What is a multilingual website?
Multilingual website is a website which caters customers of different locations in their local language. Which means it provides information in more than one languages.
You will find many big businesses serving content to people in their local languages. You will also notice the website hosted with same domain provides content in different languages. Common examples are news and media websites or educational websites.
These websites target customers globally or nationally in a country like India. So they have to serve people speaking different languages. This helps them reach more people and make it convenient for them to access the information.
In some scenarios you may not need to make complete website a multilingual one. You may need some sections of your website in more than one language. You may find some multilingual websites which just have their blog posts written in more than one language.
Benefits of multilingual website
There is no limit to where a website can reach. When you make your website in multiple languages it extends your business reach. It helps you enter new markets which your business has never explored. It helps you target customers of different locations which you haven’t considered at all.
It adds credibility to your business as a global brand.
Builds trust. You give a personal touch by serving content in local languages to your target customers. It shows you care about your customers. Your website visitors feel more secure when they are on a website with information in their own language.
Increase in customer base. Internet is not just about English language now. If you want to make a customer base in countries like China, Japan, Germany, Italy etc then you must have a multilingual website.
Top 10 languages used on Internet these days:
Cost effective. Translation of your website can be automated. It serves as an effective marketing tool for your business at a very low cost of promoting your business in different languages.
Removes cultural barriers. Multilingual websites with right colors can help you make a connection with your customers over cultural barriers.
Beats your competition. If your competitors do not have a multilingual website then you can reap the benefits of an early bird. It gives you an edge over them. If they already have one then you can compete with them in more than one language.
SEO Benefits. If you provide quality content in multiple languages for different geographical locations then your website gets traffic from those locations which helps improve your search engine rankings.
When to upgrade to a multilingual website?
If your business can serve beyond your local market then it is time to go for a multilingual website.
If you find in Google analytics that you have visitors on your website from locations where majority speaks language other than English. Then it is a good idea to serve content in multiple languages.
If your competitors already have multilingual website then you must do it too and as soon as possible.
When you want to become a global brand. It is always good to target customers in their local language.
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