Web Presence Abroad Susanne Dirks | e-Vorsprung Consulting
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The document discusses considerations for establishing a successful web presence abroad. It begins by noting that the competitive, socio-cultural, technology, and legal environments are often different in other countries and can impact web presence. Key action areas for a successful foreign web presence include understanding these differences, defining an online strategy tailored to each new market, and ensuring the target audience can find the company online through domain selection, search engine marketing, and social media optimization appropriate for that market.
Web Presence Abroad Susanne Dirks | e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 1. Web presence abroad: What’s so different and how to best approach it Susanne Dirks sudirks@evorsprung.com Ph. 086-2375131
- 2. Best Practice Guide available on EI website: Introduction and background Susanne Dirks MSc BSc ie.linkedin.com/ie/susannedirks www.enterprise-ireland.com/localisation4germany
- 3. Need for action: Unleveraged opportunity Audit of EI companies for: • Website Visibility – 17 criteria across 4 categories: Technical Tuning, Onsite SEO, Offside SEO and Social media • Website Impact – 17 criteria across 4 categories: Content & Translation, Customer Service Support, Clarity of Website, Trust-enhancing Features – Plus 4 additional criteria for any companies that provided ecommerce type of transactions e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 4. Agenda • Considerations: How web presence abroad is different to web presence in Ireland • Action: What are the key action areas for establishing a successful web presence abroad e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 5. Web presence abroad means operating in a different environment Competitive Environment Socio-cultural Environment Technology Environment Legal Environment e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 6. New opportunities and new challenges: More competitors, different ways of competing • Different and additional competitors – Offline competitors PLUS online competitors • Different ways of competing – Attention + Interest: • Search engine marketing: SEO, SEA, SMO – Desire + Action • Online articulation of value proposition, website functionality/appeal/localisation e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 7. Example ‘Butter’: Different offline competitors in Germany e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 8. Example: ‘Butter’ Different online (types of) competitors in Germany Ireland (google.ie) Search: (in native language) butter e-Vorsprung Consulting Germany (google.de)
- 9. Example: ‘Mobile Phone’ Different online competitors in Germany Search: Ireland (google.ie) (in native language): Mobile phone vs. Handy e-Vorsprung Consulting Germany (google.de)
- 10. The impact of a different cultural environment on web presence in Germany Competitive Environment Technology Environment Socio-cultural Environment Legal Environment e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 11. The cultural environment directly determines the (online) marketing approach • Culture is – “a universal orientation system typical of a society, organisation or group” – Influences the way all of its members perceive, think, value, act : • • • • “The web is not a culturally neutral medium a website has to be designed for a targetted customer segment Local adaptation should be based on a complete understanding of a customer group’s culture ” Attention Interest Desire Action e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 12. Many users only perceive, think, and value only in their own language Question: Do you use a language other than your own to read/watch content on the Internet ? Considerable country variances ! e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 13. ... and usage of another language is not very frequent (and not necessarily English) ... e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 14. ... and usage of other language(s) online declines, the more serious the transaction is e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 15. Language’s influence on purchasing decisions: “Can’t read, won’t buy !” • Real foreign language proficiency (and use) is lower than you think • Most people prefer to buy in their own language – 52.4% only buy from websites in their own language • Language is particularly important for complex and larger purchases • No translation or ‘bad’ translation is not really an option – First impressions count ! • After ‘brand’, the most important decision factor is ‘language’ e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 16. At the most basic level, cultural localisation is about local standards and conventions • Important conventions for cultural web presence localisation include: – Use of colours – Use of formats – Use of measurements – Use of symbols – Use of icons – Use of pictures – Use of currency e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 17. But culture goes deeper and impacts thinking (“value”) and behaviours (“act”) Hofstede’s cultural dimensions • Power distance – Attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst its members • Individualism – Degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members • Masculinity/femininity – Main motivations in people, wanting to be the best (masculine) versus liking what you do (feminine). • Uncertainty avoidance – Extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations • Long-term orientation – Extent to which a society shows a long-term versus a short-term point of view of the future e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 18. Comparison: Ireland - US - UK PDI = Power Distance IDV = Individuallism MAS = Masculinity/Femininity UAI = Uncertainty Avoidance LTO = Long-term Orientation e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 19. Comparison: Ireland - China PDI = Power Distance IDV = Individuallism MAS = Masculinity/Femininity UAI = Uncertainty Avoidance LTO = Long-term Orientation e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 20. Comparison: Ireland - Spain PDI = Power Distance IDV = Individuallism MAS = Masculinity/Femininity UAI = Uncertainty Avoidance LTO = Long-term Orientation e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 21. Culture’s influence on purchase value and speed of decision Business, France Business, Japan e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 22. Culture’s influence on purchase order value over time • Travel industry, UK • Travel industry, Germany e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 23. Culture’s influence on channels in sales process Examples for auto sector UK France Germany e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 24. The impact of different