What is website localization?
In the simplest terms, website localization is publishing your website in a form that is well-tailored to the expectations and tastes of audiences in a given place (such as a country or a region). This usually (but not necessarily always) entails translating its content – but also much more.
Ideally, proper website localization services involve the following (depending on the case):
Tone and voice of communication
It goes without saying that Internet users around the world have different expectations and are used to varying levels of formality in brands’ communication. For example, Japanese corporate and e-commerce websites generally use much less direct language than those in the US or Poland.
Local keywords
You may have written copy that attracts satisfactory traffic in one country because it employs keywords that are often searched online there. Unfortunately, the way people phrase Google or AI chatbot queries depends on culture, the language itself, and more. Due to that, simply translating keywords to use in new copy isn’t the way to go – rather, they should be researched for every market separately.
CTAs
Similarly to tone and voice of communication in general, CTAs should also match the local norms in terms of formality or phrasing. In some cultures, very direct wording could be considered “intrusive.”
Date, currency, and unit conversion
A localized version of an e-store should obviously show prices in the local currency; similarly, product dimensions (described in gallons, inches, feet, etc.) should be presented in units familiar to local users. Outside the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom metric units are ubiquitous. Lastly, the dating format should be adjusted to the market – a person from Europe will probably understand “7/11” as November 7 and not July 11, for example.
UI/UX
In some cases, even the user interface and general user experience need to be adjusted. Think of Arabic and Persian websites: they usually feature a “mirror image” interface when compared to other versions – where a button is, for instance, on the upper-right side of the page in English, it’s on the upper-left in Arabic/Persian. That’s because the languages themselves are written from right to left.
Sales content
Marketing texts and accompanying images on the website may also need to be changed when entering a new market. Professional linguists who are native speakers of a particular language are well equipped to advise whether particular ideas, sales strategies, or graphic elements resonate with the target audience or not. For example, while in many countries students often wear school slippers, copy concerning this shoe type would be largely irrelevant for locales where this isn’t customary (like Greece).
Elements of trust
Here, we mean things such as payment or delivery options that are actually used in a locale or FAQs that answer doubts users in a specific market may really have. Native speakers who live in the country in question will be most capable of suggesting relevant ideas.
Technical aspects of SEO (search engine optimization)
Search engine optimization refers to all practices aimed at improving the visibility of your website in search engine (Google, Bing, etc.) result pages. In recent years, it’s also begun to cover the prominence of specific sources in generative AI answers.
One of the most important technical aspects of SEO is accurate and correct use of hreflang tags. It ensures that a user visiting your multilingual website from, for example, Slovakia, won’t be shown an Italian language version after clicking through the URL. Proper implementation of hreflang tags is also valued by Google’s algorithms that decide the order of search results.
Website localization vs. website translation
Although these terms are often used interchangeably, translation of texts is just one aspect of localization. As a matter of fact, thorough localization is usually a must, especially for businesses such as e-stores, consulting agencies, social media, etc.
Comparison of website localization and website translation services
Localization Translation
| Adjusts the tone of voice if needed | May leave the original’s tone of voice even if a different one is more fitting |
| Involves research of local key phrases for better ranking | Will include lower-traffic keywords if they are the obvious rendition |
| Takes into consideration the website layout | Only concerns the textual layer |
| May employ transcreation to rewrite original copy for a new market if it resonates better with the audience | Is generally closer to the original |
| If agreed with the client, can include technical aspects of the localized website | Does not involve extra-linguistic services |
Why website localization services matter
You could think that what matters is the quality of your products or services – alone. Unfortunately, even the best-in-class offerings must find their way to customers – and nowadays the said way is much longer and winding than before. After all, even some artistic giants such as Van Gogh weren’t recognized while alive, largely due to their poor reputation at the time. Or Nikola Tesla – this Serbian engineer was never as financially successful as he deserved to be, simply because he wasn’t a great entrepreneur (this isn’t to say he had to be one!).
The unwritten and written rules of business haven’t changed drastically since then – you have to know how to advertise your work (or leave this task to a third party). If a buyer abroad browses your website in their own language, and from the get-go has the impression that it wasn’t created with them in mind, they may lose interest. Worse still, a poorly localized website (e.g. with unconverted units) may look like machine-translated scam.
Customers’ trust – which good localization services can foster – is also essential when it comes to conversion. Your e-store may risk having users abandoning their cart because, for instance, they couldn’t find a convenient payment or delivery option.
Solid content localization services allow for clear, natural-sounding, and unambiguous communication that protects against marketing slips. Lastly, copy localized by native speakers helps flawlessly adjust your strategy to local shopping (and other) user behaviors.
