Because our websites are displayed on the world wide web, we need to be conscious of the fact that language is not homogeneous online. Numerous styles are commonly used online and vary from region to region. In many countries, there are two languages that you might need to make your content available in to serve the local population
How do you make sure you are providing all of your users with the content they want in the language that is most accessible and easy to understand? A great way to give users what they want is by using geo redirects for language specific content. This allows you to automatically change website language based on the region that your content is being accessed from. It allows you to automatically change website language so you can better serve your visitors content in the language that will provide them with the most value.
Change website language by country to increase engagement
A great way to increase engagement on your site is to change website language by country. Countries are usually divided along lines that extend to language. For example, the United States and Mexico have different languages and might require different content even though they share a border. Even though there may be some overlap between countries, implementing location-based language switching could help to better serve website visitors in each location by providing the website content in the language that they are accustomed to consuming content in.
The ability to detect country and switch language based on the country your visitor is in will help not only to increase engagement on your site but also increase the relevance that your content has in that particular region. If your website appears in a language other than the native language of the area that your visitor is accessing your site from, the content will feel foreign and unfamiliar to your visitor. Yes, in some cases, they may be used to accessing content like this, but your average visitor will be taken out of the experience of your website.
Instead, by providing content that your users are expecting to see, you can get right to the task of trying to convert them into customers, entertaining them or just showing them content to inform them. Users in regions where English is the dominant language tend to assume that all content online is provided in the correct language, when often, for specific regions that is not the case. There are many languages to represent, and not all websites have appropriately thought out how to serve their visitors from around the world the correct content, and the content that they need to get the best experience from their website. That is where a service like Geo Targetly can come in handy.
How Geo Redirects Work
Geo Targetly allows website owners to create geo redirects. These redirects are accomplished by using your website visitor's geolocation, determining their location, country, state, city, etc. and serving different content to that user based on their location.
When you encounter users from a particular location, Geo Targetly will allow you to automatically redirect visitors from that location to a URL that you have specified. We’ll go over briefly how you can set that up, without any custom code from you, on your website.
Setup steps using Geo Redirects
Using a service like Geo Targetly is a great way to implement this technology without implementing extra overhead into the administration of your website or service. Geo Targetly allows you the ability to serve different language content with just a couple of clicks.
1. Set up your website
2. Create your redirect rules
3. Add additional rules
4. Add the code snippet to your website
5. You’re all set!
Without any unique code on your part, you are now able to display language-specific content to your website visitors.
Help Visitors Change Website Language Without Being Redirected
Although we can change language based on location, you might also want to provide your users with the ability to change website language regardless of the location in which they reside. This feature could come in handy given that there are numerous locations where more than one language is the norm, or if someone might live in one location but prefer to converse in another language entirely.
Geo Targetly also offers a feature called 'redirect visitors from external sources only' that can be used to bypass the redirection if the visitor decides to switch language (internally navigating) manually. Another feature, called 'referrer whitelisting', can bypass the redirect if the visitor is coming from a particular domain. This can also be used to allow for manual language switching if each language has a separate domain.
The example of the United States and Mexico is a great one for this scenario. Say that you live in the Southwestern United States. You are going to be served website content entirely in English, but if you prefer to speak Spanish, a website that gives you that option might appeal to you more than one that doesn’t give you any options at all.
Conclusion
A globally connected internet needs websites to take into account that not all users online speak the same language. English tends to dominate when it comes to popular western websites, but it’s important for website administrators to realise the opportunities that providing the website in content in multiple languages offers.
If you aren’t taking advantage of the ability to detect website visitors’ locations and serve them the content they should be able to see, content in their language, then you might want to take a look at using a service like Geo Targetly to start doing so. Increasing engagement and clarifying your message are just two ways in which this service can help your website.
Give customers and visitors what they want. Content in the language that they know best. Give them the content they want easily without having to code a complex solution from scratch with Geo Targetly. Claim your free trial today.
