Localization - Contenteam - Multilingual Copywriting Service https://contenteam.com/category/localization/ Your One-Stop Solution for Multilingual SEO Content Wed, 28 Sep 2022 11:28:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://contenteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Localization - Contenteam - Multilingual Copywriting Service https://contenteam.com/category/localization/ 32 32 How to Implement Multilingual SEO and Generate Traffic From the Whole World https://contenteam.com/multilingual-seo-practices/ https://contenteam.com/multilingual-seo-practices/#respond Mon, 12 Sep 2022 08:38:29 +0000 https://contenteam.com/?p=15982 When a company faces the challenge of increasing traffic in search engines, the solution usually can be found in two

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When a company faces the challenge of increasing traffic in search engines, the solution usually can be found in two strategies: creating more optimized content and purchasing external links. In this case, some experts overlook an effective trend that can help build traffic several times faster than these classic methods – namely, the creation and promotion of multilingual sites. This can especially be useful for brands that have already peaked in local search engine rankings and have long been unable to reach their desired figures. Have you recognized your own situation here? Then be sure to read this article to the end – you’ll discover new ideas to implement in your search engine optimization strategy.

Table of Contents

6 SEO Trends Everyone Has Heard Of, and One That Is Often Forgotten

Search engines are getting smarter every year, so the rules for working with them are constantly changing. Here are the trends to keep in mind today.

1. Web Design

Website design and performance are becoming even more important. In May 2020, Google revealed new metrics that help its algorithms measure user experience: load speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Along with mobile optimization, security, and lack of intrusive advertising, these factors will largely determine the position of pages in search engine rankings. 

2. Search Intent Consistency 

As Google search evolves, the quality and volume of content accurately matching a user’s query is increasing. 

3. Voice Search

Voice content and optimization for such queries is steadily gaining popularity. According to Google, 27% of the world’s population regularly uses voice search. 

4. Video

Users’ mentality and habits are changing. Increasingly, they prefer to watch videos instead of reading text. That’s why Google moves videos from a separate tab to the main search results. 

5. EAT Principles

When assessing the quality of content for Google, these principles play a major role, especially in topics related to health, finance, and legislation. 

6. Snipplets

Properly structured information allows pages to get to the coveted zero position in the results, which guarantees a noticeable increase in traffic.

You are probably familiar with these trends and are trying to improve in each area. The problem is that the results of such efforts rarely meet expectations. 

However, there is one trend with much more potential, and we’ll talk about it below. 

Multilingual SEO: What Is the Essence and Who Is Suitable for It?

Globalization has touched most spheres of human life, and to a large extent, thanks to the development of the Internet. Businesses that have gone online may no longer be limited to a single market, especially when it comes to technology companies. 

For example, the use of new languages in content marketing and SEO helped Neil Patel to double his traffic in less than a year.

"It’s becoming harder and harder to stand out, even if you have great content. Some of the best content I’ve ever read is from sources without any brand power. But thankfully, there is hope. Currently, the international market for SEO is nearly untapped. It’s one of the biggest reasons why my traffic has skyrocketed in the past few years and why it continues to grow today."
Neil Patel
Neil Patel is one of the most successful SEO experts out there and is co-founder of NP Digital. He's an internet marketer and influencer.

The essence of international search engine optimization is to create content in other languages for the international target audience from different countries.

International SEO is great for:

  • Information businesses;

  • IT companies and startups;

  • SaaS products and online tools;

  • Ecommerce with international delivery;

  • Bloggers;

  • Digital specialists, authors, consultants;

  • Digital agencies;

  • News aggregators.

The list can be supplemented. Sometimes even small local companies are interested in ranking in several languages – for example, if their target audience consists of users from different nations. 

Multilingual SEO: To Be or Not To Be? 

Are you doubting whether to burden your team with additional tasks and start building a multilingual website? Refer to your website’s Google Analytics! According to its results, you will get valuable insights for implementing an international SEO strategy in your niche. 

Internal Data

First, study your customers’ needs. Open Google Analytics and see which regions your visitors come from. You can do this by exploring the “Audience” – “Location” tabs.

Analyze not only the location but also the language tab. Google will show you the default language in users’ browsers. Maybe your visitors are already automatically translating your content: there is interest, but the “Google translate” texts do not convince them to come back to you again or buy something. 

You can go a step further by conducting a customer survey: find out which language they feel most comfortable speaking. Study the history of orders from other countries.

