best practices for creating your global website
DESCRIPTION
This presentation takes you through the external and internal best practices for your global website. External best practices are those that affect the user experience. Internal best practices are those that affect you and the people who have to maintain the sites.TRANSCRIPT
Best Practices for Creating Your Global Website
Val SwisherFounder & CEO
© 2014. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
First…A Definition
A global content strategy is a structure for managing all of your content that is consumed by people who speak or read languages other than the source.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Why Do You Care?
1. Save money localizing and translating content
2. Improve content quality in all languages
3. Save time localizing and translating content
4. Someone told you that you need to figure out this mess (see 1-3, above)
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Best Practice Categories
There are two types of best practices:
External
Internal
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External Best Practices
Affect the user experience
Navigation
Ease of use
Cultural sensitivities
Branding
Excellent resource for best practice information:“Web Globalization Report Card,” by John Yunker www.bytelevel.com
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Where Is The Welcome Mat?
Splash global gateway
Button on the homepage
Button buried deep within the site that no one can find
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© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Global Access “Sweet Spot”
If you are not going to have a splash global gateway, the next best choice is to use a simple button.
Upper right corner of the screen is the best place for it.
Keeping it in the same place for each language is a good idea, too.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Global Gateway Best Practices
Use a global gateway splash page, if possible
Display region or country names in the native language
Flag language
Use the global button sweet spot
Avoid lengthy drop-downs
Put the button in the same place
Be careful when emphasizing certain locations over others
Don’t hide the button
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Where Oh Where Are My Global Sites?
Don’t make navigation harder than you need to
There are some companies who choose to hide their global sites
You need to hunt for them. Carefully.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Navigating Within A Global Site
Make it easy for people to find what they need, in the language they need it in, on the device they want to use.
Think like a customer when you lay out your global navigation.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Don’t Forget The Branding
Unless your brand is iconic, make sure you feature it on all of your language sites
That’s how iconic brands got to be that way
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© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cultural Sensitivity
Eliminate what is offensive
Include what is specific to the region
Pay attention to what you do and don’t translate
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Avoid Offensive and Unrecognizable Images
Hand gestures
Images
Symbols
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© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Expectations
Layout of pages
Specific items of celebration• Awards
• Campaigns
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© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Recap - External Best Practices
Affect the user experience
Navigation
Ease of use
Cultural sensitivities
Branding
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Internal Best Practices
Know when to translate, when to localize, and when to transcreate
Reuse content wherever possible eep text out of graphics Be consistent Use multilingual keywords Collaborate
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Methods Of Handling Global Content
Translation Localization Transcreation
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Literal word-for word translation of everything
-
The meaning stays the same
Different content developed to meet business objectives
The content stays the same
Language Translate the meaning of the words in a way that is culturally appropriate
Developed in local language; English may be used as part of the brand vocabulary
Images No change Change to fit local expectations / product needs
Change to fit local expectations / product needs
Layout No change Minimize changes Change to fit local expectations
BrandVocabulary
No change No change Enhance and expand
Translation Localization Transcreation
Methods Of Handling Global Content
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Reuse Content
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Text Within Graphics
Not picked up by free translation engines such as Google translate or Microsoft translate
Not picked up by optimization engines such as Acrolinx
Separate process to translate Not searchable
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© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Choose Consistency
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Language And Search
Site must be searchable in native language Even if site “returns” to English, maintain native
language search terms More on this when we discuss content auditing
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Recap - Internal Best Practices
Know when to translate, when to localize, and when to transcreate
Reuse content wherever possible eep text out of graphics Be consistent Use multilingual keywords Collaborate
© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.
Best Practices Exercise
Evaluate Walmart for global best practices
Ranked #1 on the Fortune 500 for 2013 Presence in 27 countries More than 6,000 international stores Almost 1 million employees outside of the U.S.
So let’s look at their global online presence.
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Best Practices Exercise
Evaluate Walmart’s global gateway using this list of best practices:
Access
Ease of use
Cultural elements
Branding
Reuse
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How Long Does It Take You To:
Navigate to the Walmart site for Chile?Navigate to the Walmart site for India?
Note your observations to share with the class.
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