Internationalize Your Website 1 - Make Your Website Easy To Read For All Of Your Readers

Last Updated 17 August 2008

The majority of internet users world-wide are non-native English speakers. Even among native English speakers there is a wide variety of different vocabularies.

These visitors to your website may have more difficulty in reading English than you do.

First Steps To Website Internationalization

Your international visitors will probably not use the same every day vocabulary as you do. If a foreign visitor cannot understand your website easily he will not stay around long.

The question is whether your website is written for all of your international readers.

If your website is well targeted to your local domestic markets, the chances are it does not communicate well outside of that market. And even worse, it may even be pushing your international clients away.

There are things you can do to make your domestic website friendlier to everyone. This is called website internationalization.

You also have the option of creating a separate international website for all of your international visitors.

Easy To Read For Everyone

Here are ways for you to make your website easier to read for all of your international visitors:

Avoid Slang

Slang can be hard for others to understand. It can also be very localized within one country.

Be aware of the slang you use and avoid using it as much as possible on your website.

Avoid National Metaphors

National metaphors can stop all communication with international visitors. It advertises the cultural differences between you and your international visitor.

National sports metaphors are fairly common and very different in different countries. Try explaining your point in another way.

Explain National Holidays

If you mention national holidays, explain them clearly to others who may not celebrate the same holidays as you do.

If you have an up coming holiday approaching remind your readers so they are aware you will be unavailable at that time.

A short polite reminder may prevent foreign customers from wondering why you take so long to respond to them.

Be Open To Others

Some websites are too culturally specific. This is normal if you are targeting your local market. But if you also want to attract international sales your domestic targeted website might alienate your international visitors.

You basically have two options.

1. You can stay with your domestic website and do as much as you can to make it friendlier to your international clients.

2. You can create a totally separate international website for international audiences as a prior step towards creating individual localized websites.

If you stay with your domestic website simply be aware of how open you are to others.

An open attitude and willingness to do business with everyone can be felt throughout your websites if you make the effort. This is a real invitation to do business with others.

State Clearly What You Do

It is sometimes just a little bit harder for your international visitors to grasp what it is you actually do. The longer a visitor is unclear as to what your web site is about the more likely he will move on.

A clear, easy to understand explanation straight up front can be useful. Be sure to put it somewhere easy to see.

If you have any graphics, be sure they correspond to your activity. Don’t create any confusion in understanding your activity. Graphics do speak a thousand words. The wrong graphics can lead to confusion.

Help your international readers know where they are.

State Clearly What You Want Your Visitors To Do

This is often overlooked. Again, cross-cultural communication benefits greatly with clear communication.

What do you want your international visitors to do? Give them clear, easy to find, easy to see, easy to understand directions.

At the very least, something like:

“We appreciate all foreign business, if you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Please call us at this number, or email Cindy at this email address, and we will get back to you within 36 hours”.

The Right Internationalization For Your Website

Making your website easy to understand by all of your internet visitors is one of the first steps in internationalizing your web site.

If your website is targeting both domestic and international markets you need to find a balance in how you incorporate these points.

If your website is mainly targeting an international market, implement all of these points scrupulously.

An internationalized website will open your online business to more international clients.

And more international clients will lead you to move towards localizing your web site and developing into a truly international business. An internationalized website makes the transition to a localized website a lot easier, saving you time and money.


This article is part of a series to Internationalize Your Website. Here are the other articles in this series:

• 7 Easy Tips to Internationalize Your Website
• Internationalize Your Website 2 - Be Reachable By Phone To Everyone
• Internationalize Your Website 3 - Show The World Your Location
• Internationalize Your Website 4 - Create Clarity With A Consistent Vocabulary
• Internationalize Your Website 5 - Use The Right Order Forms For International Sales
• Internationalize Your Website 6 - Publish A Glossary For Clarity And Consistency
• Internationalize Your Website 7 - Welcome Your International Visitors