If the statistics collected clearly hint that people from different countries and speakers of other languages are not indifferent to your company, give international SEO a chance by starting with one language that feels the most promising in terms of business results.

2. External Data

Look around at how competitors and the niche, in general, consider the strategy. Explore websites with similar topics and note if they have language versions and offices in multiple target countries. 

Determine which sites in your industry get external links more often. This is something that the Ahrefs tool can help with. The app review has a CTLDs distribution block – this is the distribution of top-level donor domains by country. Among them, you will find the universal .com, .net, .org, etc., but you will be able to get an overall picture of competitors’ language settings and link building strategies. 

If your competitors are mastering multilingual SEO strategy, it is better to follow their example: it means that the strategy brings results.

Market Saturation

Do multilingual keyword research and make a list of target keywords that are performing best for your website now, translate them into potentially interesting content language, and estimate the number of queries and issuance. Now it’s important to understand how in-demand and oversaturated your niche is in different languages. 

Evaluate the quality of content from the top of SERPs, the number of ad placements, and the loading speed of the sites.

It is no less important to consider the number of external links from the top pages. Here again, Ahrefs will come to the rescue: the fewer external links the competitors’ pages have, the easier it will be to get to the top with search queries through publishing quality expert content on your own site. 

Have you already found an appropriate language and target country where your knowledge and experience are very lacking? Excellent, it is better to start with this. And you are lucky if users from that region are already coming to your site. From there, constant testing and analysis of the results will help you choose the right multilingual SEO direction.

Choosing a Good SEO Strategy for Creating a Multilingual Site

So, you like the idea and are ready to implement the change? At first glance, going international seems easy, but the process has many pitfalls. Here’s a step-by-step look at all the things you need to consider when creating your multilingual website. 

First, decide if you are going to create a separate site for each specific language or just add the same content versions to an existing site and content strategy. 

Depart from the top-level domain (TLD). If your site is .us, .fr, or any other tied to a specific country, it will be pretty tough to break out with it in search queries for multiple countries.

To achieve higher search volumes, make the TLD of your website universal – .com, .org, .net, or similar. Check it on the IANA: website: country code- generic.

What if the main version of your site uses one of the national top level domains?

If your TLD is tied to a country, choose one of the options: 

Option #1. Develop separate websites for each language version. This is the most complicated method but potentially the most effective one. Register domains with a different TLD for each country in which you plan to promote your brand (there is no need to change the name). Gradually start placing links to the new domains from the main website to convey their authority. In this case, the content for each site should be approached individually: do not automatically duplicate content and the entire body of information; choose only relevant copy that makes sense for the local audience.

Option #2. Create Subdomains. This option is better to use if your digital marketing strategy considers promoting in the same country but in multiple languages. It is not as radical as creating separate sites but still requires additional resources. Consider the separate semantic core and content on such subdomains different. Links to the main domain should be placed in the footer of the home page with the company data.

Here is the initial URL structure:

What if the current version of your site uses one of the generic top level domains?

If you are the lucky owner of a generic TLD, the following structure options will work for you:

Option 1. Subdirectories.

A simple approach for promotion and implementation. It involves the creation of separate categories within the main site. Of the disadvantages – the structure of the site can become quite cumbersome, and you don’t have as much freedom when creating content for multiple languages. The main perk of such a multilingual SEO strategy is that the link weight is transferred from the main page, and you can safely use the internal linking, which is easy to implement even for a novice webmaster. Just create a separate folder for each of the target languages, as is usually done for a blog or e-commerce store.

Option 2.Subdomains. If you plan to create more than 200 pages for each language, then register subdomains. 

Creating separate domains, in this case, is justified only if we are talking about a large company with lots of content for multilingual markets.

Per Country and Per Language Promotion

You can combine these approaches to promote different languages within a single country. For example, register the domain website.us and add subdirectories: website.us/en for English and website.us/es for Spanish. 

Such a multilingual SEO strategy will allow you to adapt content to the widest audience possible and provide a comfortable experience for native speakers. However, don’t forget about its labor-intensive nature: make sure it is feasible for your business.

Technical Optimization for a Multilingual Website

Once the multilingual SEO strategy and link structures are defined, you now need to befriend the site with the search engines’ robots. It is important that search algorithms clearly understand the users the site is intended for and how well it is linked to the rest of the content. Here’s a look at the basics; more details can be found in Google help.