technology usage on web presence in Germany Competitive Environment Technology Environment Socio-cultural Environment Legal Environment e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 25. Successful web presence abroad requires an understanding of technology usage patterns • • • • • • • Preferred search engines Approach to search Preferred websites / blogs Preferred social media platforms/channels Preferred online directories Preferred price comparison engines Online usage patterns e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 26. Example: Different social networks in Germany e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 27. Example: Different preferred retail sites e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 28. Technology and culture: Differences in the role of smartphones Smartphone penetration, December 2012 Share of smartphone users who accessed online retail in May 2012 UK 23.10 Germany 22.60 EU5 16.60 13.60 Italy France 10.20 Spain 0.00 e-Vorsprung Consulting 9.80 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00
- 29. The impact of different legal and/or regulatory requirements on web presence in Germany Competitive Environment Technology Environment Socio-cultural Environment Legal Environment e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 30. Legal considerations for web presence abroad • Online legal aspects different from country to country include areas such as: – – – – – – – – – Privacy and data protection legislation Advertising legislation Brand legislation Consumer legislation Copyright Terms and conditions Liability Domain names Website content e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 31. Example of legal requirement in Germany: ‘Impressum’ • ‘Impressum’ is a legally mandated statement of the ownership and authorship • Required in Germany for all forms of web presence as per § 5 of the Telemediengesetz (2007) • Needs to be clearly visible and easy to find, and immediately and always available • Needs to contain certain minimum information, including: information about the publisher, including their name and address, telephone number or e-mail address, trade registry number, VAT number, and other information depending on the type of company e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 32. 4 steps for a successful web presence abroad 1 2 4 3 e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 33. Step 1: Define your online strategy for the new market • Do target market research – Offline market – Online market • Review and refine your online value proposition for your target market – Clear competitive differentiation • Online content and design • Online visibility e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 34. Kerrygold Ireland value proposition as per Irish home page e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 35. Kerrygold Germany value proposition as per German home page e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 36. The impact of Kerrygold’s German value proposition on search results Searching for “Gesunde Butter” In www.google.de => SERP 1 for Kerrygold e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 37. Aldi Sued Germany value proposition e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 38. Aldi Nord Germany value proposition e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 39. Aldi Austria value proposition e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 40. Aldi UK value proposition e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 41. Aldi France value proposition e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 42. Aldi Ireland value proposition e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 43. Step 2: Make sure your target customers can find you online • Domain Strategy – Domain name – Domain URL structure • Search Engine Marketing – Search engine optimisation – Search engine advertising – Social media optimisation e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 44. Domain name: Name that is meaningful and easy for target market If possible, a search-friendly domain name • For search engines and target market users • Meaningful in native language – Example (Germany): www.franchise-direkt.com – Example (Germany): www.promobecher.de • Keyword-friendly in native language • Easy to remember • Easy to spell • No double meaning e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 45. Domain URL Structure Options • Option 1: Country-code TLD (ccTLD) – Example: www.tricel.fr • Option 2: Subdirectory – Examples: www.combilift.com/de, www.keenan.com/de-de – Avoid non-standard subdirectories:/ger,/deutsch • Option 3: Subdomain – Example: www.French.hostelworld.com e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 46. Search engine marketing for new market • Keywords for SEO and SEA for target market Keywords !!! – Value proposition – Target market language – Used by target market online users – Differentiating • Off-page SEO for target market • Social Media for target market e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 47. SEO and SEA play a key role in attracting online customers abroad Example: German e-commerce companies’ approach to internationalisation: e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 48. Good keywords are not only translated, but must also reflect native language search patterns 79 1 Also watch: - Language and grammar - Different thinking patterns Source: Google Trends on 103372013, Germany, past 12 months e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 49. Example Kerrygold: Good keywords express local differentiators Keyword Irish search result (google.ie) German search result (google.de) Page 1 (Place 5) Page 5 * healthy butter (gesunde butter) Not found (on first five pages) Page 1 (place 6) ** Irish butter (irische butter) Page 1 (Place 1) Page 1 (place 2) ** butter •Organic search results only, Google ads shows earlier ** First product in the listing e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 50. Focus needs to be on attracting the right visitors and meeting their implicit search needs • Good points: – Website translated – Subdirectory (/de) for Germany Client example: • Only 10% of all visitors from German market Only 1% of all visitors looked at• www.IrishSME.com/de ?? % ?? % e-Vorsprung Consulting Areas neglected: – – – – (Mediocre) translation No geo-target set Visitor IP-location ignored Minimal on-page optimisation Impact of lack of optimisation for German market – Little awareness created with in Germany (10%) due to focus on English-language search terms – Little interest created with Germans (1%), as Germans landed on English language parts of website
