ByThose planning to request a website localization are likely to have plenty of questions in their mind. You may not be certain about what you will receive as a result of ordering these services and what steps the team will be involved in. If you study what is given below, you will be aware of the essentials, and it will be way easier to outweigh all the pros and cons of the process.
Main Positives of Website Localization
In short, website localization is the procedure of adapting the site for stable and productive performance in another country. It is usually carried out by the experienced team within a certain company, agency, or firm. When the site is localized, it is not only about translation but making sure that other nationality representatives will perceive its content without any hardships.
It is reasonable to turn to website localization services since:
- Your platform will be highly ranked by the search engines;
- New users will feel comfortable when entering the resource (the opposite situation may take place if the site is about to be translated without proper adaptation);
- You will be able to enter new markets and gain bigger profits as a result;
- The overall impression from the brand will be characterized as positive (this is easily explained: the website is the first point new clients refer to).
So, as you can see, there are quite a few arguments to keep in mind, and it is surely sensible to request localization.
Action 1: Gain More Info about the Process
Proper info is always the key. This is why try to learn more on the localization steps, tools that can be used for it, and so on. The more data you have in mind, the better you feel.
Action 2: Reveal the Doubts
These doubts may be linked to the overall relevance of the project and other stuff. It may be necessary to ask for the services of the consultants at this point. By the way, you may come across a good company to collaborate with when you are just wondering about the appropriate services.
Action 3.1: Start Searching for the Company That Will Be the Best for You
You may do this with the help of various methods. First of all, it is sensible to seek via Google and see what companies are characterized by the positive reviews of the clients.
Apart from this, it is a smart idea to ask your friends or colleagues. When there are several variants in front of you, visit the sites and compare the credibility of the firms. Pay the most attention to the case studies, costs (wonder if there is a chance to request a quote), and the stuff that interests you.
Action 3.2: Plan Your Budget
If you are a business owner, you know how much it means to plan all the stuff. This is why such a point is closely linked to the previous one. You should know how much you are ready to spend on localization and tie this to the search of the company/agency.
At the same time, there is always a chance to discuss the conditions of work with the firm representatives. You are likely to agree on something that suits you personally if you are talking with an adequate company.
Action 4: Discuss Everything with the Company’s Team
Once you have found who you need, it is time to start working together. But before that, you should agree on the timeframes, cost of the work, and additional stuff that matters to you. Make sure that you are okay with the main aspects, and expect the results with patience.
Learning the Essentials: What Exactly Should be Localized?
There is quite a lot of stuff apart from the regular text content. Surely, it is half of the success as the clients will perceive and analyze it. But this is what has to be localized as well:
- Design and layout of the site. It should correlate with the cultural expectations of the target culture and nationality, and they may be really different. It may be relevant to adapt the fonts, color schemes, and other stuff.
- Images and graphics. They should be appropriate and carry the initial sense. For this reason, some images may even need to be replaced.
- Date and numbers. This also has to deal with the formats used on the platform.
- SEO matter. It is impossible to ignore SEO requirements and peculiarities if you want your resource to be ranked in a proper way.
- Legal aspects. It may be especially relevant for some businesses. So, this is not just about the help of cultural experts but lawyers as well. As you can guess, only the experienced team is able to handle it.
Typical Steps of Website Localization
A team is normally working with a few stages of the process. The first one is presented by internationalization. At this point, a certain platform is getting ready for the actual localization. This step is followed by the localization. It may take quite a long time to finish it.
Once the experts are over with the main work, they will need to test everything. It is also time-consuming. The matter is that testing comprises a few vital steps as well. It is vital to make sure that the platform works fine regardless of where it is launched at. This refers to mobile apps as well.
Finally, there is a stage of SEO optimization. It is carried out by the experts of the appropriate profile.
These are the basics linked to website localization. It is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of effort and knowledge. This is why you should not expect to come across low costs of such work. It is good to plan the budget but it is also crucial to find a balance between the quality of what you will receive and the price you will pay for this.