Here is the basic technical checklist to make your site in multiple languages shine bright on Google and other search engines.

  • The Hreflang tag is a basic requirement; this is what Google uses for language targeting. You can generate the right country code with these free services.

  • Geolocation. Subdomains and subdirectories can be linked to the right locations through the Hreflang tag or settings in Google Webmaster Tools. It is also advisable to contact the developer to set up automatic targeting based on the IP of the user and their native language (based on browser setting info). 

  • Hosting location. This is the least important factor, but if you use separate versions of the site in multiple languages it is recommended to use hosts from the target countries of your promotion.

  • Sitemap. If you create subdomains or subdirectories, update the sitemap, and add all language versions to it.

Content for Multilingual Sites: Best Practices

A sound strategy and technical optimization is half the battle. The remaining half will depend on the quality of your multilingual content. Consider the main principles to focus on while preparing content in foreign languages. 

The worst thing you can do with the texts on your site for international audiences is to make them read like automatically translated content. The proper translation projects should be orchestrated as localization by qualified professionals whose native language and local culture belong to your site’s target audience.

If you have previously done keyword research for different countries, you probably realized that the same page, but in different regions, may vary drastically in search terms.

For example, Spaniards and Mexicans search and think in different ways despite the fact that they speak the same language. Check out the video created by our editor from Madrid – Estefania Velasco:

That’s why at Contenteam, we always work with native-speaking writers and editors when providing keyword research and creating texts for GEO-based organic search and multilingual content projects. Only native speakers are fully able to determine whether or not the material will work for the proper target audience marketing-wise. 

Pro Tip: If your marketing budget is strictly limited, you can have the landing page and blog content translated and sent to a native speaker for additional proofreading.

Remember, using the same text translation for various target GEOs is highly undesirable. The most cost-efficient way for website owners to generate more traffic from new regions is to create unique content and alternate URLs. This strategy will require more time and resources but will increase search volume performance through high-quality localization. 

Contenteam’s editorial crew has been writing brilliant texts in foreign languages for 8 years. We will be glad to assist you in creating a profound multilingual content project, whatever approach you choose to develop your business. 

Contact us today!

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]]> https://contenteam.com/multilingual-seo-practices/feed/ 0 Bulk Content Production From A to Z: How to Get the Most and Get It Right https://contenteam.com/bulk-content-production/ https://contenteam.com/bulk-content-production/#respond Wed, 11 May 2022 11:59:28 +0000 https://contenteam.com/?p=15029 Much ink has been spilled over the “quality over quantity” debate. But quality and quantity don’t have to be mutually

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Much ink has been spilled over the “quality over quantity” debate. But quality and quantity don’t have to be mutually exclusive in content marketing – in fact, you probably need both. Numerous case studies show that the quantity of content can be a clear predictor of web traffic growth. Meaning, the more you publish, the more traffic it drives. But the quality has to be there. 

The idea of bulk content production doesn’t have to turn into a trade-off between content quantity and quality. Whether you are an SEO specialist launching a new website with numerous content-rich pages, a marketer arranging a partner program to monetize your project, or anyone else looking for high volumes of content, we have your back. With a few tweaks, you can have the best of both worlds.

Companies want to double down on content production but don’t plan to increase the size of their marketing team. Who will do the writing then?

Out of 1,500 surveyed companies, 72% planned to increase their content marketing budget in 2022. However, 42% of these companies have only one to three content marketing specialists on their team, and 49% say it will stay the same. 

So, companies have the resources to produce content in bulk but no teams to handle the planned increased production. 

Source: The State of Content Marketing: 2022 Global Report

At Contenteam, we’ve managed many high-volume projects. And we want to share our experience and insights we’ve developed along the way – here is how to create in bulk!

 

Table of Contents

Characteristics of a Bulk Project

Without dragging out the introduction, let’s quickly identify what constitutes a bulk project. Of course, no two projects are the same, but most of them do have overlining characteristics: 

  • High volumes of content
  • Quick turnaround time
  • Consistent quality and tone 
  • Requires a team of writers
  • Usually produced with search optimization in mind

Bulk content production can take a number of forms, depending on what the client needs and their marketing strategy. Here are the most common categories of batch content: 

  • Blog articles
  • Location-specific web pages
  • Product or service descriptions 
  • Social media posts for multiple platforms
  • Newsletters

How to Write a Brief for Quality Content in Bulk

Copywriting services

With tens of thousands of words written per week, you need to make sure writers and editors have everything they need in the content brief. 

