There are a few different ways you can ensure that your content is written in language that your site visitors understand. One is to talk to them, not at them. Another strategy that you can adopt for your web site is to offer content in the language your site visitors speak.
Talking to Your Visitors
When you are either creating your own content or having someone else write it for you, consider who your audience is. You want to give them the information they are looking for without having them get bogged down in a lot of jargon or technical terms. When you take the time to communicate to your site visitors in language that they find easy to understand, they are more likely to stay on your web site.
Making your site “sticky” is something that all owners need to keep in mind. Offering visitors quality information that they find easy to digest will help to keep the person who lands on your site there longer. To this end, you want to get a clear picture of the market you are targeting when you are developing your web content.
If your site is one that is geared toward professionals or is one a highly-technical topic, you still need to offer explanations for the terms you are using in your text. Don’t assume that everyone who finds you online is going to be at the same level of sophistication as far as knowledge of your topic is concerned. Some site owners deal with the issue of making sure that they are speaking their site visitors’ language by linking the text in a page of web content to a glossary of terms or to a page that provides more information about technical terms.
Linking your text pages is a good strategy for a couple of reasons. A site visitor who is already familiar with the terms used in your content can skip over the more detailed explanation and continue reading the page to get the information they need. If you adopt this strategy, you don’t need to feel tempted to “dumb down” your content.
The other reason why linking your web pages together is a good strategy is that it helps to keep your site visitors on your site. You always want to do whatever you can to keep your site sticky. If you are attracting site visitors with different levels of knowledge in your niche, you can offer content that they will find relevant, no matter what their level of sophistication is.
Offering Content in Different Languages
When you are thinking about speaking your site visitors’ language, you also have the option of posting content in languages other than English. With the Internet being so popular, it stands to reason that you will be getting hits from people who speak a language other than English. By offering your site visitors content in a language they feel comfortable in, you are catering to their needs. This strategy will make it more likely they will bookmark your site and come back to visit later.
Some web sites are set up so that the language corresponds to the location of the users’ IP address. This makes sense if all of the people who find you online are logging in from their homes (or home country) only. Given the fact that people are much more mobile than in the past, as a site owner you can’t assume that everyone who finds you will be able to speak the native language of the country where they are getting Internet access.
A better choice if you are going to offer your content in multiple languages is to do so by way of a pull-down menu that the visitor can use. They can choose to change the language they are seeing on screen if they wish. By offering choices, you are making your site more user-friendly. The site visitor is more likely to bookmark it to return to it later on.
Getting foreign language content for your web site doesn’t have to be a difficult process. A quality web content provider will offer this service to clients. You can choose to have original content written in the language of your choice, or ask that your existing web site content be translated for you.
How do you know which languages you should be adding to your web site? One strategy is to look at your site statistics to see where your visitors are located. That will give you some guidance as to what languages you should be considering including on your site. You also have the option of asking your site visitors about their preferences. Conducting a poll is a good way to get information about what your site visitors want.
As a site owner, you should be using different methods to figure out how to offer your site visitors more information and more value. Your site visitors will appreciate the effort you are making to keep track of what they need and they are more likely to visit often.
Making a point of offering content in your site visitors’ language is one way that you can keep your site relevant to the people who are landing on it. By offering content in languages other than English, you are also able to tap into a larger online market than limiting your content to a single language only. Make a point of speaking your site visitors language and you will see your traffic and sales increase as a result.
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