3 Fundamentals of Scaling Globally with Localization

Successful global companies have a well-kept secret weapon when it comes to scaling to reach international audiences — localization. Beyond building a global business roadmap, a key aspect of on-the-ground implementation for your international strategy is leveraging translation and localization to truly connect with your respective target markets on a local scale that drives deeper connection and more sales.

In addition to quality translated content, successful localization also requires properly researching target markets, optimizing for international SEO, and setting up the technical aspects of globalization. In this post, we break down three key fundamental aspects of identifying new international markets to scale globally with localization. For each, we’ll break down the fundamental and the respective action your business can take to move forward in executing your global scale initiatives.

1. Understanding Your Top-Performing Global Markets

The Fundamental: Global scale requires fundamental elements beyond proper quality translation of content. Equally as important is selecting exactly which markets into which to localize. Begin by building a list of priority markets, derived from a substantial understanding of your global strategy and thorough research on your international traffic.

The Action: Conduct due diligence on top-performing markets and keywords by utilizing resources such as Google Analytics and SEO tools. To start, take a closer look at exactly which markets beyond your main are slowly but surely driving traffic. With this, you can build an educated approach to which markets to localize into and which channels to localize with. Then, take a deeper dive into the specific regions and pages that appear to be driving the most interest and site visits.

2. Optimizing Your International Search Rankings

The Fundamental: After evaluating exactly which markets to invest in localization and global scale efforts, a key subsequent consideration is to understand the power of natural search rankings in your respective markets. To account for this, start by doing research on the top local search engines that may be vital channels beyond Google.

The Action: Develop and leverage international SEO insights to help you drive more effective, targeted localization content creation efforts. Before localizing your content, research the dominant search engines for each target market and utilize best practices for international SEO optimization — such as these 3 Ways to Build an International URL Structure. Then as you localize your content, use these insights to guide which keywords you use to best surface your localized content up in your selected markets.

3. Resonating with Your International Audiences

The Fundamental: When localizing into new market, a vital consideration is also using local lingo and phrasing to signal to your audience that not only have a global presence, but that you also understand and respect their local culture.  This is a big enough challenge to tackle when trying to build messaging that resonates with your main market, and it becomes even bigger when trying to capture the attention of foreign markets. Keep this in mind as you move forward with your strategy, and take the necessary steps to build quality, authentic content that resonates with your international audience.

 The Action: After building a foundational understanding of which markets to localize into, build authentic content that resonates on a local human level by incorporating top keywords and phrases that will resonate most with your respective local audiences. To do this, follow up with research on the languages spoken within each region, and even more specific research on the top-performing local content in your industry and which local phrases and colloquialisms they are using to speak to and reach your international audiences.

Start Scaling Globally with Localization

Together, these three fundamentals will help you gain a deeper understanding of your global audiences to guide you in more effectively investing in localization efforts that will scale your global audiences.

Now, do you have your markets selected and ready to start scaling globally? Sign up for a free 15-day trial of Transifex to start localizing your content today.