Developing a Successful Multilingual Website

Posted on March 2, 2010 in Website Design & Usability

Multilingual websites are a hot topic for businesses that are competing in the global marketplace. Sadly, a lot of business owners and managers are misled into thinking that multilingual marketing is merely a translation of their current website/marketing message into a new language. This is a very costly mistake.

Here are some points for you consider in order to prevent your multilingual website from going down the international disaster alley.

Analytics Before Action

Selecting a new language based on a gut feeling is always a bad idea. It is crucial to analyze the data from your website and specifically look at your international visitors: break it down by languages, countries, cities and bounce rates. These should be good indicators of what international audiences are interested in your product or service.

Test the Waters

Launching a product or service in a new country is very exciting. But before you jump into an international market, there are ways of testing your messaging. Using a few multilingual landing pages in conjunction with a pay per click campaign is a good way to test the waters. It’s best to conduct a small test and be wrong quickly, rather than bet the house on costly translation and marketing that might not work out for your business in the long term.

Kill the Translation Software

Using word-for-word translators, automatic translators or translation software simply kills your multilingual campaign. Not only that, it will also damage your brand image. Your content might even end up on a blunder list like this one.

In fact, if your multilingual messaging, content and tone are not being provided by a native speaker of the language, you will never win. It’s simply impossible to translate content without keeping in mind the context in which it is going to be delivered. Native speakers are the backbone of a well-executed multilingual marketing campaign. You need to make sure that someone who “sorta” knows the language is not delivering your multilingual services.

Look Beyond Content

Translating just the content on your website (worst case, just translating one page on your website) does not welcome international users. Look at the broader picture. Translate the navigation, as well as all functionalities and features multilingual users will want to use. Make them feel at home on your site.

Understand the Culture

Many businesses just do a full translation of their English website and call it a day. The true winners in the multilingual game always do research to understand cultural considerations for their target audience. Developing an online experience (images, colors, lingo, etc.) that is culturally relevant to your target audience is going to deliver the best return on your website investment.

Provide Easy Access

All the effort put into multilingual marketing can be lost if the target users cannot access the website you made for them. Always provide prominent access by having either a text link (in the native language) or a flag in the top right corner of your website.

Implement a Dedicated URL Strategy

Once the top languages have been hand picked, native translation has been done, and your foreign language websites are ready to go live, you’ll have to make some choices about domain selection and URL structure.

Example: You translated www.snoopy.com into German. You can go with one of the following options:

Create a subdirectory: www.snoopy.com/german

Create a subdomain: german.snoopy.com

Buy a New Top-Level Domain: www.snoopy.de

Any of the above will work. If search engine optimization is a top priority for you, then having a country-specific Top Level Domain is the way to go. If you pick any of the other options, just remember to be consistent. Consistency in URL structure goes a long way.

Bring Your Checkbook

If you are embarking on a multilingual campaign, please be aware that a substantial investment is required. Anyone hawking you “cheap multilingual services” is a fraud. There is no cheap way to do this right. The only way for people to bring the costs down is to use word translators, which are the cancer of the multilingual marketing business.

Don’t Wait

Expanding your business into multilingual markets is a great idea. We live in a globalized economy, where it’s very safe to assume that non-English speakers are willing and able to buy products and services in the international marketplace. Following the points above will help you do things the right way and spend your investment wisely.

Evisionary’s Top 10 Posts in 2009: Did You Catch Them All?

Posted on December 27, 2009 in Analytics, Hospitality & Travel, Online Branding, Search Engine News, Search Marketing, Website Design & Usability

With 2009 coming to an end, it’s a good time to round up the top 10 posts of the year. Here are the posts that were most read, discussed, and emailed in ’09:

We plan to send some awesome content your way in 2010, so stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

Content Management Systems: Does Your Website Really Need One?

Posted on December 3, 2009 in Website Design & Usability

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Content management systems (CMS) have been soaring in popularity over the past few years, and website design companies are eager to push it to their clients. Sometimes it’s the business owners and managers who feel they have to have a CMS with their new website. But a CMS is not always necessary, nor is it always the best solution.

What Can a Content Management System Do for You?

There are pluses and minuses to having a content management system on your site. Here are the positives.

Full Control

You have full control of your website 24/7. You are never at the mercy of your design firm or someone who is technical to make website changes. If you can use email and a word processor (MS Word, Google Docs, etc), you can change the content on your website.

Flexibility

Your website can be changed from any computer. Most content management systems have a web-based interface that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. All you need is internet access and you are in control. Imagine having the power to change content from the beach on your vacation! (I don’t recommend doing that during your holiday… but you get the point.)

Multiple-Level Access

Sophisticated content management systems let you assign different levels of access to different departments in the organization. This is particularly helpful for a big business in which several different departments work together on creating content.

