Attracting more visitors to your site is terribly complicated. You have to “convince” Google and other search engines that your site deserves featured on the first search results. Sadly, an army of webmasters wants the first search position for the same keywords as yours. The competition is harsh, and only a few reach the first positions.
If you aren’t on the first page for the desired keywords, your site won’t attract many eyeballs, and as a result, you won’t generate the desired revenue. To get on the first page, you have two solutions: translate or create better content. The majority of marketers have focused intensively on creating compelling content. It’s not a bad strategy, but you have to invest serious resources to get the first position. On top of that, your competitors work hard to craft even better content than yours.
Conversely, translating your content might be a more effective way of generating traffic. It’s not simple at all, but it pays off from a long-term perspective. However, content translation is easier said than done; it supposes more than an automatic translation. Your content must be error-free and adapted to users’ preferences.
If you are interested in attracting more organic traffic through content translation, read the next lines carefully.
Content Translation
Currently, 52.3% of all sites are in English. In 2011, 57.6% of the sites were in English. It might be an argument showing that marketers started to take into consideration other languages. Common Sense Advisory research reveals that 72% of customers would more likely buy from sites with content in their native language. You shouldn’t translate your content in all the languages. For instance, by translating your English content into Russian, German, Spanish, Japanese, and French, you reach almost 80% of all Internet users.
There are three primary solutions for content translation:
- Plugins
- Online Tools
- Freelancers
- Agencies
1. Translation Plugins
The vast majority of plugins are for WordPress sites, but there are solutions for all major content management systems. Unfortunately, quality translation lags behind human work. Most likely, artificial intelligence will considerably improve plugin translations. Translation plugins are suitable for small sites or personal projects.
A frequently used solution is the use of plugins for translation and human translators to review it. Here are some of the best WordPress translation plugins:
Weglot
Weglot is one of the newcomers on the market of translation plugins, but 20,000 sites have already used it. Weglot works for WordPress, Shopify, BigCommerce, Jimdo, and Wix. You can create an account on the Weglot site and start a 10-day trial to check its performance.
The plugin comes with a lot of impressive features. First, the dashboard interface is user-friendly, even for people with limited Internet skills who may use it. Second, quality translation is acceptable. I translated English content to French and Romanian, and the output is above my expectations. Third, you can hire professional translators for reasonable prices directly from the dashboard.
WPML
WPML is a massively used translator plugin, and the majority of users are satisfied with its quality. It’s suitable for multilingual sites, and it translates pages, posts, and menus into 40+ languages. The same as Weglot, you can hire professional experts directly from your dashboard.
Polylang
Unlike the previous plugins, Polylang is free of charge. You can buy Polylang Pro, Polylang for WooCommerce, and Polylang Pro for WooCommerce if you need extended functionality. Polylang empowers you to create multilingual sites and supports RTL languages.
You can use an automatic or professional translation (aka human translators) by installing the Lingotek Translation plugin.
2. Online Tools
Apart from dictionaries or auxiliary tools for translators, there are a few worth mentioning web apps for translating texts. These are quite handy tools, but the translation quality is below standards. You can risk your reputation by using these tools. Consider using them only if a professional translator reviews the texts.
Linguee, DeepL, and Reverso are some of the most appreciated online tools to translate your content.
3. Freelancers
Translation is one of the fewest industries where humans beat technology. A decent freelancer translates your content better than any plugin. The advantages of hiring a freelancer are:
-Cost-effectiveness. You pay more than purchasing a plugin license but less than hiring an agency;
-A large offer. Lots of freelancers are ready to help you with content translation. Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, and SEOClerks are a few job boards to find the best freelancers for your job.
The disadvantages of a freelancer are:
-Decent quality. Only a few freelancers do a great job and they ask for high prices. The idea is simple: if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
-Uncertainty. On average, freelancers provide good services, but it might happen to miss deadlines, make deadly mistakes or do a poor translation.
Hiring a freelancer for content translation is a double-edged sword. Reliable freelancers may deliver professional services and save a lot of money. However, freelancers aren’t 100% reliable, so it’s risky to hire them if you really care about your business. Go for a freelancer only a partner or a friend recommends him/her.
4. Agencies
A translation agency is by far the most professional approach. It costs you much more than a plugin or a freelancer, but the translation quality is undeniable. The translators are tested before hiring, and a professional translation agency has native translators for the most used languages.
There are a couple of reasons to hire an agency to translate your content:
-Professional working environment. Usually, an agency has translation software, auxiliary tools, experts, and supervisors. On top of that, many years of experience. Certainly, you get value for the money you pay!
-SEO optimization. Professional translators know a thing or two about SEO. They will make your content SEO friendly and will take care of using the needed keywords.
-Content Localization. Translating your content isn’t enough; it should be adapted to the culture and lifestyle of the consumers. Grammar-free content doesn’t guarantee plenty of sales. Only content that resonates with your readers will generate more revenue. Undoubtedly, experienced translators have the needed skills to polish your content in this way.
Wrapping Up
Content translation is mandatory to scale up your business. I suggested four modalities of translating it, but only an international translation services provider (aka translation agency) will professionally translate your content. If you are on a tight budget, consider hiring a freelancer, but pay attention to the previous works accomplished and clients’ reviews. Chose companies with good portfolios and reviews. Plugins and online tools might do decent work, but a human translator should review the translated content.
Did you translate your content? Which method did you use? Please leave a comment with your opinions.
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