subject: How To Get That Global Appeal For Your Website [print this page] With only a third of web browsers speaking English, web designers have begun to take into account the need for a more multi-cultural approach to web design. Theres many cultures around the world, each is very different and have different cultural meanings and this needs to be taken into account as the internet expands.
Many of the big companies design more than one website, often one for each culture which is adapted to their cultural understanding and language, whilst other websites simply create universal websites that appeal to all and are translated into many of the worlds languages.
First of all if you are to create a global website, make sure the content is clear and relevant to all cultures. It must be understandable by all, so have either your website translated or keep the English coherent and basic for non-native English speakers, who have little understanding of English. Never use colloquialisms as these will cause misunderstanding. Moreover, it must appeal through the use of language to that culture, for instance, a more relaxed culture might work best with an informal and demure approach, whilst a more outgoing culture use to hard hitting marketing tactics might respond best to sensational writing.
Be aware of cultural norms and symbols, as these will have a big affect upon the design and symbols chosen. If you want it to be universally accessible for all, its vital that you clue upon the meaning of colours, patterns and symbols, so that you have something universally understandable. For instance, the colour red in the western world is symbolic of love, passion or even danger, whilst in Africa it would be signifier of death. As you can see these have completely different meanings and would mean the website took on completely different meaning for each cultural context. So to keep your website understandable by all, choose a positive colour which denotes a similar meaning or feelings across the globe.
If you are to appeal to different cultures using a culturally targeted website, do your research on what the web design preferences are in that culture. Here in the U.K, a common website is the static website which to us looks smart and professional, but to other cultures it may look simple and technologically quite basic. Simply appeal to the cultures needs visibly, by adapting the style, page layout and colours to that cultures philosophy. Rectifying the navigation in accordance with languages may be useful for universal appeal, for instance, enabling right to left navigation for languages that are written right to left such as Arabic will help your website to be understandable by other cultures.
Furthermore if you are planning on translating, it is always recommended that you get a professional translator to translate your websites content as well as your keywords for your SEO plan. This will enable your website to become cross-cultural, enabling you to seek interest in your website outside your own country.
by: Marie Coles
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