What should be included in the brief (+ a tip for each item): 

  • Client description – No matter how many articles there will be, each should tie back to the client and their strategy. 
  • Target audience – Make sure writers think about whether what they’re writing makes sense to the reader.
  • Content purpose – Educate/motivate/other? 
  • Buyers’ journey stage – Explain where the piece fits in the marketing funnel. 
  • Brand style and tone of voice – Formal/informal/assertive/humorous/etc.
  • Topic – Mention that the writer can change the suggested title and headings.
  • Word count – It’s okay if writers slightly go over or under the required volume. 
  • SEO keywords – Mention that keywords should be evenly spread across the article.
  • Article outline – To avoid misunderstandings, write a sentence or two explaining what you expect from each section. 
  • References – Add as many as you want and consider specifying what exactly you like in competing articles. 
  • Deadlines and milestones – Don’t make it the same day that you promised to the client. Take into account all subsequent steps (editors, experts, proofreaders)

Other recommendations: 

  • ​​Cluster key queries with as much detail and specifics as possible. This will help you avoid publishing different articles with the same collection of keywords – essentially, turning your website into its own competitor. 
  • Ask writers to write meta tags for the article (title + description). It’s important for copywriters to understand that they are writing not any type of text but content for a website. With this small move, you’ll engage them in on-page optimization.
  • Give guidelines for illustrations – Do you want them drawn from scratch? If not, how and where should the writer get them? What parts of the texts should be illustrated? 
  • Revise the brief and incorporate the edits. After you receive feedback for the first batches of texts, include new suggestions in the brief to avoid repetitive edits. 

Any divergences from the brief must first be discussed with the client. 

A Few Words on Plagiarism Checkers

When the client puts something along the lines of “write a unique text”, it doesn’t say much to the writer. What they mean is that they want an original article, based on the writer’s own research. But how do we measure it? Right, plagiarism checkers and percentages that both sides agree on in advance.

A content brief must contain a requirement for a percentage of unique content and specify the plagiarism checker the writer should use (ETXT, Copyscape, Content Watch, SmallSEOTools, Grammarly, etc.). Otherwise, there would be too much content to re-check and go into disputes over.

It’s not uncommon for writers to produce an original article, using no references or borrowing nothing from other articles, and still get a low uniqueness score. The opposite can also be true – the article can be weaved from different pieces of copied content and be considered unique. 

Solution: choose reliable checkers that produce consistent results (even if you run them in different countries, with a slow internet connection, etc.) and work with writing teams you can trust.

Dissecting Good and Bad Creative Briefs

Below are two examples of content briefs – good and bad, slightly trimmed. We won’t provide additional commentary, but don’t worry – you’ll see why you put these briefs in their corresponding categories.

How to Structure the Perfect Team

Let’s start with the line-up. 

  • Project manager (or editor-in-chief) – The link between the client and the team.
  • Writers – Choose the appropriate number of writers depending on the size of the project. But don’t go overboard – otherwise, your writers will be sitting about much work during a large-scale project.
  • Editors – Within one project, we have at least two editors for two separate tasks – for checking SEO requirements and for checking the content itself. 
  • Experts – To fact-check the text and minimize edit’s on the client’s end, which considering the volume, would just be overwhelming.
  • Proofreaders – To ensure there are no grammatical, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other errors.

Baseline requirements: accomplished, flexible, capable of honoring deadlines, good team players.

The choice of editors, experts, and proofreaders is generally the same, whether the work is voluminous or not. Of course, they should have a good track record (meaning, they won’t slow everyone else down) and be informed of the tighter deadlines for deliverables. It’s the writers who you should select most carefully because they’re the ones who can ultimately float or sink the content ship. 

For high-demanding batch tasks, it’s better to work with your trusted writers, who won’t need as much guidance as new additions to the team. Experienced writers allow you to increase the output – with each passing piece of writing, they learn to deliver more for less through contingent engagements.

If, however, you’ll need to expand the team to handle the workload, check their command of the target language, walk them through each item of the brief, explain the entire process and what’s expected of them, and introduce them into the bulk project through smaller tasks with longer deadlines. Sometimes, taking a chance on less experienced talent works out. But other times, they will let you down, so have your backup writer briefed and ready to take over.

Different Types of Content Writers and When to Use Them

A bulk content writing project calls for a lot of writers. But your main selection criteria should be whether the writer is fit for the assignment rather than whoever is free. 

