Website translation: What impedes your success in a new market?

We’ve noticed that the impact of translation on SEO has evoked a vivid discussion among our clients. So, we’ve decided to dig deeper into this topic and share my insights on how SEO and localization affect the international expansion of your business.

Let’s assume you have a website, but customers don’t come. Why could this be? 

Many business owners think that once they have translated the website content to the target language, customers from the new market will inevitably jump in. However, translation is not equal to localization. We’ve seen cases where a website was technically flawless, yet it failed to attract clients. The thing is that the entrepreneurs simply completed their “to do” list for entering a new market but didn’t manage to become a genuine part of it. And trust me – people can feel that difference. 

A brief example:

Imagine a U.S. travel website entering the UAE about five years ago. A mere translation would suggest retaining weekend deals for Saturday and Sunday. Localization, in turn, would consider that UAE traditionally used to have Friday-Saturday weekends and adapt the offers correspondingly.

So, let us ask you one question: When was the last time you looked at your website through the eyes of a foreign customer?