International Business

Show The World Your Location

by on 19 February, 2008

How To Internationalize Your Website

iconcatib Show The World Your LocationWhen it comes to internationalizing your web site, or making your web site friendlier to all international visitors, you may wonder just why you should pay attention to how you indicate your address.

Give Your Real Address

Why do some companies seem to avoid stating their real address? The address where they can actually be found?

The company owners who worry that their address is not as prestigious as they would like it to be are only looking at their immediate local market. These companies may or may not have a legitimate reason to be embarrassed about their actual physical address.

This type of reasoning really only includes those people who think along the same lines. It is highly unlikely the majority of their international clients will reason the same way.

Clarity Is Critical To Building Trust

When you start to look at your broader international market, you need to put your real address in an easy to see place on your website. This is critical.

It is critical for online businesses to build trust with their visitors. In intercultural business relationships trust is the biggest hurdle to overcome. A lack of trust is a major source of multicultural miscommunication.

A key component of building trust is clarity. Actively developing clarity in your international relationships will make their flourish. Any perceived absence of clarity is a deal breaker.

Not clearly stating your physical address is perceived as a lack of clarity.

So if you really think you have good reasons not to give your full address, think of the impression you will leave on your international visitors. Simply having a postal address, or even worse, trying to get away with using a “better” false address is not a good choice.

Foreigners Are Curious

Of course some businesses may feel their industry requires a “prestigious” address. But internet makes research very easy. And if there is one thing a foreign business partner will be is curious. They will want to have clarity as to who they are doing business with.

Foreign Visitor Want To Visualize Your Location

It is only natural. Your international clients will be curious. The question as to where you are located will probably come to their minds fairly early on. People travel. World news is available all over the world. Your visitors will want to know who they might be communicating with.

Make Your Location Work For You

Why not use this natural curiosity to your advantage. With an online international business just about any location can be presented in a way that is nothing but advantageous.

Use a snapshot of a map to include your location with a city most foreigners would immediately recognize. Your international readers will appreciate it. Your company will have more credibility.

Do your international clients know where you are located? Put your full physical address on display and make yourself easy to find. You will bring yourself closer in the minds of your international readers. Clarity is your strongest ally in building trust.

If you follow these tips your web site will be friendlier for all of your international visitors.

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