Niche copywriters fill a specific role in the ecosystem – someone can be exceptionally skilled at writing how-to guides, and someone can be a master of storytelling and emotional marketing. And, of course, a writer with a background in a specific sector, let’s say, blockchain and fintech, will be more valuable in crypto projects. 

The point is not to pigeonhole your writers – just have a core team of your go-to people for different topics and types of content. Bulk writing can get monotonous, so the project manager should keep an eye on go-to writers. With time, they may run out of ideas to talk about the same things and compromise the quality of content. Consider pulling them out of their comfort zone and switching things up (i.e., assign tasks they don’t usually do). 

Unified Presentation and a Single Source of Truth

No two copywriters are exactly the same, which is both a good and a bad thing. The “bad thing” is getting a mishmash of different styles and techniques in a bulk project, which is supposed to create a unified brand experience. We have two solutions (which should be used in combination). 

Solution #1: Create a style guide

A detailed style guide can ensure all writers understand editorial guidelines, formatting specifications, and the idea behind the project. Have a set of standards to make the content look and feel unified. 

Solution #2: Make the project manager the “single source of truth”

A single source of truth is based on the idea of aggregating data from different sources into a single location. That single location should be the project manager. If anyone from the team has a question or concern, they will always have a direct line of contact with the person who holds the most information.

How to Streamline the Batch Content Creation Process

You may already have a general idea of content production stages just from the composition of the editorial team. And you would be right – before declaring any piece of content complete, it goes through the entire process of content creation, editing, and quality checks.

Managers are responsible for 70% of deviations in team engagement.

The team should have a specific team member responsible for monitoring each step – the project manager. This way, they will ensure bulk content production has good, consistent, and engaging results and minimize lags. 

The graph above only depicts one assignment for one author. When the work is voluminous in nature, the graph is multiplied and arranged in staggered rows. The SEO editor checks assignment A and sends it to the content editor, who is finishing up the edit for assignment B, in the meantime, the writer is working on assignment C, and the expert and the proofreader are also busy with their own tasks, and so on… Overall, everyone is occupied, and the production is organized with workloads and different time zones in mind.

Here are a few other ways we use to streamline content production:

  • The project manager should estimate how much time each stage will take. This is where their expertise comes in handy – they should set tighter deadlines for routine tasks and leave more time for creative assignments and research-based articles. 
  • Try to fit all editing checks within a day or two since they take the least amount of time. 
  • Set successive deadlines – e.g., one task for Monday, one for Wednesday, and one for Friday rather than all three for Friday. 
  • Notice when writers routinely submit tasks at night – they might burn out from working late.

Set a regular payment schedule for everyone on the team. Frequent compensation can help keep everyone motivated.

How to Prevent Duplicates (Both Intentional and Accidental)

Duplicates can be caused by:

  • Two writers working on the similar tasks who followed the same structure,
  • One writer unconsciously repeating their previous works,
  • One writer intentionally copying text to go through the batch faster, mong other situations. 

We won’t tell you how to deal with writers who submit substandard texts (because it should be decided on a case-by-case basis), but we will tell you how to spot duplicates – use bulk-cross comparison services. Here are the platforms we use:

According to Google Devs, if your site suffers from duplicate content issues, the algorithm will choose one version of the content to show in our search results. So, two texts before posting can be 90% unique but very similar. The search results will only show the first version you’ll post, while the other one will be as good as nothing.

How to Bulk Translate Content

Source: https://csa-research.com/Featured-Content/For-Global-Enterprises/Global-Growth/CRWB-Series/CRWB-B2C 

By bulk translating, we don’t mean machine translating all of your content. MT is not suitable for most translation circumstances and has yet to replace human translation. Yes, translating software produce lightning-speed results, but its faults lead to inaccuracy, misunderstanding, and sometimes even offense. A better alternative – expert localization services.

When you spend a lot of time producing original content, it would be a shame to miss out on traffic from other languages. First, assess where your traffic is coming from. If you see foreign traffic that is simply bouncing, focus on these languages first. If translating all of your content seems like a lot of work, send out high-priority sections rather than entire content trees for translation into one or more languages. 

The good thing about bulk translation is that you can overlap it with bulk content production. Just make sure not to overwhelm your proofreaders (remember the tips for setting deadlines). 

Is It Possible to Produce Multilingual Content in Bulk?

Yes, as long as you’re working with the right people!