Content Version Control & Safety

Multiple developers on a website can sometimes overwrite content causing extra work and tremendous stress. Most Content Management Systems include revision control to prevent this problem. Also, if you website ever needs to be rolled back to an earlier version, with a decent Content Management System it’s easy to do this.

Overall Ease of Content Management

Adding new pages, changing current pages, and even removing pages is easy. You are never at the mercy of developers to make these changes to the website, and the content can be managed at multiple points by multiple teams.

What Problems Can a CMS Cause?

All that sounds great. But make sure you know about the following negatives before making your decision to spend more for a CMS.

Security Threat

Anytime you decide to add a CMS to your website, you are making it more vulnerable to online threats. Anyone with access to the CMS can login, and sometimes even save the login information on a public/shared computer. This can lead to situations where the wrong type of people can wreck your entire website with a few clicks.

Bulks Up the Website

CMS system adds a lot of bulk code to a website. Think of it like an big overcoat you put over an otherwise skinny website. This excess code can lead to several problems at a later stage, especially when it comes to troubleshooting problems. In addition, a simple CSS website will always load faster than a CMS website.

Search Engine Optimization Challenges

A CMS can introduce search engine optimization challenges such as:

Complicated URLs: URLs with wildcards( !@#$%^&) are not preferred by search engines. Make sure you have the ability to customize them to match your SEO strategy.
No Access to Meta Tags: Sometimes CMS’s are entirely missing this option. Meta tags need to be used and refreshed periodically to keep up with website SEO targets.
Duplicate Content Issues: Search engines don’t like duplicated content. Because a CMS has so many access points (for design files and content), version control can be a problem.
301 Redirect Barriers: Redirecting non-existent pages can be a big hassle with CMS systems. So can properly implementing Robots.txt.

Design Inflexibility

CMS-based websites cannot be design- and functionality-heavy. A CMS website must rely on templated pages, where content fits within designated areas accessible by users. Designers have to work within this framework when they are designing (or redesigning) the home and internal pages of your website. You can almost spot templated CMS websites. On the other hand, static CSS websites (without CMS) give designers the freedom to be creative with their design. Properly done coding is clean and uncluttered, making subsequent revisions to the layout much easier.

Cost, Maintenance and Troubleshooting

CMS websites cost more than static websites, as all the extra coding has to be paid for. Additional billable hours are also required for template design, site testing, browser compatibility, etc. Then it takes time to train your staff on using a CMS properly so that they don’t wreck the look of your website.

CMS programs, like any code, will need updates, maintenance and troubleshooting. The cost of maintaining a CMS can sometimes end up being more than the cost of a website redesign.

In conclusion, any investment made in a CMS should be carefully thought out. Buying something that sounds like a no-brainer at the time of purchase can end up being a real drain on your resources a year down the line. Content management systems are a blessing when used the right way, but can also be a curse if you get it for all the wrong reasons. As a broad rule, I’d say that if you only make changes to your website once a month and have a website under 50 pages, a CMS may not be right for you.

Reasons Not to Have Your Website Designed in Flash

Posted on November 22, 2009 in , Website Design & Usability

noflash I have been asked to comment on this topic on many different occasions by many different sets of people (managers, owners, students, and conference/lecture attendees). Here is my list of reasons for not using Flash to build out your website.

Bad for Search Engines and Rankings

Although Flash websites are now starting to be indexed by Google, Flash can never match the superior ease of use that HTML tags have to offer. Search engine robots love simple websites, as it saves them time and energy. (Remember: Google pays the electric bill for sending bots to your sites, so efficient, quick-to-read sites are always better for them.) In fact, Google has just announced that they will consider website load time (the time it takes for a website to load up) as one of the factors for ranking in 2010.

I know that some designers say they can design “highly efficient” websites in Flash. But at the end of the day, there is no match for a simple HTML website.

Sets You Up for Mobile Failure

Smartphones like iPhone, Blackberry and Droid are surging in both popularity and usage. But here’s your moment of Zen: Mobile web browsers not only have no Flash support, but it’s almost impossible to pull up your Flash website on a Smartphone due to the lack of bandwidth signal and processing power. (It’s a phone, not a supercomputer!) There’s no point investing in a flashy websites if it is not available to your mobile audience. You’ll have to shell out extra money for a mobile version of your site; until you do that, you’ll be alienating your savvy mobile web users.

Not Good for the Planet!

I like to use the phrase “green browsing” to describe someone who is surfing the web efficiently by consuming less power, internet bandwidth and time. Flash websites take longer to load and really stress your computer’s CPU, making it consume more electricity and bandwidth. Some informal studies have shown that we can conserve electricity by not enabling Flash on our browsers. Even if you are not a die-hard environmentalist, it’s something to consider. While browsing Flash websites, you are consuming more power, Internet bandwidth, and more of your time! Now think of the time wasted globally while people everywhere wait for Flash-heavy websites to load….oh, the humanity!

