To expand your business and reach new markets, you need to localize your content. Rewriting your text makes it more relevant to the people in those markets.
What is content localization?
Content localization is adapting the material on your website to a specific audience or market. It can involve translating the text into different languages, creating culturally relevant images and videos, and tailoring content to local customs and norms.
With the right content localization strategy, you can ensure that your message is received without cultural misunderstandings.
It can also be a powerful tool for building brand loyalty. It shows that you are willing to go the extra mile to connect with your global customer base.
If you want your prospective customers to understand your message from anywhere in the world, steer clear of these common pitfalls in content localization:
7 mistakes businesses make in content localization
1. Neglecting keyword research
Keyword research is essential if you want your localized content to be successful. It will help you identify the terms and phrases that potential customers in your target market use to search for products and services like yours. This information will make it easy to ensure your content is visible to your target audience.
2. Overlooking cultural differences
Culture plays a significant role in how people consume content. What might be acceptable in one culture could be offensive in another.
For example, specific colors can have different meanings in foreign cultures. Also, humor and puns are often lost in translation, and specific topics such as religion and politics may be taboo.
So when localizing your content, carefully research and remember the importance of transcreation. Make your content resonate with your audience by adapting it to your target market’s culture. It will help you connect better with your viewers and build a strong rapport.
3. Lacking a clear strategy
Businesses can waste time and resources on localization efforts that fail to produce results without a clear strategy. Avoid this with a well-planned approach before embarking on any content localization project.
In localizing your content, you first need to know why you’re doing it. Understand your target audience’s unique needs and preferences and what content will appeal to them. With this information, producing effective localized content will be more manageable.
4. Ignoring SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is just as crucial for localized content as for any other type of material. Businesses must ensure their localized content includes relevant keywords and is designed to appeal to search engines. Without considering local SEO, it will be difficult for people in your area to find your content online.
5. Disregarding transcreation
Transcreation involves ensuring that your content’s core message is preserved while making it relevant and relatable for a new audience. Failure to do this can lead to misunderstandings and even offend the very people you are trying to reach.
So when planning your next localized content marketing campaign, remember the importance of transcreation in making your content resonate with your target market.
6. Not hiring a professional translation service
While machine translation can be helpful, it should never be the sole localization method. Machine translation often produces inaccurate results, leading to frustration and confusion for the reader.
Trying to localize your content this way can save you money in the short term, but it’s not worth the risk. Suppose you’re not a native speaker of the language you’re translating. In that case, there’s a good chance that your content will contain errors that could damage your brand’s reputation.
It’s always best to work with professional translators or agencies offering content localization services for businesses like yours.
7. Failing to test localized content before publishing
While saving time and resources by skipping user testing may seem like a good idea, it can cost you more in the long run. Without testing, you run the risk of publishing content that is inaccurate or offensive to your target audience.
In some cases, such mistakes can even lead to legal problems. In addition, failing to test your content can give your competitors an advantage.
Take the time to ensure that your localized content is accurate and error-free. This way, your company will be seen as trustworthy and professional.
Localizing your content is essential to expand your business into new markets. However, it can be challenging to get it right.
With the right SEO support, you can avoid these traps in content localization. Search Leads can help you produce effective localized content for your business while setting it up for success. Contact Search Leads today.
