Top Benefits of a Multilingual Website for Your Business
Do you think that you’re connecting with your foreign language customers well? Have you asked them? If not, you may want to. A site that works in just one language could be the culprit for your high bounce rates and slow conversions. Luckily, fixing this problem is as easy as speaking to your customers in their language. And indeed, turning your site into a multilingual one can take you minutes, and it will bring you plenty of good. But what exactly are the top benefits of a multilingual website for your business? That’s what we’re here to talk about.
But before we dive into all the advantages, let’s see what multilingual sites are and why they might be one of the critical steps to expanding your business. So, a quick bite on the basics.
What is a Multilingual Website?
Simply put, it’s a website that works in more than one language. So, your customers can choose if they prefer to read your content in, let’s say, English, French, or Italian.
To do a good job, you’ll need expert knowledge of all languages involved. Don’t get us wrong — translator widgets are a great way to get things moving in the right direction. But it would be best if you didn’t rely solely on them.
Think of it this way. You wouldn’t buy from a site that uses weird vocabulary and has mixed-up messages that you can’t understand. Well, neither would your customers. Thus, you must invest in the translation and make sure that your messages and points reach across the language barrier.
Not spending enough time on the translation process is one of the most common mistakes with multilingual websites, and it may cost you visitors and the bottom line. People will remember your site as weird, and they won’t return to it. Even if you fix the issues, they wouldn’t know about it. So, it’s best to do things correctly from the start.
And if you do everything by the book, here are the top benefits you can expect to get from it.
Improved Communication
This might seem obvious, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about it. Sure, English still dominates the web, but people who don’t speak it rather choose to shop in their own language. And of course, they do, if you give them a choice. If you don’t offer it, there’s a risk that they’ll find one of your competitors that does.
Furthermore, most non-English speakers don’t even visit sites in English. And when you learn that about half of internet users are in Asia and the Pacific, it becomes clear that you’re missing out if you don’t translate your site into other languages.
Grow Your Audience
The USA generates about the fifth of global internet traffic. So, if you’re marketing only in the US, you’re missing out on about 80% of the world population with internet access.
And although you might know how to market your product to Americans, you don’t have to change much for other markets. People all around the globe have similar needs and wants these days. So, if a product is popular in the states, there’s no reason it wouldn’t be a hit in Europe or Asia.
Naturally, by speaking multiple languages, you get access to a broader audience. As a result, more people will see your website, and you’ll make more sales.
Happier Customers
If you’ve read about how web design can improve sales, you know that a good customer experience can make all the difference. And one of the most significant benefits of a multilingual website for your business is that it improves CX.
People will better understand your site if it’s in their language and if it’s written well. They’ll get your message and see that you went out of your way to improve their experience. They’ll buy from you, and since they’ll be happy with the service, they’ll come back for more.
It’s a win-win situation. You satisfy your customers, and in return, you grow your revenue.
Your customers will be happy with you, so they’ll stay loyal to your brand.
Boost the SERPs
Yes, you’ve read that correctly. You’ll get a better SEO score if you make your site multilingual. Google loves to see that you’re putting in the effort to improve the experience for their users, so they reward it. You’ll rank better wherever people speak the language your website can work on.
But that’s not all there is to it. With Google, it’s all connected. So if one version of your site works well, the other ones will also get a mild boost. Hence, optimizing your site for, let’s say, French customers, can make you more visible overall. Why would you say no to a gratis boost?
Keep in mind that this effect will be less and less visible as more websites worldwide catch up. You want to do it as soon as possible to get the most benefits. And if you wait for too long, you might be the one missing out and lose your rank in the future.
No Worries About Duplicated Content
Many website owners say they’re worried about getting penalized by the search engines because of the plagiarised content, but there’s nothing to worry about. You just need to set up a hreflang tag, and Google will know that it’s looking at a translated version of your original page.
So, feel free to power up your CRM to analyze your website traffic and see where your visitors are coming from. See where your traffic comes from, and you’ll know what languages you need to translate your site to. It’s a fun process, so don’t forget to enjoy it.
All your current content will work well for translated versions of your site
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of benefits of a multilingual website for your business, and we’re just scratching the surface here. But remember — if you want to take your company internationally and tap into new markets, you need a site that natives will get. So make sure your translation job is good, and you’ll love the results.