5 Easy Steps to translate an eCommerce site
According to CSA Research, 76% of online shoppers worldwide prefer purchasing products in their own language, and 40% actively avoid buying from sites in other languages. If you translate an eCommerce site for each country or region where you hope to sell, this will significantly improve the user experience of your customers, as well as positioning your brand as a global player, potentially reinforcing your global reputation and brand presence.
With regard to method, it it worth noting that while Machine Translation (MT) is cheaper; consider that a 2020 survey by Statista determined that one of the top issues that global consumers face when shopping on foreign sites translated into their native languages is poor-quality content, with 34% of respondents stating that this is a problem they encounter. For the best results you need a professional, human translator! Although you can also achieve good results with MT followed by post-editing from a human translator.
That said, here are 5 easy steps to guide you through the localisation process:
1. The Basics
Firstly you will need to do a thorough analysis of your site and assess exactly what you will be translating. Of course this will include the body copy: product descriptions, checkout procedures and delivery information. But don’t forget to consider meta data, meta tags and descriptions — all of which play a crucial role in SEO.
Translating customer reviews and testimonials adds authenticity and social proof. Providing translated FAQs can help enhance customer support and user experience.
Essential elements to translate
- Product information: product title, description and accompanying text (ie. sizing, dimensions, delivery information).
- Customer Ratings: display customer reviews in all languages — according to CSA Research, 73% of respondents want product reviews in their language, if nothing else.
- Customer Support: answering customers in their language makes a huge difference! Also include your complaints procedure, any legalities across jurisdictions, and FAQs. OneSky research found that 75% of customers are more likely to buy from a brand again if post-sale support is delivered in their native language.
- Marketing materials: advertising and promotions in the local language will improve conversion rates — 86% of localized advertising campaigns yield higher click-through and conversion rates compared with their English counterparts (OneSky).
- Social media: posting in the local language will encourage more engagement — localisation can increase search traffic by 47%, boost website visits by 70%, and increase conversion rates by 20%.
You might also want to consider the imagery you are using. Your completed site should be a transformation of your original website’s language, visuals, and overall messaging to resonate with local preferences and cultural sensitivities.
2. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
50% of all Google queries are in languages other than English. You want your site to be found by local shoppers — so integrating local SEO strategies is crucial to tailor your site’s keywords, meta tags, and descriptions to the locality’s linguistic and search habits. A targeted approach will ensure your website’s relevance and discoverability in regional search engines, as well as significantly boosting organic traffic.
We recommend conducting keyword research specific to each language to boost your rankings on search engines like Google. Remember to check that URLs, meta descriptions, and image alt attributes are accurately translated.
Pro-tip! You can add hreflang attributes to signal to search engines the language and regional targeting of your pages.
Related topic: Multilingual Lead Generation tools
3. Site Navigation and Menus
Offering clear and culturally relevant navigation enhances user engagement and improves accessibility. Your menu items, categories, and navigation labels should be accurately translated. You may even want to tailor the structure to align with cultural norms and user expectations in each target language.
Implementing user-friendly language-switching features, such as a dropdown menus or flag icons, will allow visitors to easily switch between language versions.
4. Localise Currency and Pricing
It’s very important to localise your site’s currency and pricing to build user familiarity and trust. If your customer has to leave your site and check a currency converter to find out the price — they may not come back! Local pricing and currency formats also avoid confusion and facilitate smoother transactions. You should clearly communicate currency conversion rates (if appropriate), and any additional charges, to be fully transparent.
Pro-tip! You can use geolocation tools to automatically display prices in the local currency based on the user’s location.
By tailoring the currency and pricing elements to each market, you create a user-friendly environment, fostering familiarity and encouraging engagement and conversions.
5. Monitor and Maintain
Be aware: the work is on-going when you translate an eCommerce site. Moving forward, you’ll need to monitor the performance of your translated website, and update it as needed to maintain relevance and functionality.
- Regularly review performance metrics, user feedback, and market changes to identify areas for improvement.
- Update translated content promptly to reflect product changes, promotions, or trends.
- Test website functionality across different language versions to ensure a seamless user experience.
- Check for broken links, outdated information, and potential cultural misalignments on a regular basis.
By staying vigilant and responsive, you ensure that your eCommerce website remains dynamic, culturally appropriate, and continues to provide an optimal experience for a diverse, multilingual audience!