Recently, we published a case study detailing how we managed to produce 2-3 articles in 4 languages per week. In short, we used all the tips and tricks from this article. The main difference was that we assembled four teams, one per language, but had one project manager overseeing all of them. And there you go – real-life proof that our recommendations work. 

Broadly speaking, we manage bulk writing in one language and bulk writing in different languages by following the same formula (obviously, adapting to your project’s specifics). If you want to see this formula in action, get in touch! Even if your publishing schedule seems like an impossible feat, let us assure you that high volumes of relevant, personalized content on a tight schedule is nothing Contenteam can’t handle. Need 100,000 per week? Let’s discuss!

Concluding Thoughts

Here is what we want you to remember about bulk content production:

  • The content brief should be clear, thorough, and regularly updated.
  • You’ll need at least three writers, one SEO editor, one content editor, one fact-checker, and one proofreader per project. 
  • Choose your go-to writers for specific types of content. 
  • Have a style guide to ensure the content follows a unified message and tone of voice. 
  • The project manager should monitor each stage of content creation.
  • No one in the team should sit idle at any given time.
  • The finished work should be cross-checked with other texts from the same assignment batch.
  • Choose expert localization over machine translation, even when handling high volumes of text. 
  • Multilingual content in bulk is just as manageable as bulk content in one language. 

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]]> https://contenteam.com/bulk-content-production/feed/ 0 How to Prepare the Company Website for Localization Process? https://contenteam.com/website-localization-process/ https://contenteam.com/website-localization-process/#respond Fri, 22 Apr 2022 08:54:45 +0000 https://contenteam.com/?p=14989 As a business expands into new markets, it’s important to localize its website content for those regions. Preparing the company

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As a business expands into new markets, it’s important to localize its website content for those regions. Preparing the company website for localization is a process that involves many steps, from translating and editing the content to making sure the layout and design are correct for each target market. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the key aspects of preparing a website for localization.

Table of Contents

What Is Website Localization?

Website localization is the process of adapting a website to a specific market or region. This typically involves translating the site’s content into the local language, as well as making any necessary cultural and social adjustments. Localization can also involve other elements, such as changing images, videos, and graphics to be more relevant to the local market.

Website localization is important for businesses that want to expand their reach and tap into new markets. It can help them better connect with local audiences and ultimately boost their bottom line.

There are a few things to keep in mind when embarking on a website localization project:

    • Choose the right target market or region. Not all markets are equally ripe for expansion and some may require more work than others.
    • It’s important to have a clear understanding of the local culture and customs. This will help you avoid any potential pitfalls and ensure that your site is culturally appropriate.
    • Partner with a reputable localization company that has experience translating websites. This will help ensure a high-quality translation that accurately reflects your brand.

 

Website localization is a complex process, but it can be extremely beneficial for businesses that want to reach new markets. By taking the time to understand the local culture and partnering with a reputable localization company, you can ensure a website localization project will be successful.

Why Do You Need To Prepare Your Website For Localization?

There are several reasons why you might need to prepare your website for localization.

First: If you’re planning on expanding your business into new markets, it’s important to make sure that your website is accessible to audiences in those markets. This typically involves translating the site’s content into the local language.

Second: Even if you’re not planning on expanding your business internationally, you may still need to localize your website if you want to appeal to a global audience. For example, if you have a website that targets English speakers in the United States, but you also want to attract visitors from other English-speaking countries, you’ll need to make sure that your site is accessible to them as well.

Third: You may need to localize your website if you have plans to change your target market or audience. For example, if you originally designed your website for a domestic audience but now want to target international users, you’ll need to make sure that your site is available in multiple languages.

Fourth: You may need to localize your website if you want to improve your search engine optimization (SEO). Localization can help you rank higher in search results for certain keywords, which can ultimately lead to more traffic and custom.

If any of these scenarios apply to you, then you’ll need to prepare your website for localization.

How To Prepare Your Website For Further Localization: Step-By-Step Plan

First thing first – choose the right target market or region. Not all markets are equally ripe for expansion, and some may require more work than others. Do your research and consider the potential return on investment (ROI) before making your decision.

Then you’ll need to have a clear understanding of the local culture and customs. This will help you avoid any potential pitfalls and ensure that your site is culturally relevant. Speak with locals, read books and articles about the culture and visit the region if possible.

Later on, you’ll need to find a reputable localization company to partner with. This will help ensure a high-quality translation that accurately reflects your brand. Get quotes from multiple companies and ask for references before making your decision.

