Enterprise Ireland - eMarketing Event - Kilkenny - March 2016

1. 10 principles for successful
international web presence
SUSANNE DIRKS
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING

2. Susanne Dirks MSc BSc
German living in Ireland
Academic background:
◦ Translation / Localisation
◦ IT / Artificial Intelligence
◦ E-Marketing / Web Technologies
◦ Business Development and Innovation
Experience:
◦ 15+ years as in MNC environment in various international consulting,
business development and management roles
◦ Recent years, working with Irish SMEs, helping them use the Internet
to reach and grow in export markets
Contact data:
◦ sudirks@evorsprung.com, Ph. 086-2375131
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING

3. e-Vorsprung
Consulting
Helping Irish SMEs fully leverage the Internet for sales
and marketing with focus on export markets including:
 Export market research
 International (e-)marketing strategy
 Export market content planning and development
 Web presence localization, translation, trans-creation
 International e-marketing and SEO
Helping Irish SMEs
leverage the Internet to
reach, enter, and grow
in export markets
www.evorsprung.com
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING

4. Common misconceptions
about international web
presence
INTERNATIONAL E-MARKETING IS NOT WHAT YOU MAY THINK IT IS
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5. GLOBAL INTERNET POPULATION INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE VISIBILITY/SALES
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“… the Internet is international per se …”
Source: internetlivestats, 2013
93.70%
2.80%
3.50%
6.30%
Example: www.irish-sme.ie
Ireland
UK&US
Other
International in theory,
but not in practice

6. AUDIT RESULTS OF ‘GERMAN’ EI CLIENT
WEBSITES (2013) SHOWED TRANSLATED
WEBSITES PERFORMED POORLY
1.37
0.24
0.74
1
Best Worst Average score
KEY CONCLUSIONS
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“… all you need to do is to translate
your website… “
YES, translation is important …
BUT: Translation is not a panacea
◦ No automatic visibility in export market
◦ No automatic competitive differentiation
◦ No automatic buy-in and trust
◦ No automatic support of processes
=> Translation is important, but only
one small part of the process

7. EXAMPLE 1: CLIENT WITH ENGLISH-
LANGUAGE WEBSITE OPEN TO ALL MARKETS
Ireland US UK
Visits 2572 630 91
Visits from
targeted market
73 % 9 % 47%
EXAMPLE 2: CLIENT WITH WEBSITE EACH FOR
IRELAND, UK, AND US
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“… my website is already
international…”
International = YES:
Visitors (and sales)
from many countries
Internationally
successful = NO:
Brand-driven and
distributor visits and
sales only
International website = YES: Website per market
Internationally successful = NO: Poor visibility in
target markets
No investment in internationalisation,
BUT
massive unleveraged international potential
Investment in (poor) international website
that does not pay off
PLUS
Unleveraged potential
=> Lack of internationalisation
equals loss of business
opportunities

8. 10 principles for successful
international web presence
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Strategy
Business
Environment
Competitors Culture
Technology Content Language Optimisation
Support
Special
challenges

9. 1. Start with INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY
1. Countries
2. Products / services
3. Target audience/s
4. Channels
5. Differentiators and USP
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WHERE WHAT WHO WHY WHEN HOW

10. International Internet strategy typically
requires balancing conflicting requirements
Export market/s
requirements &
opportunities
Company
requirements,
status,
constraints &
goals
An Internet Strategy that:
Aligns to the current overall
and/or home market strategy
 Meets export market/s
requirements
Allows for learnings from export
markets to feed into other markets
and overall strategy
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Export market visibility
requires an export
market focused Internet
Strategy !

11. 2. Prepare for a different micro and macro
business environment
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Macro
environment
Micro
environment
Internal
Company
• Economy
• Demographics
• Cultural forces
• Social factors
• Legal structure
• Political structures
• Technology
• Suppliers
• Distributors
• Competitors
• Customers

12. Beware: Different business environment!
Example: Google Global Market Finder for ‘Tractors’ opportunity in Europe (extract):
Example: Different demand (online)

13. 3. Embrace your new competitors
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Get to know your new
competitors
Learn from your new
competitors

14. Different SEO competitors
“Journalism course”
Ireland UK
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15. Different SEM competitors:
“Journalism course”
Ireland UK
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16. Learn from your new competitors
TYPICAL AREAS TO EXAMINE
Weaknesses and strengths of competitor
Specific business aspects, e.g.
◦ Terms and conditions
◦ Pricing
◦ Value proposition / USP
Specific web presence aspects, e.g.
◦ Keywords
◦ Content strategy
◦ E-marketing tactics
◦ Social media strategy
◦ Customer support
◦ Best practice
EXAMPLE: BENCHMARKING AGAINST NEW COMPETITORS
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C
O
M
P
E
T
I
T
O
R
S

