Like many other small business owners I know who had translated their web sites I was hesitant to translate my corporate site into Spanish. It clearly involved a lot of work. Most of the key areas of my site have been moved over. I have also translated the latest posts. Preferably you can translate 100% of the site but in the case that you can’t do 100% at once here are some tips on how we prioritized what to translate first:
1. Most Visited Content
Take a look at your analytics software and see what content has been viewed the most or created the most interactions. Once you have determined what people wanted to read the most you can include these as top items to translate.
2. Updated & Fresh Content
If you look at a post and it has content that is not fresh or the situation has changed I would leave those posts as a last priority. Make sure you transfer content into the language a new audience of people wants to read about and look for. If you find content that can be updated go ahead and update both posts. If the updated content has relevance with your audience feel free to put it as a priority if not then leave it towards the end.
3. Key Services and products
Make sure you translate information on your key services and products. If you went through the trouble of translating your site you have to make sure these items get put on the top of the priority list. This will open the possibility of people searching for your products in the target language to find you.
4. What is Relevant to that Target Market
Take a good look at the content that might resonate with the possible visitors and community you are translating your corporate website for. Capturing their attention more often was the main reason why you decided to move your site over. It might be a good idea if you also move those items in your priority list.
Overall I really recommend that you move as much of your site as you can. If you are not sure you can handle translating 100%. Translating parts of the site, prioritizing your most relevant content, might not be a bad idea.
If you don’t have all your content translated make sure to explicitly explain to your customers where that the content has not been translated. Also set clear expectations to explain if the content will be translated and what else they should expect in the future on having more translated content.
Would you see any value in translating any of your online presence to a new audience like for example Spanish readers?
Interested in translating your website?
The benefits of creating a Spanish site mirroring my English corporate website has brought me some results already. I have been contacted by possible clients in Mexico that read some of the posts we wrote in Spanish and are interested in seeing how I can support some of their efforts remotely.