What should be localized on a website
Although your needs and expectations will naturally vary, generally the following website elements should be localized with a target market in mind:
- Homepage
- Product/service pages
- Landing pages
- Meta titles and meta descriptions (for search engines)
- Headers
- CTAs
- Forms
- FAQs
- Case studies
- Customer reviews (if there already are examples from real-life local users)
- Infographics, examples
- Currencies, units, dates
- Internal linking
- Hreflang tags and website structure
How to localize a website
Research the market and audience
Never assume that because something seems to be the same all around the world it will be such in one particular place. For example, the vast majority of languages that use the Latin alphabet don’t change foreigners’ personal names in translation. However, there are exceptions, such as Latvian or Serbian. For example, Beyoncé is known there as Bejonse Noulza and Bijonse, respectively. Using the original spelling may not be an egregious error, but you always want to feel native to local ears (and eyes). Similarly, in Czechia and Slovakia, women’s surnames often get the “-ová” suffix (for example, “Angela Merkelová”). Details like this are important as well.
Take care of local keyword research
This is a must – for search engines to rank your site decently, you need to employ phrases that people in a given country/region actually use. Simple translation (even human-performed) isn’t enough.
Adjust sales messages
Once again, straightforward translations of words and terms may lack effectiveness. For example, a shopping cart (used in e-stores) may be known under different names in various areas.
Localize your content and metadata
This stage is the closest to “translation proper” but it still encompasses more aspects. As we mentioned earlier, some parts of the copy may be redundant in particular language versions, or could require significant rewriting (transcreation). If you don’t know the target language as proficiently as your own, don’t use machine (AI) translation services. Assume that the risk of omitting an important fragment or adding something untrue is always there – and it’s better to use the services of a professional.
Check the UX, forms, and CTAs
The best approach here is to task a trusted linguist with localization of these elements, and later send the drafts to another native speaker who will double-check their correctness and overall impact.
Implement technical SEO-oriented aspects
Use appropriate HTML attributes, improve page loading times, and include accessibility options (such as alt text copy for images, to be read aloud for visually impaired users).
Perform linguistic and SEO LQA
A necessary final step before your content goes live – remember to check everything one last time with fresh eyes to avoid unnecessary slips. If you speak the target language and are familiar with SEO, you can take care of it yourself. If you can’t or don’t want to – tailored localization solutions and SEO agencies collaborating with professionals can do it for you.
Be up to date with traffic, ranking, and conversion
When your localized website is published, that’s not the end of the story. You need to monitor its performance and be ready to introduce adjustments where required. A trusted partner company can be assigned with this task and prepare comprehensive, but also concise reports. We know how time- and effort-consuming this can be, so we’ll make sure you get only the core information – no lengthy lists of irrelevant numbers.
Common website localization mistakes
Whether you decide to localize your website within your internal team or to use an agency’s services, watch out for the most frequent errors:
• Keyword translation instead of keyword research
• Using machine translation or AI with no native speaker supervision
• Limiting the localization to your homepage only
• Ignoring local user intents
• No, or wrong, hreflang tags
• Lack of CTA diversification
• Few, if any, examples or references; neglecting social proof
• Forgoing any quality assurance before the content goes live
When to use professional localization services
You can definitely consider approaching a professional website localization services business if at least some of the below apply to you:
• You want to access a new market or reach a foreign audience
• Your traffic abroad fails to generate conversions
• You want to pair translation and SEO services
• Your website has a lot of content and/or language versions
• Your website may be lacking in terminology and brand voice consistency
• You wish to avoid technical and linguistic mistakes that could be detrimental to your visibility, ranking, or audience trust
If you believe that you could benefit from professional localization of your website, simply reach out to us!
FAQ
• What is website localization?
Website localization is adjusting your content in one language to a different market; it includes, but isn’t limited to, translation, SEO, and LQA.
• How is website localization different from translation?
While translation is, in itself, rendering a text and its meaning into another language, localization also involves many other aspects that are crucial in the contemporary world wide web.
• What should be localized on a website?
The most important elements would be: homepage, product/service pages, landing pages, meta titles and meta descriptions, headers, CTAs, forms, FAQs, case studies, customer reviews, infographics, units and currencies used, internal linking, HTML attributes, and website structure.
• Why is website localization important?
It’s important largely because online algorithms – and people – require that websites are as user-friendly as possible, of which a big part is being able to browse the Internet in one’s own language.
• Do website localization services include SEO?
It depends on a given agency’s specific definition, but it is a good practice to cover SEO services, too.
• Can AI translate my website instead of an agency providing localization services?
Although it can, we strongly discourage you from relying on machine translation tools. At the very least, AI output must be thoroughly revised by a native speaker linguist – and it’s still the best idea to entrust them with the translation as well.
