How To Internationalize Your Website

Where are certain basic business communication principles that work across all media.

One of the the things you need to do when communicating with any prospects or clients is to think about what they want and need to hear from you. You need to look at your business offer, communication or message from their point of view.

If you have studied copywriting like I have, you will know just how easy it is to get sidetracked on this one.

To write a good website it is essential to write it for your visitors.

Most of us think we know our market, we know our visitors and we have done more than enough “research” on our website visitors.

But this is rarely the case.

If you want to improve you website results, look even closer at your website.

The closer your website corresponds to the needs and desires of your visitors the more success you will have.

The best way to determine the needs and desires of your visitors is to actually only write to one visitor. Spend some time and research to identify the one ideal visitor. Create one specific persona. Write every single word of your website for him. Create every page for him.

Writing your website for one specific visitor goes beyond writing for his needs and desires concerning your products or services. It includes also includes his needs and desires:

• when he knows he wants to come online
• when he decides he wants to visit your website
• at the moment they are on your website
• and during each moment he stays on your website

It is important to bring all of these needs and desires of your website visitors into the actual goal you have for your website.

The closer the goal you have fits the needs and desires of your visitors the more success you will have.

Many of us make the mistake of thinking what we did when we started our website still corresponds to our current audience. Internet gives us lots of feedback on our visitors. Even after only six months of having your website online, you will probably find you need to tweak your website to better correspond with your visitors.

The goals you have for your website can change slightly after some time online. You’ll need to realign your website with your new goals.

Read more about how the goals you have for your website can bring more power to your website:

• Website Design – Power Your International Web Pages With Focus

More On How To Internationalize Your Website:

• A Glossary For International Websites
• Be Reachable To Everyone
• Buying Logos For International Websites
• Design Websites For Speed In International Internet Marketing
• Show The World Your Location
• Why I Am Creating An Information Product On Website Internationalization
• Write A Better International Website

Don’t Miss…

• Website Internationalization

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Webiste Internationalization
• Website Localization
• Foreign Search Engines
• Plan Your International Sales Road Map
• International Web Visibility

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Write A Better International Website

How To Internationalize Your Website

Good internet marketing practices are key to international business expansion based on internet marketing.

Before setting up an international communication plan it is a good idea to review some basic internet marketing practices. The best practices in internet marketing serve both domestic and international visitors.

Often these best practices are there to help your visitors and eliminate any frustrations. Sometimes you may not have all of these best practices optimized to their maximum. After all you feel your visitors are happy with your internet marketing. But international visitors may be getting the wrong end of the stick.

Optimizing your website loading speed the best you can is a key factor in the success in international marketing. I have started a series of articles on Get International Clients under:

• Internet Marketing 101

You will find four things you can do to speed up your websites loading time on your visitors computers. You may need your webmaster to implement these steps to optimize your speed.

As an international internet marketer, I do strongly advise you to understand what needs to be done to your website.

If you are using the internet for your initial international business development, it is all about marketing. What happens behind the scenes on your computer and your website affects your marketing.

• Your keywords are your marketing tools.
• The tags associated with any of your online images are tiny marketing tools.
• Keeping your international readers happy with your websites loading time.

And if simply forgetting a forward slash means you fill up your prospects email box with outdated information, that also affects your marketing efforts.

More On How To Internationalize Your Website:

• A Glossary For International Websites
• Be Reachable To Everyone
• Buying Logos For International Websites
• Design Websites For Speed In International Internet Marketing
• Show The World Your Location
• Why I Am Creating An Information Product On Website Internationalization
• Write A Better International Website

Don’t Miss…

• Website Internationalization

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Webiste Internationalization
• Website Localization
• Foreign Search Engines
• Plan Your International Sales Road Map
• International Web Visibility

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Design Websites For Speed In International Internet Marketing

Website Internationalization

Creating a localized website will be a lot easier if your website is already easy for your international visitors to read. Ensuring your website is easy to read for foreign visitors to your website is an important step in internationalizing your website.

So how can you do make your website easy to read for your international visitors?

Most of the reasons why national websites fail to communicate with their international visitors are directly related to not implementing all of the standard best practices in creating a good website.

You have probably heard of most of these guidelines when creating your company website for your original market. But did you really apply them as best you could? Simply failing to implement a few of these will turn your international clients away and leave them with a bad impression of your company.

Remember for non-native English speakers something else happens before they begin to read your website. Their brain will recognize whether the website is in English or not and decide if they are capable or willing to read English at that time. This can take a few seconds before they actually begin to read your website.

