Building a Global Web Strategy: Best Practices for Developing your International Online Brand

Recent research proves a solid Web globalization strategy is vital to the success of companies generating revenue in global markets:

• Fourteen of the top 25 U.S. Web properties attract more visitors from outside the U.S. than within.
• English represents well less than the majority of languages spoken on the Web.
• Buyers prefer to interact with your global Web site in their own language.

Projecting a globally viable, coherent brand on the Web, and conducting business through your Web site in multiple languages, however, is not a trivial proposition. It requires a deliberate focus on four key elements:

• Strategy
• User Experience
• Content
• Technology

As you expand further and faster into global markets, you must adapt your Web presence to target key populations in their native languages. The shift to a truly global audience compels companies to adopt a Web globalization strategy that conveys information in the cultural, linguistic, and business context of the target audience.