the chances of web traffic to your site. More exposure can equate to more revenue.
Implementing multilingual SEO strategies will provide more accurate analytic data for your website’s traffic, e.g., search terms may prove more effective in an alternate language. A professional multilingual content service can help you in this area.
Connecting With Customers
Google Analytics provides you with geographical and language preference data for your site. You can use that information to identify where the majority (or even significant portions) of your visitors are from. In turn, that allows you to identify potential languages you should consider for content translation and localization.
Content translation should be on your to-do list, especially if the information shows that the vast majority of your users are navigating the web in another language. Once users are able to browse your site in their native language, they’ll be far more likely to feel a connection with you or your brand, resulting in a more loyal following and returning website traffic.
Enhancing Customer Feedback
Customer reviews and feedback on your website’s services and products are essential to the success of any business. Without content translation options on your website, foreign-language users aren’t included in this important marketing strategy. As a result, you may not always gain a true reflection on the quality of your goods or services.
Knowledge is power. More information gleaned from your consumer base will help to guide you in the direction your business needs to go. If possible, ensure that your help or FAQ pages are always available in multiple languages to best accommodate your users.
Sustaining Business Growth
Incorporating a language-inclusive approach on your website will help to maintain and increase overall growth for your business, whether that’s through ad revenue, affiliate articles, or the sale of products and services. Research your target markets to find out which languages to start including in your online business.
Keeping Ahead of Competitors
You will be a step ahead of many businesses if you take advantage of content translation. This will help establish your business within the online community, setting the standard with this forward-thinking approach in customer service.
Additionally, while your competitors remain confined to a small segment of their online audience, you’ll be able to appeal to new visitors. In turn, that can lead to your site generating more revenue.
Improving Profit
Market research shows that consumers are more inclined to buy a higher-priced item if the product details are included in their own language. A level of trust can be created more easily if communication occurs in a language understood by the consumer.
Getting Started With Your Content Translation To Increase Website Traffic
Now that you know what the benefits are of content translation, it’s time to see how you can get started without breaking the bank! Here is a simple guide on how to get started with your website translation project:
One Step at a Time
Any large new project may feel overwhelming at first, and content translation can be especially daunting. Trying to adapt your content into a new language for an entirely different audience can be complex and challenging, which is why it’s critical to take it one step at a time. Keep it simple in the beginning and start by identifying what critical aspects of your website need translating first.
If you’re using Google Analytics (and you really should be), start by finding the Behavior tab in your Analytics record. Tap on the report entitled ‘Behavior Flow.’ This will show you what parts of your website have the most traffic flow. You can now determine what content is the most crucial in the translation process. Guest behavior should also be examined thoroughly. This will give you more balanced research.
Locate the Source of Your Traffic Flow
Where your users come from can be just as critical as where they’re located. Luckily, Google Analytics can provide you with much data regarding the source of your website traffic. You can then analyze that data to find out where your visitors are finding your website, and how they behave as they browse.
If large amounts are from a foreign source, content translation of your website would be necessary. For example, if you find that your anime plushie eCommerce site is receiving a lot of referral traffic from a website that’s local to Japan, it may be a good idea to consider content translation and localization for a Japanese audience.
Another example is the United States. Multiple languages are spoken in the country, and while a majority of the population speaks English, it’s not always the language of preference for your visitors. There are many Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, French, Korean, German, Italian, and Portuguese speakers living in the nation. Incorporating multiple language options on your website will give you access to a massive, previously untapped source of website traffic.
Utilize FAQs
Many websites offer technical assistance via live chat, email, or phone options. However, these customer support methods do not always cater to customers of varying languages. Many business budgets don’t include the hiring of staff proficient in anything other than English. Incorporating an FAQ page with multiple language options will diversify the technical support framework.
Include Your Monetized Content
If you use your website to generate an income, whether through ads or affiliate links, it’s absolutely critical that you include your posts in your content translation strategy. You may discover that, by translating your articles, you can reach a far broader audience, increasing your revenue and opening yourself to further monetization opportunities.
Include Social Media Translation
Promoting your brand on social media can be an effective way of increasing website traffic. Including foreign-language users in this process can also be beneficial. Promote your Facebook account by using the Facebook Power Editor. You can assign a specific location and language for a particular post. This makes it more accessible for foreign clients.
You can also translate your content for other platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. However, if you really want to target an international audience, you may consider looking at social platforms that are unique to specific countries.
Boost Your Traffic With Professional Translation Services
The process of translating your online business content can be overwhelming, but is it worth the expense to hire a professional translation service? Are there enough advantages to choose this option? Yes, it is! Here’s why:
Precise and Exact Results
Content translation needs to be extremely accurate, capturing the nuances of both the original and the target language. It takes just a single error to alter a text’s meaning, which can be detrimental to your business. A translation service can translate your website’s text correctly, regardless of the complexity of the content.
Content Localization
Merely translating your website content might not be enough to generate website traffic. Text localization helps to adapt the content to match a specific culture. Aspects such as colors, images, currency, time, date, and design might need to be adjusted. A professional translation service will have mother-tongue translators who will have a sound understanding of the local culture.
Expert Services
Ensure that you find a professional translation service offering fully qualified translators that has the capacity to deliver the work within your chosen deadlines. An expert translator should be a native speaker of a specific language with sufficient knowledge of a particular subject. A professional service will be able to handle complex projects across all genres and may also offer multiple language options in order to cater to the needs of your business.
Marketing Assistance
Marketing is an essential step in the process. A professional translation service will be able to assist you, particularly if your website needs to be localized to a specific region. You will need to create a good ‘first impression’ for a customer. A professional translation business will ensure the necessary cultural aspects of a specific area are incorporated in the website.
Swift and Efficient Services
A well-established, professional translation company will have effective processes to ensure that deadlines are met timeously. In addition to translators, a professional team will include a project manager and proofreaders to ensure a high standard of work.
Quality Assurance
You will be given the guarantee of quality services when hiring a professional service. This is essential in the translation process. If you choose to make a DIY attempt at the translation process, the errors in your text will affect the quality of your product.
High-End Technology
CAT (Computer-Aided Translation) tools help to ensure that projects run smoothly. Databases consisting of standardized terminology and glossaries are created. These help with an efficient text translation.
Future Expansion
The translation databases created by a professional translation service can be used for future projects. The translation company will have an understanding of your business and can assist you with market research.
Conclusion
A content translation project shouldn’t be something taken likely. It’s a time consuming process with many steps and critical considerations. However, the results are undeniable. Statistics show that businesses who choose the option to translate their content have benefitted with a 25% to 70% boost in their sales revenue.
If you pursue the translation action plan, you may view it as a complex process. There is an alternative. Rely on a well-established professional translation service. Look forward to watching your business expand.
