How to Build a Global Website

Dave

If your business is expanding to the point where you are targeting customers outside of the country, then you are going to need to make sure that you build a global website. Most websites are designed with consumers or companies within the country in mind, which means different strategies are required in order to bring in global traffic. The following are a few things to keep in mind when building a global website:

Research your audience

Don’t judge a country using stereotypes in order to build your website. This would be a huge error. Instead, consider context as well as ethnicity or background. Companies selling local products that are expanding to the global stage shouldn’t try to market their local product under the same assumptions about buying preferences. For example, if you are selling Chicago-style kettle popcorn, then you need to market to your new foreign audience’s interest in the fact that your product represents a delicacy from Chicago to them and not because they have an interest in buying locally produced food. Research what age groups and what specific groups would be most interested in buying your product or service online.

Research your keywords

You may have very carefully researched your keywords in your country, but don’t assume that these keywords will translate well into other languages. This is especially true when it comes to phrases or colloquialisms. Research the types of keywords that other countries might use instead in order to use them effectively on a global scale.

Consider a content delivery network

The speed at which your website loads is going to play an important factor in keeping your traffic on your website, whether it’s domestic or global web traffic. International audiences may not have the same internet options as domestic audiences do, which is why you may want to consider a content delivery network. A content delivery network is a collection of web servers that are located throughout the world. Instead of just having your website served from your host within the country, you can allow your site to be served from other locations around the world in order to speed up site performance in those areas.

Cultural differences

The way you lay out your website, from the content to the visual aspect, may seem harmless to most – but in some countries, you could be offending certain cultures. You need to be extra careful about the content that you post. Even the colors that you use could affect some audiences negatively. For example, while the color green usually represents eco-friendliness and nature in the U.S., in some countries it represents greed – not something you want your company to be associated with. Do research on the countries that you are targeting.

Cut back on text in your images

There are a lot of translating systems out there such as Google Translate that will translate large parts of your website’s text for non-English speaking audiences. However, Google Translate can only do this for actual text. Images that use text, for example, logos with text underneath them, cannot be translated. Because of this, you should try to reduce the amount of images you use that contain text.

Consider the layout of your website

Most modern sites use dynamically generated content that will flow properly when translated into another language. However, some elements could have display problems, especially in countries where text is read differently, such as from right to left. Be sure to keep this in mind when designing the layout of your site.

There is a lot to consider when building a global website in order to expand your business’ reach. Be sure to keep these tips in mind in order to build a more effective global website.