- 51. Off-page SEO for foreign markets: The importance of local links • Create inbound links from reputable websites in the target market – Example: www.german.hostelworld.com • Encourage local links and followers e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 52. Other Off-page SEO for new markets: Being seen in the ‘right places’ • Locally used generic directories • e.g. for Germany: www.allesklar.de • Locally used industry directories • e.g. for Germany: www.psiproductfinder.de • Local price comparison websites • e.g. for Germany: www.geizhals.de • Social networks • e.g. for Germany: Xing • Social bookmarking sites • e.g. for Germany: www.mister-wong.de e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 53. Step 3: Make sure your target market customers buy into you online • Appropriate and local language content • Cultural adaptation of web presence • Making your web presence looks local • Legal requirements for web presence e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 54. Kerrygold content for German products page e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 55. Different countries prefer different formats of content e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 56. Website translation is more than just translation • • • • • • • • Translation quality Avoid: Translation scope - Google Translate & Co! - Unqualified translators Translation updates - Mixed-language approaches Style of translated text Formatting of translated text Consistency of translation Keyword focus on translated text Quality assurance e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 57. Examples of translation considerations • Video content: – Keenans – fully dubbed – Combilift – ‘silent’ movie Franchise Direkt • News section: – Franchise Direct e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 58. Tackling ‘uncertainty avoidance’ online • Customer service: FAQs, customer service options, customer help/contact • Guided navigation: Site maps, well-displayed links, forward/backward navigation • Tradition theme: Emphasis on company history, phrases like ‘company legacy’, ‘for generations’ etc. • Local stores: Contact information for local dealers, shops etc • Local terminology: Use of country-specific metaphors, local touch of the website • Free trials or downloads: Free stuff, free downloads, free product trials, free memberships, free service information, toll-free numbers • Transaction security and testimonials: Customer testimonials, seals of trust, ethical business practices from third parties e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 59. Tackling uncertainty avoidance: Customer service support in forms of FAQs Keenan, France 3DIssue, Germany e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 60. Tackling uncertainty avoidance: Different forms of customer service support Vitalograph e-Vorsprung Consulting e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 61. Tackling uncertainty avoidance: Sitemaps for website clarity and structure Multihog e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 62. Tackling uncertainty avoidance: Breadcrumb navigation for website clarity and structure e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 63. Tackling uncertainty avoidance: Scientific/academic evidence helps build trust Keenan Kerrygold e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 64. Tackling uncertainty avoidance: Displaying seals of quality • Online seals of quality recommended by D21 initiative for Germany e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 65. Tackling uncertainty avoidance: Tradition and trust go hand in hand Vitalograph e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 66. Making your web presence look local • • • • • • • German domain name and/or German ccTLC Providing local payment options Local contact options, e.g. Address/phone number Local case studies Seals of approval by local organisations/bodies List of local events List of local websites e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 67. Germans’ preference for payment options Preferences for payment on the Internet (averaged): e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 68. Example: Country-specific payment types Country Country-specific payment type Benelux Bancontact / Mister Cash IDEAL France 4etoiles, Carte Bleu, Carte Aurore, Cofinoga United Kingdom Maestro UK Italy Carta PostePay, CartaSi / Sipay Austria Eps-Online-Überweisung Paybox Switzerland myOne, Postfinance Card / e-finance Scandinavia eDankort e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 69. Looking local: Local contact options and/or local presence Keenan e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 70. Looking local: Local case studies have more relevance Kingspan e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 71. Looking local: Local approval of quality counts more Aldi Germany Aldi Ireland e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 72. Looking Local: Listing local events Keenan UK e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 73. Looking local: Listing links to locally relevant websites www.vitalograph.de e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 74. Looking local: Meeting legal requirements and conventions Vitalograph e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 75. Step 4: Make sure you can do business with the your new target market customers • • • • • Channels Communication Resources Skills Processes e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 76. Channel strategy for new markets • New channel created due to web presence in new market – Where does this fit in overall channel strategy for new market? Source: Alex Osterwalder: Business Model Canvas • New web channel will lead to increased communications – What are the implications for channel strategy, resources, skills, response speed/format ? – How to best deal with your new communications: Planned and unplanned as well as incoming, outgoing, ongoing ? e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 77. Question: How to you provide telephone support to non-English speakers ? Languages spoken well enough to hold a conversation e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 78. Question: How do you deal with foreign language enquiries or comments ? e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 79. Language strategy is worth the effort 74.7 % say availability of after-sales support in own language influences their buying decision Source: European Commission PIMLICO Report: Language Management Strategy and Best Practice in European SMEs (4/2011) e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 80. Next steps • Planning web presence for new market – – – – Online value proposition for new market Monitoring Strategy Quickwins • e.g. Domain registration, homepage • Improving web presence for new market – Checklist – Quickwins • E.g. FAQ, Certification, QA, Audit e-Vorsprung Consulting
- 81. For more info, contact: sudirks@evorsprung.com THANK YOU e-Vorsprung Consulting