Online Business Expansion Internationally

Tips For Expanding Your Online Business Internationally
By Harvey McEwan

Are you looking to expand your business abroad? With the rise of the internet, cross-border commerce has become a lot easier. Embracing new territories is on many company agendas. But building out your business is not as straightforward as many entrepreneurs imagine it to be.

A large part of the online business community seems to think that they can get away with providing a website and services in English only, while others publish poorly translated content.

Unfortunately, this "lazy" approach means you could be losing out on a lot of customers. Internet users have certain expectations these days. You have to respect that not everyone feels comfortable ordering products or services in a language that is not their native tongue. Competition is high these days so they will simply choose an alternative supplier.

Your task then is to ensure your website is optimised for all the languages and territories you plan to embrace. Make it easy for people to buy or subscribe from you, and stand out from the rest with your professional international service. It is also vital to ensure your website can be found easily within these new geographic regions.

International Keyword Research

Keyphrases are used throughout website pages to indicate to users and search engines what a page is about. Keyphrase research is one of the most important steps in optimising your site both for local and international audiences. It lets you find out what the market is actively searching for and how your website can respond to their queries in search engine results pages.

A common misconception is that you can get away with directly translating these words and phrases into foreign languages. But this is a very lazy approach that could lead to failure to break into foreign markets. Why?

Direct translations are not exhaustive. Translators pick what fits best according to the context, but that does not mean a word can not be interpreted differently. So it is vital to ensure the keyphrase is translated according to the context and according to what people truly search for in any given territory, You should seek out translators that have been trained in search engine optimisation (SEO) and know how to use tools such as Google Trends to determine the most popular search terms.

Localising Your Website

Similarly to localising your keyword research, you need someone well-versed in the foreign language and basics of SEO to apply changes to your international website. Not only do you need to ensure correctly translated keyphrases, but also navigational elements, terms and conditions, delivery information and other valuable content.

First of all, do the same rules and regulations apply in each country? You may need to adapt certain copy such as delivery information to comply with local standards and legislation so simply translating your existing content will not cut it.

Think about your website in terms of conversion rate optimisation. You want as many foreign customers as possible to choose your business over others. Therefore they need to be able to easily navigate your website and clearly follow the check out process. Make sure all internal links, the "shopping cart" and check out are well-translated to avoid ambiguity and people exiting before making the purchase or subscription.

So if you have not started already, dig deep into the world of international SEO and, ideally, consult a specialised team to guide you.

Harvey McEwan writes to offer information and advice on a variety of areas, from technology to holiday destinations. Read through Harvey's other articles here to find out more.

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