As 2012 quickly approaches, many business owners are asking themselves: How am I going to improve my website for the New Year? Improving the details of a current website is extremely important, but as a company owner you likely want your website to be unique. You want something new. You want something that will give your competition a run for its money.
One thing that many company websites have yet to explore is the idea of foreign languages. Although many websites are working hard to generate quality content and grab that number one spot on a Google search results page, many have ignored the possibility of foreign language options on their blog and/or website. This means, then, that this just may be the ticket to everything you hoped for in 2012.
If you are new to the blogging scene or are just starting a small business, it is probably best to learn the ins and outs of the industry before worrying about translation services. However, offering a blog in another language is actually quite simple. If you feel your company has a large presence of non-native English speakers, or your business is well-established and ready for something new, translating a blog is something to consider. Consider a few of the benefits to offering foreign language translations:
5 Benefits to Translating Your Blog into a Foreign Language
1. More people will be reading your content.
Although English is the most used language on the Internet (at 536.6 million users to be exact), many business owners do not realize that many English speakers speak English as a second language. If you allow readers to translate your website to their native tongue, chances are they would return over and over again for convenience. Things can be understood the best in someone’s native language, so you will also avoid any misunderstandings if you give your readers this option.
Furthermore, there are of course people using the Internet who do not speak English. If you allow them to translate your blog easily on your webpage, you will suddenly capture the eyes and ears of all the non-native English speakers around the world.
2. You will be able to rank higher on non-English search engines.
There is significantly less competition to get a website ranked on a search engine in a language other than English. This is, of course, because English is the most widely used language on the Internet; therefore there is more competition. With less competition, those who don’t speak English will be able to find your website easily; thus driving traffic to your site.
3. You will gain new viewpoints about your website and/or blog.
Most websites have a space for visitor feedback and suggestions. Making your content available to a wider group of people will allow for more opinions. This will allow for your website to continue to improve and grow. Furthermore, people who speak different languages and are a part of different cultures may come up with ideas that never would have crossed your mind. If the comments come to you in a different language, simply copy and paste them into Google Translate (although you will be surprised how many will actually comment in English!).
4. Duplicate Content Doesn’t Count Across Languages
You will not need to write special articles in order to get them ranked on a non-English search engine. Duplicate content doesn’t apply across languages, so you will have nothing to worry about from this angle.
5. It’s easy to setup and completely free.
In order to get your website/blog started in another language, you have to download a translation service. One of the easiest and most popular services is Google Translate. All you have to do is copy and paste this code into a Text Widget on WordPress. Once completed, your blog will have a nice drop down menu that allows readers to select a language. Most services offer more than one language (Google Translate offers 52) so you can reach a large number of people. It’s as simple as that!
The whole point of a website is to offer information and advice, so why wouldn’t you want to share that expertise with as many people as possible? Utilizing translation services is something many companies are missing, yet it is so simple to complete. If you’re ready for an improvement on your website, I highly recommend taking a few minutes and setting up Google Translate.