Usability Disaster!

Poorly designed Flash websites (of which there are way too many) are missing some basic usability elements. These issues can really annoy your website visitors. Here are some top ones:

One URL. If the entire website is one URL, it’s impossible to bookmark or track with analytics.
Back button missing. Always makes for a bad web browsing experience.
Fixed fonts. This means users cannot adjust fonts, which is especially bad for visually challenged visitors.
Too edgy. Reinventing everything can alienate traditional users.
Long loading time. Cannot be streamed like a video, so users have to wait for the load (or give up and leave).

The Horror of Splash and Intro Pages

Flash is the reason we all have to endure the horror of splash and intro pages on websites. The amount of time the world has spent locating and then clicking the “skip intro” button should be documented for posterity. And for those geniuses who want to offer a Flash and non-Flash version of your website: please be aware that the longer you take to deliver your content to the web user, the more chance you have of losing their attention. I hope that someday “Flash Intro” pages end up in the internet museum of bad ideas.

Makes Content Consumption and Sharing a Challenge

A Flash website makes it harder for users to share and consume your content. Simple things like copy-and-paste, or changing fonts & sizes do not work. Right click, screen readers for disabled users, and keyword shortcuts are all useless on Flash websites. Content should be something you are eager to share with your website visitors. Don’t make it impossible for a visitor to paste your address into Google maps or copy good content and send it to another potential customer.

I hope that the points I’ve outlined above will encourage my readers to go out and seek simpler, less flashy websites. I encourage all of you to put emphasis on the content. That’s what your visitors are looking for.

Top 10 Website Design and Usability Elements

Posted on November 12, 2009 in Website Design & Usability

top10

Do you have these essentials on your website? No matter how small or large your website is, these basic design and usability features should never be overlooked.

1. Prominent Logo

Make your logo prominent on every page of your website, and make sure it always links back to the home page. Skipping this step is a usability annoyance. We are all creatures of habit. I’m always disappointed when the logo on an internal page doesn’t link back to the home page. Think of it as a Help! button for site visitors who want to get their bearings or a fresh start.

2. Site Search

This is a must-have for large websites. WordPress and Google both have great site search features that easily can be integrated into any website. This especially appeals to the growing number of people hooked on “Google” style web browsing, who ignore the website navigation and type in the product they are looking for. Site search data also is a gold mine of information that you can use to improve the website by seeing what people want and making sure they can find it.

3. Descriptive Headlines

Don’t make visitors read 4-5 lines before you tell them what the page is about. You have less than 4 seconds to impress a visitor, so make a strong case right away. (It’s also a good idea to optimize these headers, so Google also knows what your page is about.)

4. Manageable Read Line

Make content easy to read, and easy to scan. Don’t run it all the way across the screen or use all caps – both of these methods make it difficult for our eyes to pick up phrases quickly. Making your content easy to read is a sure way to increase user engagement as well as your overall conversion rate.

5. Phone Number

No matter what the end goal is on your website (sales, information, products, charity), you MUST provide a working phone number on every page. Home and Contact pages in particular should never be missing a phone number. Also, always check the accuracy the phone number. True story: One hotel website I reviewed was prominently displaying a 1-800 number for a phone sex line on their home page! Shocker.

6. Nice Photos

Right after content, website photos will make or break a website. This is especially crucial for all websites that are selling products (e-commerce) or experiences (hotels, spas, travel). Visual appeal of the website is greatly increased by good photography. Cheap stock photography that does not match the purpose of the website annoys and alienates visitors. My own personal pet peeve? The photo of a phone operator with a headset on. Does anyone really think she’s answering their call?

7. New Colors for Visited Links

This is a usability must that is often sacrificed in the name of design. Once a link has been clicked on, it should change color so that website visitors will know which pages they have already viewed. Make browsing efficient and remove frustration and confusion to increase the possibility of more pages being read on your website.

8. Links Opening in Same Windows

This is a simple thing to look out for and update on your current website. Once upon a time, search engine marketing and usability “experts” wanted people to spend more time on your website. The hack solution was to have outgoing links to other websites open in new browser windows so that the original window stayed open longer. This turns out to be a bad idea for the simple reason that this step also disables the “Back” button, making it hard for people to get back where they started.

9. Title Tags

DO NOT SKIP THESE! Title tags are extremely important! Ex: Don’t let your home page title tag say “Home.” This is one of the easiest and most important ways to give your search engine rankings boost. Add a descriptive and keyword-rich title tag that includes your company name and/or the product or service being discussed on the page.

10. No Music

Adding music to the site a bad idea. Why putting music on your website is a bad idea.

Clean, simple websites with great content almost never fail on the web. Follow the basic tips above to make your website, and the internet, a better place.

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