If you want to be 100% sure that the localized text will be correctly perceived by your target audience, Contenteam is the best localization service solution for your company's website. We provide comprehensive translation, localization services from native speakers, and testing of the final version of the site. Your site will not just be translated and proofread but also carefully adapted to the current context and cultural specifics of your target market!

So, here is the point where we start translating your site’s content into the local language. This is usually done by creating a parallel version of the site using a different URL or subdomain. 

Here is the detailed localization roadmap:

1. Content translating, editing, and proofreading: This is perhaps the most obvious step in preparing a website for localization. All of the text on the site needs to be translated into the language(s) of the target market(s). In addition to translating the text, it’s also important to edit the content so that it makes sense in the context of the new culture (s). For example, certain words or phrases may have different connotations in different cultures, and it’s important to be aware of these differences when translating content.

2. Layout and design checking: Once the content has been translated and edited, it’s important to check the overall layout and design of the website. We make sure that all of the text is correctly formatted and that the overall look and feel of the site is appropriate for the target market(s).

3. Navigation review: Another important aspect of preparing a website for localization is to review the navigation. The navigation should be easy to understand and use, regardless of the user’s location. All of the links should be working correctly, and it should be easy to find the information that users are looking for.

4. Website testing: Once all of the above steps have been completed, it’s important to test the website to make sure everything is working correctly. This includes testing all of the links, navigation, and functionality of the site. It’s also a good idea to ask a native-speaking local focus group that is not familiar with the website to test it out to see if they can easily find what they’re looking for.

5. Website launching: Once everything has been tested and reviewed, the website is ready to be launched in the target market(s). It’s important to monitor the website after launch to make sure everything is working as it should and to address any issues that may arise.

By following these steps, you can prepare your website for localization and ensure a successful expansion into new markets.

What Are the Core Benefits of Website Localization?

Website localization can have a number of benefits for businesses, including, but not limited to:

Increasing international traffic and reach

Improving search engine optimization (SEO)

Enhancing the user experience (UX)

Boosting conversion rates for your website

How Much Does It Cost To Localize A Website?

The cost of website localization services can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the size of the site, the number of languages, and the complexity of the project. Generally speaking, businesses should expect to spend between $700 and $10,000 per language.

Website localization is an important investment for online businesses that want to expand their reach and appeal to a global audience. By taking the time to prepare your site and partner with a reputable localization company, you can ensure a successful expansion into new markets!

To Summarize

Website localization is a critical step for businesses that want to expand their reach and appeal to a global audience. When done correctly, it can have a number of benefits, including increased traffic, improved SEO, enhanced UX, and boosted conversion rates. Although the cost of website localization can vary depending on a number of factors, businesses should expect to spend between $700 and $10,000 per language. By taking the time to prepare your site and partner with a reputable localization company, you can ensure a successful expansion into new markets.

This is an important final step in order to solidify your website’s internationalization efforts. Proper website localization will take your site a long way towards becoming truly globalized and, ultimately, more successful.

FAQ

When is the best time to hire a website localization company?

The best time to hire a localization company is as soon as possible! The sooner you hire a company, the more time they will have to work on your site before launch. In other words, if you want something done right, you need to take the lead on it.

Before hiring any volunteers or going ahead with an in-house solution, make sure to do your research in order to avoid any potential errors. You don’t want to end up with an inaccurate translation that could reflect poorly on your brand.

How much does it cost to localize a website?

The cost of website localization can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the size of the site, the number of languages, and the complexity of the project. Projects in the IT, FinTech, and Crypto sectors are significantly more expensive in localization than sites from more general business areas. The final price depends on how many people will be involved in the localization process and whether additional niche experts will be needed. 

Is it worth it to localize my website?

Website localization is an important investment for businesses that want to expand their reach and appeal to a global audience. By taking the time to prepare your site and partner with a reputable localization company, you can ensure a successful expansion into new markets.

How can I find a reputable website localization company to partner with?

There are a few things to keep in mind when looking for a reputable website localization company:

– Make sure they have experience localizing websites in your industry.

– Ask for quotes from multiple companies and compare pricing.

– Check out online reviews to get an idea of their reputation.

– Ask for references from past clients.

– Make sure they offer a money-back satisfaction guarantee.

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As the gaming industry continues to grow and expand into new markets, the need for quality game localization services has never been greater. However, despite the obvious importance of localization, in recent years, there have been quite a number of high-profile flops. 

