Website Globalization Session 5: Approaching the Market Session 5: Approaching the Market Session...

Website GlobalizationWebsite Globalization

Session 5: Approaching the Market Session 5:

Approaching the MarketSession 10a: Website Design

for a Global MarketplaceSession 3

Session 5: Approaching the Market

Session 5:Approaching the Market

Session 3:

Global Market Research

1

Dimitris Kloussiadis & Bob ErwinUniversity of Georgia, SBDC International Trade Center

Session 4: Costing & PricingSession 5:

Approaching the Market

This Export-U webinar has been prepared by the U.S. Export Assistance Center - Atlanta, in cooperation with the University of Georgia and its SBDC International Trade Center

Website Design for the Global marketplace

Website Globalization

Web Stats


Asia and Europe already have more

web users than the U.S.

Regional Web Users*Millions of Users


Every region has much greater undeveloped

potential than the U.S.

Web Penetration*% of Users


Overview

If you have a website, you already have global exposure…

Companies that want to capitalize on the extraordinary opportunities the web offers need to adapt to the international marketplace, a concept

known as…

…whether you want it or not!



Website GlobalizationA comprehensive strategy that fuses globalization

best practices with your specific branding and technology needs

Phased approach Simple enhancements Internationalization Localization

Translating your websiteProactive PromotionInternational eCommerce


Contact UsDon’t use [email protected]

International Sales – [email protected]

Better yet…create a separate page for International SalesProvide direct dial phone numbers in addition to domestic toll-free numberMake a note that domestic toll-free number functions only within the U.S.Use International Dial Code Format: +1(619)888-4567

Links that auto-open email often won’t work

Best practice – both online form and email option

mailto:[email protected]




Could probably omit

Contact Us


International Formats and Standards

Hiro Watanabe Trudi HechtC-207 1-19-25 Oude Gracht 621Ikki-Machi 1381 X2 WeespAizu-Wakatsu City The NetherlandsFukushima 765Japan

Address formats differ globally:Free text for postal codes – at least 12 digits

• Some countries don’t use, many combine letters and numbers

Allow for longer linesAllow for multiple last names & titlesAllow for any number of digits in phone numbersAlways include country and city field


Spell out dates to avoid confusion

U.S. convention is different than most other countries:

8/3/01 - Is this March or August?

Use: August 8, 2001

International Formats and Standards


Growth in many other languages is booming

Translating Your SiteTranslating Your Site

Is English Enough?


Better not to translate

than to do it poorly

English still language of

intl. business…for now

Not a simple process to

comprehensively translate

a website

Number 1 RecommendationEngage professionals that employ native speakers

of the target language!!!

Translating Your Site


Can Impact website design – Text expansion/shrinkage

Translated English 30-40% larger in some European languages, 30-50% smaller in Asian languages

The word “speed” in German = Geschwindigkeit

The word “speed”in Chinese = 馳


Translating Your Website


“¿Cuánto?” means “How much?”

Avoid Machine Translators

In Spanish, “Como” means “How.”In Spanish, “Mucho” means “Much.”

“¿Como mucho?” does not mean “How much?” ---

BUT……


It means, “I eat a lot.”


Need to be ready to do business in the language…



http://translate.google.com/translate_tools



Start small – Consider translated introduction page

No need to translate entire site immediately…


(Your Chinese intro page submitted to Google™ China)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Google_logo_cn.png


Where’s the link to English?



Much clearer link to translated content…



Be careful with dropdownsWhy isn’t Japan

translated?Best practice



Proactive Website Promotion

Session 5: Approaching the Market Session 5:

Approaching the MarketSession 10a: Website Design

for a Global MarketplaceSession 3



Session 3:


21



Approaching the MarketWebsite Design for the Global Marketplace

Promotion, Internationalization, and Localization


Search Engine Usage in Asia


Search Engine Usage in Russia


Search Engine Usage in Europe


Most popular search site in China

Most popular search site in S. Korea


How do search engines work?

Web Crawlers/Spiders – GoogleBotScour the internet, indexing websitesLook at all sorts of things like meta tags, link-backs, keyword frequency etc.

CONTENT IS KING!!!!

Goal is to get your site to show up as high in the rankings as possibleTo optimize your ranking, recommend expert guidance


Google Main Google Spain


Consider translated introduction page if comprehensive site translation not an

option

Content is the #1 factor in rankings


Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLD)

Country-specific domain names

www.yourcompany.fr (France)Review regulations prior to buying!

BenefitsHelps from an SEO perspectiveGood business practice if you’re targeting that specific countryProtects your brand

http://www.yourcompany.fr/

http://www.rwgusa.net/european_domains.htm

http://www.rwgusa.net/asian_domains.htm


How should you handle your domain structure?

Ideal: Separate site for each target country, using ccTLD

Website localization: www.google.cn (China)

Also good: Subfolders for each country/language

Most common approach: www.cisco.com/de

Also an option: Subdomains for each country

http://france.yourcompany.comNot as SEO friendly as other two options

http://www.google.cn/

http://www.cisco.com/de

http://france.yourcompany.com/


A Spider’s Eye View of the Page

http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/


Get listed in as many sources as possible…

Link-backs are very important factor in SEO!


#10 in Argentina

#1 in Brazil #10 in Mexico

#3 in China


Where are your inquiries coming from?

Web-tracking software lets you see

If you don’t already have web tracking software, get it!


Internationalization


The process of creating a culturally neutral website, that is easy to load and navigate, and that facilitates localization


Creating an internationalized site requires cultural, business and technical knowledgeInitially serves as your primary, global web siteMay be translated, but not designed for a specific target market (not Localized)Designed to facilitate localization while maintaining global website consistency

Strongly recommend engaging a professional!


Best Practice!

Consistency is key!


More High Level RecommendationsCarefully assess colors and images

Goal is to be culturally neutral

Make sure graphics are necessary to marketing the company and its productsIf you have multiple languages, make obvious near top of pageCritical information at top of page to limit scrolling down

Many other countries pay for the amount of time connected to the internet


Website Localization


Engaging professionals a mustRequires specific country expertise

Process of creating or enhancing a website for a specific countryGoes beyond translation to accommodate specific aspects of a particular culture

High-context vs. Low Context, Power-distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism

Country specific translation employed (Spain vs. Mexico)

Typically follows website internationalization


Objective: MAP Cultural Dimensions to UI Components


Best practice!

Again, consistency is key!


Proactive Website Promotion



Session 10a: Website Design for a Global MarketplaceSession 3



Session 3:


46



Approaching the MarketWebsite Design for the Global Marketplace

International eCommerce


Information Delivery SitesMost websites, particularly B2B

Three Types of eCommerce Sites….

eMarketplacesMarket-makers that bring buyers and sellers together

Transactional SitesElectronic storefronts – full “end-to-end” transactions


Enhancing Information Delivery SitesCurrency Converter


Enhancing Information Delivery SitesDetailed Quote Form


Enhancing Information Delivery SitesShopping Cart…without online checkout


Many shopping cart options support foreign currency, taxes etc.


Leverage Existing Online eMarketplaces


Payment Mechanisms

Credit CardsNot common in all countriesNeed to be cautious of chargebacks

Person-to-Person transfersPayPal, Google Checkout, WesternUnionGreat option, but may limit sales volume

PayPal = $10,000 per transaction

Traditional approachesWire transfer, letter of credit, etc.


THE END

Website Globalization Session 5: Approaching the Market Session 5: Approaching the Market Session...

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