17. 4. Tune into local culture
CULTURE INFLUENCES HOW ALL
OF ITS MEMBERS:
Perceive
Think
Value
Act
E-MARKETING AIMS AT GETTING
PEOPLES’:
A ttention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
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“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 …”

18. Hofstede’s 6 cultural dimensions:
Power distance
Individualism
Masculinity/femininity
Uncertainty avoidance
Long-term orientation
Indulgence
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Can and must be addressed via:
Web design, content,
features/functionality
Cultural dimensions as a guide
Ireland in comparison…

19. KEY PRINCIPLES
Minimal ambiguity
Clear navigation
Structured information
Predictable user journey
No pop-ups
No non-essential info
Explicit language
Clear images
EXAMPLE:
Example Russia:
Website design addressing uncertainty avoidance
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING

20. Standards and conventions:
When in Rome …
WEBSITE FUNCTIONALITY
Measurements
Currency
Symbols and icons
Formats for specific text items
Word and text length
WEBSITE MARKETING
Overall look and feel
Layout and navigation
Colours
Pictures
Content
Bank Holidays
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21. Example Facebook: Consistent and modular design
accommodating different language requirements
FACEBOOK, ITALY FACEBOOK, ISRAEL
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22. Example Alibaba: Adapting colours and overall design
to cultural preferences
ALIBABA.CN ALIBABA.COM

23. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Example Nivea: Using pictures that the target market
audience can identify with

24. Example Starbucks: Using pictures of feature products
that are most popular in the market
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Turkey
Mexico
Korea
India
Ireland

25. Example Cisco: Using pictures, hot topics, and
other signals relevant to target market
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26. All pictures should be checked for suitability for their
new market
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Draft for German market
Final version for German market

27. 6. Be tech-savvy
 Different hardware / IT infrastructure
 Different software platforms
 Different usage patterns
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28. Different technology infrastructure
AVERAGE MOBILE CONNECTION SPEEDS MOBILE SHARE OF WEB TRAFFIC
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Source: Statcounter, Q1/16 / wearesocial.com

29. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Google is not Number ONE everywhere
Differences
in software
platform
preferences
SEO / SEM implications
especially for:
- China
- Hong Kong
- Russia
- South Korea
- United States

30. Example: Germany Example: China
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Different countries,
different social network usage
Example: Russia

31. 6. Provide locally relevant content
Articulates your value proposition in …
Differentiates you from competitors in …
Meets the content needs of …
Uses standards and conventions in …
Uses content formats preferred by …
Uses design, colours, graphics used in…
Builds trust with local users in…
Speaks the ‘language’ of …
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Your
Target
Market

32. Example:
Aldi approach to localised web presence
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33. Aldi Süd Germany value proposition:
Quality products, cheap price guaranteed
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34. Aldi Nord Germany value proposition:
Top quality food at consistently low price
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35. Aldi Austria value proposition:
Cheap style with a conscience
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36. Aldi France value proposition:
Low cost, quick tasty food for singles
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37. Aldi UK value proposition:
Fresh food with a British twist
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38. Aldi Ireland value proposition:
Buy Irish quality and support Ireland
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39. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Germany
Ireland
Example Siemens: Special, locally relevant content
for local appeal ensures target market focus

40. Example KPMG: Dealing with local topics
requires strong local content
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Ireland (left)
Vs.
UK (right)

41. 7. Speak the right language
Search
Read
Listen
Evaluate
Order
Ask
questions
Write
reviews
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Only ¼ of Internet
users are English
speakers

42. Question asked:
“Do you use a language other than
your own to read/watch content
on the Internet ?”
Considerable country variances !
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
English language proficiency is lower than
you think: No translation, less reach
Top 25 global websites
(2015) support an
average of 30
languages!

43. Google Translate is not the solution
Food for Thought:
1.Who had the most
globalised website in 2015 ?
2.Did they use Google
Translate ?

44. Do it right: Translation quality is a reflection of
your attitude to quality and customer service
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45. A big part of translation is planning and
prioritising
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Decide
at start
Scope
Messages
Style
Formats
Ensure
always
Quality & consistency
Keyword focus
Fresh content
Standards & conventions
Avoid
here
Think
carefully
Keywords
Taglines
Ads
CTAs
Non-text content
Google Translate & Co
Translator wannabes
Mixed-language approaches
Creating valid,
fresh,
persuasive,
relevant quality
content for local
users and search
engines

46. Don’t forget to ‘translate’ English content
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Website text and SEO text needs to reflect the ‘language’ used
by your target market
◦ Official language
◦ National ‘dialect’
◦ Words
◦ Spelling
◦ Usage patterns
Search:
UK: 77%, US: 14%
Search: UK: 23%, US: 86%

