Also known as a “web presence” or “site”, websites are undoubtedly the most important parts of the internet. Your website makes you visible to the world and puts you on the map. It shows what your business is about, provides you credibility and makes it incredibly easier for target customers to find you – anytime, anywhere.
There is no reason to sell yourself short and leave money on the table. Your E-commerce business has limitless opportunities to venture into serving markets and segments outside your home country. In 2020, consumers all over the world spent nearly $4.29 trillion on e-commerce sites, which is a notable increase from almost $3.46 trillion the prior year. In the United States, payments from customers generated e-commerce web.sites an income reaching up to $449.88 billion in 2017, representing a 15.6% year-over-year increase from 2016.
Seeing as your website places you on a grand stage without geographical barriers, localization becomes something to consider. Localization basically refers to the adaptation or modification of a business or asset to cater to a specific target market. It involves making changes to your asset or business to make it more relevant and relatable to your audience. This is intrinsically linked to the concepts of internationalization and globalization. If you are serving customers outside of the United States, for example, website localization makes your business appear to be more of a suitable fit to potential customers who may be non-English speakers.
Providing visitors to your website a local experience that is customized and targeted influences your business in 10 major ways. Localization provides you with:
- A Competitive Edge:
There are roughly 1.8 billion websites live on the internet. Often, whatever information, product or service that a customer can find on your website can also be accessed on several different similar sites. Localizing your website sets it apart and makes it stand out to your audience, providing you an advantage.
- Global Reach:
The web has provided us with a border-less virtual space which has turned the world into a global village. Localization allows you not just connect but also raises your company’s value globally.
- No Communication or Language Barrier:
Effective communication largely influences brand and business. When expanding to foreign regions, it is farfetched to assume all customers and visitors are fluent in English. Language is just as important to building human connections online as it is offline, hence it is important to meet your audience’s linguistic differences.
- Improved User Experience:
It is unlikely that customers would connect effectively with your brand and website if they do not fully understand and appreciate its content. Localization helps visitors enjoy your site better, which will keep visitors from leaving your website and searching for products in other places.
- Boosts in Conversion Rates:
With your eCommerce store’s growth in local popularity, you can expect an increased traffic of non-native language speakers. This can translate into improved conversion rates but only if the content is properly localized.
- Global Delivery Opportunities:
Plenty of e-commerce companies offer worldwide shipping and delivery options. It is helpful to adapt your website to countries where you ship so customers can view delivery costs and time parameters using their local currencies and unit measures.
- Better SEO ranking Globally:
Especially in foreign markets, SEO ranking determines your website’s level of visibility, exposure and traffic on the internet. With a good strategy and a team of professional translators and SEO experts, your content and keywords can be adapted to the local audience to make your ranking soar.
- An Improved Brand Image:
Whether online or offline, the view your customers have of your brand can make or mar your business. Properly fine-tuning your website to make a true connection with your audience would make a world of difference.
- Increased Credibility and Client Trust:
Localization makes customers identify with the brand as one of their own. It increases the confidence and trust in your brand , and makes it easier for locals to purchase from your business.
- Multiculturalism:
Fostering multiculturalism in your eCommerce business through localization eliminates the impression of bias and depicts to your customers that you care about their cultures.
There is no doubt that localizing your website and business is the way to go. iVoiceAfrica is a brand with ample skill and experience to help you improve your brand, and build a more relevant and relatable business website.
Our range of services involve voiceovers, transcriptions, translations, interpretation, Document & Patent Translation, Video Remote Interpretation, On-site Interpretation, Multilingual Email & Chat Support, Business Process Outsourcing and Website Localization.
We would love to give your website the touch that it needs. To discuss your needs with the iVoice Africa team, contact us @ +234 7026276411 and info@ivoiceafrica.com.
