Factors to Consider Before Launching a Website Overseas

Many companies are so focused on their local markets that they forget to pay attention to the international community. This is quite unfortunate when you consider the immense potential that lies in markets abroad. Companies stand to grow their turnover by investing in oversea markets in the right manner. Although most companies have websites today, these sites are written in English language only. This creates a problem in reaching markets where English is not the predominant language. The challenge is worsened by companies that do not bother to market their websites effectively.




Before you launch a website overseas, there are important points to note down to ensure success in the venture. They include:




Translation






Before you launch your website overseas, establish whether you require the services of a translation agency or not. What countries does your Company currently operate in and where can you find more numbers of clients online?




The need to translate a website to another language depends on diverse factors. First in line is the type of products or services on offer. Technical products and services can readily be sold in English. However, there must be a link to a jumper page which is translated in the native language. This will assist in indexing your website according to the local market search engine references.






If your website deals with off the shelf retail products, it becomes necessary to have all pages translated to the native language of the targeted country.




International Email Marketing








Aside from translating partial or full pages in your website, you must also use email marketing to promote your domain. According to a Netscape study, there are millions of people with access to the internet in their native languages. It is possible to access these potential clients using email marketing and online forums in the user’s native tongue. Ensure you have auto responders for customers who make inquiries or requests via email.




Logistics






Once you have established contact with potential clients overseas in their local dialects, how do you embark on the selling process? The logistics involved in International business can get tricky from this point on. This makes it necessary for you to prepare in advance for the entire transaction processes.




This includes correspondence with the potential clients in their lingua Franca (If they are not familiar with English), Handling of payments from abroad, Shipping and Delivery Procedures and after sale services. After sale support, especially for technical products might require interpreting services via live chat facilities.




Small and medium sized companies can find it intimidating to launch internationally optimized websites. Albeit this is a major investment for a company, it is well worth it in the long run. A translation service will come in handy for converting the web pages to other languages. Email marketing and promotion of the website as well as SEO services can be outsourced from independent contractors. Minor logistical issues can be taken care of by your internal IT Department.