5 Business Types That Should Have Their Website In Multiple Languages

With companies now able to sell their products and services globally, some of them are using multilingual websites to better reach their customers. As a business owner you might be asking yourself: Do I really need a multilingual website? The answer to that question is: Yes.

Having different languages on your website is absolutely necessary because when your site is in English you only reach slightly more than 26% of internet users neglecting the other 74% whose first language isn’t English. That is a large number of customers to lose out on.

To make it easier for you to decide whether you should have a multilingual website if your company falls in the categories I mention below, you should get professional translation services and develop one ASAP!

1.You run a global e-commerce company

If you sell your products and services internationally offering your website in different languages is a no brainer. Research shows that a business that offers a translated website sells more than a website that is in one language only.

Just think about it, there are many Japanese companies that sell cars to people all over the world. The website for these companies are in Japanese but can be viewed in many other languages, for example, French, Spanish, Swahili and many more. If the car companies only had a Japanese website do you think they would be able to make the billions they do in car sales every year? I doubt. So if you want to increase your international revenues or have a better chance of succeeding in the global market, translating your website is a must.

2. You operate in a country with more than one language

Switzerland, Belgium and Canada: What do these countries have in common? People in these countries speak more than one official language. The Swiss speak French, Italian and German. Belgians have Dutch, French and German while in Canada English and French are commonly used.

These are not the only countries that have several languages spoken within their borders. If you operate in such countries it definitely makes sense to translate your website. Failure to do that could mean you’re leaving out in the cold a large number of potential customers. In some countries, you may be forced to translate your website. For example in Quebec, Canada the law requires you to have your website in both English and French.

3. You’re in the tourism industry

When people are planning for their holiday, they tend to do a lot of online research about where to stay, what to see, how to move around, etc. When doing their research they will spend more time on websites that communicate to them in their native language. This is because they understand the information provided better. That’s why websites of hotels, transportation providers, city attractions, tours and events, etc. should be in different languages.

Having your website in the customer’s language can be the determining factor on whether they book a hotel room with you, pay for your travel package or take advantage of your services.

4. Your website Google Analytics data shows it is a good idea to have a multilingual website

As a website owner, you need to keep track of what is going on on your site. That is the only way you will know what to improve to achieve your website goals. With Google Analytics you can tell how many visitors your website receives, from which region, how much time are they spending on your site and so on.

When it comes to translation, the number of visitors you are receiving from a particular region should help support your decision on whether to translate your website to a certain language. For example, when you look at your data and find out you have thousands of visitors from China implementing language support for those users should be top on your list of things to do to improve your websites user experience.

5. You want to improve your SEO and search traffic

When searching for a product or service they are looking to buy, most internet users do so in their own language. What that means is, if you don’t have content available in the language of your potential customer they will never get to know of your existence because you won’t appear in search results.

If you’ve got a multilingual website you stand a chance of being ranked well by Google. And that can be the thing that helps you beat your competitor. Having content written in other languages like Chinese can also help you rank well with other search engines such as Baidu a popular search engine in China, increasing your chances of being found by consumers.

Those are the five types of companies that must have a multilingual website. However, I believe any company operating online should have their website in more than one language. And you don’t have to translate content to 100 plus languages like the big corporations. You can start with just two to four languages.

What is the cost of translating a website?

There are several factors that will determine how much you will pay for business translation services. Some of the things an internet translation agency will look at will include:

The number of language translations needed. If your company is undertaking a large expansion internationally your website’s pages will have to be offered in several languages. That will obviously cost you more than if you are just branching out into one country where you’ll only need one language translated.

The number of pages you want translated. You don’t have to translate all the pages on your website. You can start with those pages that are most important to your business like the landing page or sales page. But if you want, you can translate everything on your website which will cost you more though.

The complexity of content. Translating legal documents will cost more than translating a simple how-to article. This is because legal documents need certified translation to ensure accuracy.

To set up your multilingual online business, get in touch with Lingy for website translation services. Our team of professional translators will help you offer your website in the languages you desire quickly and at an affordable cost.

Translation of your website? We will take care of it!