47. 8. Make your website easy to find
• Give local signals for search engines
• Optimise your website for local search engine/s
• Select best keywords for search engine marketing: SEO and PPC
• Be seen in the ‘right places’ online
• Decide, where and how to ‘socialise’
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48. Local signals for search engines
 Domain URL and domain strategy
 Webmaster Tool settings
 Sitemaps and hreflang tag
 Server Location
 Website – content and metadata language
 Currency and address formats
 Inbound links
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING

49. Don’t confuse Google with your domain
strategy
CLIENT EXAMPLES
 Client example 1:
 Target markets: 4
 Domain names: 2
 Generic top-level domains: 2
 Country code top-level domains: 5
 Country subfolder: 1
 Client example 2:
 Target markets: 3
 Domain names: 2
 Generic top-level domains: 1
 Country-code top-level domains: 2
 Country sub-folders: 2
DOMAIN STRATEGY
Domain name
 Meaningful
 Works internationally
 Available internationally (if ccTLD approach)
Approach:
 Consistency is key: Country-code OR subfolders
 Decision criteria:
 International strategy – countries
 Domain name availability
 Resources for SEO
 Domain history of company
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50. 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
health shoes (IRL)
gesunde schuhe
bequeme schuhe
extra breite schuhe
weite schuhe
Monthly search volume
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0! Search volume for the Google Translate term
Search terms are thinking patterns
that often DO NOT translate one-to-one
Example: Selling “wide fitting shoes” in Germany

51. Germany
Austria
Switzerland
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Ackerschnacker
Händy
Natel
Handy
Mobiltelefon
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Example: “Mobile Phone” in German speaking markets
Same language does NOT guarantee
same search pattern
Official translation
Colloquial term
Local Swiss term

52. Competitive differentiation of keyword
varies between markets
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Keyword Irish search result
(google.ie)
German search result
(google.de)
butter
Page 1 (Place 5) Page 5 *
* Organic search results only, Google ads shows earlier
** First product in the listing
Example: Kerrygold in the search engine results

53. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Monthly search volume (Google)
English termUK Germany German term
house exchange 14,800 1,600Haustausch
home exchange 4,400 0Eigenheimtausch
house swap 5,400 NANA
home swap 4,400 0Haus Swap (Google Translate)
flat exchange 110 2,400Wohnungstausch
apartment exchange 10 10Apartment Tausch
The business environment influences demand
and search
Example: Checking market for ‘house exchange’ in UK and Germany

54. 9. Plan for the long haul
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
74.7 % say availability of
after-sales support in
own language influences
their buying decision
 Web presence in export markets requires time, budget, resources
 Initially – localisation, on-page SEO, e-marketing for launch
 On an ongoing basis – off-page SEO and other e-marketing tactics
A website is for life, not just for Christmas
 Fresh content
 Internet is a 2-way channel
 Enabling and answering incoming queries

55. 10. Face up to special challenges
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56. Provide answers and options for queries
Rich and localised information on website, e.g.
Sitemap
FAQs
Brochures
Downloads
Product selector/configurator
Delivery tracking option
Product availability information
Options for getting answering specific questions
Choice of contact options
Interactive and instant contact options
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING

57. Building trust: Basics
Contact data
◦ Address, phone number, email, fax etc.
Provide information about company
◦ About us
◦ History
◦ People
◦ Achievements
Provide locally expected or legally mandated
information
◦ E.g. Germany: Impressum
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58. Building localised trust: Advanced
Edelmann Trust Barometer
2014
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L
O
C
A
L

59. 10 principles for international web
presence at a glance
1. Start with strategy
2. Prepare for a different business environment
3. Embrace your competitors
4. Tune into local culture
5. Be tech-savvy
6. Provide locally relevant content
7. Speak the right language
8. Make your website easy to find
9. Plan for the long haul
10. Face up to special challenges
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60. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
2. e-
Marketing
localisation
1. Website
localisation
Successful
web presence
in export
market
International web presence involves addressing two
main requirements: Local impact & local visibility

61. Next step, the ‘proper way’: Internationalisation project
Phase1
• Strategy review
& development
of international
web presence
strategy
Phase2
• International
web presence,
optimisation &
localisation
planning
Phase3
• International
web presence
implementation
Phase4
• Internet
marketing
strategy and
approach for
export markets
Phase5
• e-marketing
implementation,
incl. ongoing
refinement and
skills transfer
Launch of SEO-optimised
export website/s based on
strategy developed
International e-marketing
Strategic web presence internationalisation

62. Alternative next steps: Testing the waters
 International strategy and market research/prioritisation
 (Foreign market) Website audit
 Mini website for foreign markets
 Adwords campaign/s for foreign market/s
 Localised approach using external platforms
 Local presence on Social Media
 Joint distributor e-marketing initiatives
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING

63. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Susanne Dirks
e-Vorsprung Consulting
www.evorsprung.com
sudirks@evorsprung.com
Ph. 086-2375131
Thank You