Your foreign readers may be tired, may not feel like switching to a foreign language at that time. If their brain captures anything at that time that they perceive as an extra effort on their part, they will move on. This is when it is critical to have an easy to read website for your foreign business development.

Here are some questions to review your website with for that first impression:

Is Each Web Page Easy On The Eye To Read?

The majority of internet users today are non-native English speakers. English could be their second, third or even fourth language. Even if their language skills are sufficient to understand your website, they will probably need to concentrate more than you to read it. Make it easy for them. Provide them with:
* Titles and subtitles
* Headings and subheadings
* Short paragraphs
* Short sentences

Titles, Subtitles, Headings and Subheads

These add greatly to the readers’ ability to understand your web pages quickly and easily. Remember to ask yourself how your international reader got to your web page.

What could your international visitor possibly want to ask you at each specific point in time on each web page? Use your titles, subtitles, headings and subheads as often as you can to communicate effectively to answer those questions.

Write titles and headings that:
* Mean something to your reader
* Give clear and easy explanations
* Tell your story as they scan through and get it
* Features and benefits work well

Short Sentences and Short Paragraphs

Short paragraphs will make your pages easier to read. Foreign readers are put off even faster by long paragraphs appearing to be difficult to read.

If your paragraph is more than 4 or five lines long, look for ways to make it shorter. Can a part of your paragraph be put into a list format? Cut out unnecessary words. Break it into different paragraphs. A one sentence paragraph is acceptable online.

Keep your sentences short. In each of your sentences, keep the subject, verb and object close together in each sentence. If you need to indicate additional information, find this information a place of its own.
* Use a new sentence.
* Put it under a separate heading.
* Can it be put in a list format?

Are You Saying Anything That Could Be Misleading?

International readers may easily be confused online.
After this their first questions will probably include:
Is this website in my language?
What does this company do?
Where is this company located?
What are they saying?

Keep these questions in mind when you write your website. Continue to ask yourself what any of your visitors could be asking themselves and keep your international visitors in mind.

Consistent vocabulary.

Here are two examples to avoid:

Referring to one object as both a “Gadget” and a “Widget”. Or using one industry’s vocabulary in another industry where another word is used. This mistake can have disastrous effects if translated.

If you are offering one free report and calling it both a “Guide” and a “Report” in different places in your website, your international readers might have a harder time figuring out that you only have one free report to give away. This could make them feel frustrated and generate negative feelings when they can’t find the second “report”.

Are You Communicating Clearly To People?

Are you presenting your story clearly, putting everything into a context that is simple to follow? Make your story so simple to follow anyone would be able to understand it even if they haven’t slept for a day or two.

Put first things first and follow through. Second things go second. If you feel you cannot do this easily, look for a way to tell your story differently. Can you use visuals or lists.
Turn a process into
* A number of different steps,
* List them and number them and
* Put each step on a separate web page

Are You Talking To Your Visitors?

Talk To Your Visitors

Say “you” when talking to your reader. And it is also preferable to use “you” when not talking about a specific person instead of “he or “she”. Foreign visitors will understand this better.

Audio

If you have sound starting on your website automatically, ask yourself how this sound comes across in different cultures. Could it possible be annoying to anyone in any way? Some like it fast. Some like it slow.

Clear and Easy To Understand For Everyone

These are just a few elements to consider in creating websites. Implement them and implement them satisfactorily. Your foreign visitors may not necessarily find your website easy to read in English, but at least they will not be put off or confused.

If you do not internationalize your website, the negative effects on your international readers will be greater than on your national readers. Can you measure the cost of not communicating well with your international prospects and clients?

There has been a shift in internet user demographics with more non-native English language users today than in the past. Give your website a global reach with internationalized content.

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

More On Website Internationalization:

• 7 Website Design Tips For International Markets
• An Easy To Read Website For Your International Visitors First Impression
• Easy Content For All Of Your Web Site Readers
• First Transition To A Global Market Internet Business
• How To Get Your Communication Platform Ready For International Marketing
• Is Your Website Sabotaging Your International Business Development?
• Small Business International Development In Three Easy Steps
• Stop Pushing Your Foreign Visitors Away

Don’t Miss…

• How To Internationalize Your Website

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Webiste Internationalization
• Website Localization
• Foreign Search Engines
• Plan Your International Sales Road Map
• International Web Visibility

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

An Easy To Read Website For Your International Visitors First Impression