How to Optimize Your Website for Translation

How to OptimizeYour Website forTranslation

2 | How to Optimize Your Website for Translation

The World Wide Web is…well, it’s worldwide. That means there’s a good chance that someone from another country will visit your brand or business page looking for information that helps them with their needs.

Many websites can be translated with browsers or other tools that help brands and businesses connect with as many customers as possible. When crafting the copy and design of your website, there are certain things you can do to optimize your website for translation. This eBook will walk you through a few of those things, while also discussing the value of reaching out to potential customers from different countries and cultures.

How to Optimize YourWebsite for Translation


Why is Translation Important?It’s easy to think that most people speak or understand English. After all, it is one of the most spoken languages in the world with 1.2 billion English speakers in the world - but Mandarin has it beat by 1.3 billion, and Spanish is right behind it with 485 million speakers.

English

French

Portuguese

Spanish

Russian

Arabic

Chinese

German

Hindustani

Persian

Italian

Swahili


Why is Translation Important?Even if someone speaks English fluently as a second language, there’s so much power in talking to potential customers in their native tongues. Think of how welcoming it must be to be a speaker of German, Italian, or Korean and visit a U.S. webpage that is available in your native tongue.

By offering a website that is built for translation, you’re welcoming all sorts of customers with open arms. You’re also showing the competition and potential investors that you’re operating on a global level. Even to someone who only speaks English, it’s a sophisticated power play that shows you’re serious about bringing your product or service to as many people as possible.


How to Write CopyThat Can Be Translated There are two ways that people can access your website in another language—you can offer differently translated version of the site, or you can build a site with copy that works well with automatic translation tools like Google Translate.

If you’re going to offer tabs that take visitors to different translations of your site, you have a few decisions to make. First of all, you’ll have to decide which languages you’d like to offer. It’s almost impossible to offer them all, so you might want to pick the three or four that are the most popular. Then, work with a translator or team of translators to make sure the translated copy says precisely what you want it to say.


How to Write CopyThat Can Be Translated

But most business owners will rely on browser tools to automatically translate their pages for them. Changes are you’ve stumbled across a website that asks you if you’d like it translated into English or whatever language your browser is set to.

The manner in which you craft your copy can make the translation tool more accurate. For instance, use complete sentences and steer clear of slang that may not translate to other languages. If you aren’t already, consider using the services of a professional copywriter to ensure your copy is clear, crisp, and free of typos.

Once you’ve got a working version of your site up and running, find people who speak different languages to go over the translated version of your site to make sure everything is coming through like it should. If there are any errors or room for improvement, make the changes.


Be Careful How You Use ImageryWhen translation tools can a website, they look for text that can be read and translated. Standard copy entered into a CMS like Wordpress can usually be detected and translated.

This is not the case for words that are part of an image or Photoshop file. So that awesome header you created in Photoshop that says “Seasonal Pies Are Here!”, on this example site of Betty’s Pies, will not be translated by a tool like Google Translate. In some cases, there will be no way around this, but it’s good to be prepared.

Similarly, if there is video content on your site, it won’t magically be overdubbed, but YouTube may offer subtitles to assist people who don’t speak your language.


Don’t Forget Keywords and MetatagsIf your business plans include reaching out to people who speak different languages, consider using keywords and other metadata in those languages. For instance, a Spanish-speaker in Los Angeles looking for new windows may Google ventanas rather than windows. By attaching this Spanish-language keyword, you increase the likelihood that this demographic will find your site.

As we mentioned before, it will probably be difficult to apply keywords in dozens of languages, so take some time to consider exactly who you’re trying to reach so you can come up with a keyword plan that is both smart and manageable.

In terms of the pertinent SEO keywords in other languages, even if you’re planning on having your website automatically translated by a plugin or digital service, talk to an SEO specialist who speaks the languages you’re looking to target to ensure you’ll be able to connect with the right customers.

For instance, “birthday party planner” may be a great English-language key phrase for someone who is in the business of planning parties. However, a Spanish language browser may be looking for someone who specializes in “quinceaneras“. If you’re able to fulfill this need make sure this is both an SEO keyword and word that appears somewhere on your website for any interested parties.

QuinceanerasBirthday Party Planner


Once You’re Up and RunningAfter you’ve finalized the translation-friendly copy and design for your website, be sure to have several native-language speakers check it out and let you know if they see any errors or inconsistencies. Yes, making your website available in a variety of different languages will be appreciated by those who visit your site, but you want to show cultural sensitivity and professionalism by ensuring your translated text rings true and is easy to understand.

Don’t forget that any copy updates you make to the site will need to go through the same process of verifying their accuracy and clarity. Optimizing a website for translation isn’t a one-step process - it’s an ongoing one that rewards you with a broad customer base.

All images and illustrations are subject to copyright.

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How to Optimize Your Website for Translation