Localization failures occur due to a plethora of reasons. In some cases, they happen as a result of simple mistakes, miscalculations, or oversights. Other times, they are a consequence of rushed or inadequate localization efforts. 

In today’s article, we are going to explore the most egregious localization mistakes in video game history and talk a bit about censorship issues that cost the games’ marketers dearly.

Table of Contents

Candy Crush Saga

Mobile games are an area where localization mistakes can have a significant impact. In many cases, mobile games are released in multiple languages simultaneously, which can lead to errors and mistranslations. One high-profile example of this was the game “Candy Crush Saga,” which was released in 2012. 

The game contained numerous errors in its French localization, including incorrect grammar and misspellings. These errors led to a great deal of negative feedback from French players, and the game’s developers eventually had to release an updated version with corrected text.

Resident Evil 4

Another well-known example of game localization gone wrong was the 2005 release of Resident Evil 4. The game, originally released in Japan, had to be heavily rewritten for its Western release. 

Many of the changes made to the script were criticized for being inaccurate or unnecessarily violent. Furthermore, the game’s voice acting was widely panned, with many critics noting that the English voice actors sounded nothing like their Japanese counterparts. As a result of these issues, Resident Evil 4 is often considered to be one of the worst localization efforts in video game history.

The localized version of the game was rife with typos and mistranslations, which led to confusion and frustration among players.

Outlast 2

The 2017 release of Outlast 2 also received significant criticism for its localization errors. The game’s text was plagued with typos and grammatical errors, making it difficult to understand for many players. Furthermore, the game’s audio was often out of sync with the text, making it difficult to follow the story. 

The problem was compounded by a slew of grammatical and audio mistakes that resulted in a large number of negative comments from customers.

Max Payne 3

What are they saying in Max Payne 3? Part 1 – DuelScreens

The 2012 release of Max Payne 3 was another poor localization casualty. The game’s text was full of typos and grammatical errors, making it difficult to understand. In addition, the game’s audio was often out of sync with the text, making it difficult to follow the story.

These errors led to a significant amount of negative feedback from players, and the game’s developers eventually had to release an updated version with corrected text and audio.

Censorship Issues in the Video Game Industry

Along with localization, game censorship is a hot-button issue that has often led to controversy. The main goal of censorship is to protect minors from content that is deemed inappropriate or harmful, but the lines between what is and isn’t appropriate can often be quite blurry. In some cases, different countries have different views on what should and shouldn’t be censored. 

For example, while many European countries are more relaxed about nudity and sexual content in video games, countries like Saudi Arabia and China often have much stricter censorship laws. 

This can lead to conflicts between developers and publishers who may want to release a game with its original content intact, and local governments who may want to censor or change certain aspects of the game.

The Differences between Western-centric and Eastern-centric Design in Games

Apart from the localization and censorship aspects, there are a few key differences between Western-centric and Eastern-centric design in video games. One of the most notable differences is the focus on individualism in Western design versus the focus on community and cooperation in Eastern design. This In video games often manifests itself as a change in player interaction.

Western games often emphasize competition and individual achievement while Eastern games often emphasize teamwork and cooperation. Western games often have more detailed stories and well-developed characters, while Eastern games often have less of a story and focus more on gameplay.

How to Achieve Success in International Game Localization

If you’re a game developer or publisher planning to release a game on the international market, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of success.

  • First, make sure your game is properly localized for each region you plan to release it in. This includes not only translating the text and audio into the local language but also making sure the game is appropriate for the local culture.

  • Second, be aware of the different censorship laws in each country and make sure your game is in compliance with them.

  • Third, research the different gaming markets and try to tailor your game to appeal to each one.

  • And fourth, always be prepared to update your game based on the feedback you get from players.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of releasing a successful game on the international market.

Delegate Your Game Localization to Contenteam Native-Speaking Translators and Editors!

Localizing a game is a complex process that requires attention to detail and a deep understanding of the target market. It’s important to work with a localization partner who has experience in the gaming industry and can help you both: navigate the challenges of game localization and avoid any cultural pitfalls that cannot be grasped by the foreigner.

At Contenteam, we have a team of experienced native-speaking gaming localization experts who can help you launch your game in the US, UK, Spanish, Mexican, Portuguese, Italian, Brazilian, French, and Russian markets. Contact us today to learn more about our services or request a free quote!

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