Quick answers to…
Your Frequently Asked Questions
This is part of a series to answer the questions readers leave on my blog and business directory.
If you have a question you would like to have answered, related to international business development, cross-cultural marketing or international sales communication, simply leave a comment here below and I will get back to you.
Today’s question is:
How fast can you internationalize a website?
First, the short answer: It depends on two things:
- The extent to which you want to and can internationalize your website.
- How culturally specific your website is today.
Now, the long answer.
Let’s clarify a key point.
- What is an internationalized website?
On Get International Clients, I refer to two different types of websites:
Have a look at those links if you do not understand the difference.
Time To Go International
So, how fast can adapt your website for an international audience?
For an Internationalized Website, using your existing website, there are two options:
1 – A Few Days
It can take as little as a couple of days to have a small website “edited” to stop pushing away international visitors.
This involves:
- Smoothing over any strong culture-specific areas, and only when there are a few of them
- Reviewing content for clarity and consistency – simplifying the experience for everyone, domestic and international audiences alike
2 – A Few Weeks
It can take several weeks to do a comparative analysis between your domestic market and one primary foreign culture.
This involves:
- All of the steps above
- Identifying the appropriate cultural web tools and touches you can make
- Testing results on both your domestic website and your foreign markets
- Ongoing testing and tracking process as you develop your new markets
For an International Website -
Several Weeks To Several Months
It can take several weeks, and much longer, to create an International Website.
This involves:
- Creating a website, in some cases, from scratch
And, of course, the time you need depends on the:
- Complexity of the website you need
- Level of international business intelligence you have
- Scope of your project
- Place you start
However, given that most companies use their International Websites to develop the website templates they will use for planned Localized Websites, you also need to plan for additional strategy on how to create what will be your first international template. This involves extra coordination between all of the team involved.
Read More On Website Internationalization
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Website Internationalization Guide• How easy is it to set up an international website?Read about your international communication platform options. |
More To Plan Your International Business Development
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Guide 2 – Plan Your International Sales Road Map |
