One of the basic principles of website development and SEO is that a website must be user-friendly and readable. IT teams may immediately take this to mean that the site must be easy to read on the page, with clear text, fast loading times, and nothing cluttering the screen. It can also mean improving mobile optimization for readability on other devices. There is, however, another factor that you shouldn’t overlook. Is the website translatable for people whose first language isn’t English? You might say that this isn’t an important feature and that a dual-language site wouldn’t be that beneficial. Yet, you might be overlooking some important benefits. Here are some of the reasons why you should look into website translation services.
Start Connecting With More People Online
The most simplistic way to think about this is to consider all the different people who should be able to read your website but can’t. There’s more than you might think. Unless you’re a very small local business in an area that only speaks English, you can benefit from additional languages. Growing businesses in Canada certainly don’t fit that description. For a start, depending on where you are and your target market, you may have a lot of French Canadians interested in your services. They could try to translate the site themselves or ask English-speaking friends. Yet, it’s far better if they can click a link and get everything written in French.
The same goes for all those who reside in foreign markets who are interested in your company. This is essential if you are actively engaging with a foreign market via your e-commerce store or any online service. For example, if you have a clothing or beauty company set up in Canada that suddenly gains interest in an Asian market, how are you going to take advantage of that? Those customers need to be sure that they understand exactly what a product is, its materials, any customizable options, the returns policy, and more. Translating product pages and FAQs into the native language goes a long way.
Finally, what about all those people who want to relocate to Canada for a new life and get a job offer from you to ensure their immigration? Companies that can’t find suitable applicants in local markets can advertise overseas and bring in skilled workers. Website translation services ensure those hopeful applicants can read everything they need to know on your website in their native language. You’ll have to consider your options and where you’re going to find the best candidates to choose the right language.
Improving The Reputation Of Your Business
When you take the time to support customers, workers, and any other website visitor, they reward you for it. When you ignore them or make them feel like they don’t count, they can punish you for it. It sounds harsh, but those interactions could make or break your business in the long run. Those who feel they are shut out or disrespected in any way will go elsewhere. This diverts traffic, sales, and potential workers to competitors in your niche. If a rival firm pays out to get their site completely translated into Mandarin to appeal to graduates in China, and you don’t, who’s more likely to get ahead? Customers who struggle to find products or buy online can leave scathing reviews that damage their reputation. On the flip side of all that, if you can make those changes and impress foreigners with your translated site, they may leave glowing reviews and recommend you to others.
This is vital when trying to build your reputation online, attract more visitors, and get ahead of the competition. You want your company website to rank highly in organic SERP listings. Adding those translated pages can give you the boost you need and make your site even more visible to those foreign markets. If they’re searching for you and your services in their native tongue, a translated page is a direct match. You’ll then get more traffic clicking through and converting into sales.
Finding The Right Translation Services
Clearly, working with a translation service for website translation makes a lot of sense. The next step is finding a company that can help. You need someone who is completely fluent in the language or languages you choose. Fluency doesn’t just mean knowing the vocabulary and grammatical rules. It’s also about understanding cultural context in a way that makes translations more natural and engaging to the readers. Essentially, you don’t want it to sound awkward, as though it’s been processed through Google and spat back out. These translators will be meticulous and accurate as they work through every detail of your site. You don’t want an abridged version of the real thing, or else foreign readers will feel cheated.
One of the best ways to find companies that specialize in this sort of service is through user reviews. Company websites will talk about the different services and tools on offer, as well as the languages spoken by their team. However, you can’t be sure they’re any good until you read client testimonials. Are those previous clients thrilled with the work and final results? Are they seeing increased traffic from the right markets and improvements in their organic SERP rankings? You can also find out if the translators were easy to work with, open to feedback and adaptations, and able to deliver the finished work on time.
The bottom line here is that there is a lot more to lose from not doing this than you think. When you fail to add website translation to your company website, you’ll essentially ignore a massive group of people and imply you don’t care about their needs. So, find a translator, get the translated pages up and running, and watch how it brings more people to your company. You’ll be accessible to those who struggled to reach you, and they’ll recommend you to others like them. You’ll be more appealing as someone to work for and do business with. So, while website translation services are a hassle and an expense right now, they really can pay off.
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