Creating Authentic Connections with Users 

Importance of personalization

We all know personalization, which involves adapting content, recommendations, and even the design of a website according to each visitor's preferences, behavior, and specific needs. In other words, it aims to create a unique experience that directly meets each user's expectations, driving conversion and loyalty. When we think of personalization, we often consider tailored recommendations, birthday discounts, or personalized emails all of which improve the user experience. According to McKinsey, customers are 78% more likely to recommend brands that offer a seamless personalized experience.

However, localization, which is also crucial for enhancing customer experience and retention, is often overlooked. To summarize in one sentence, localization is the process of adapting a product or content to the language, cultural norms, and preferences of a specific market to offer an authentic and relevant experience to local users. If you're not familiar with localization or want to learn more, feel free to read our article “5 keys to successful localization.”

The first step in personalization is ensuring that when potential foreign clients visit your website for the first time, they feel comfortable and can find detailed, contextualized explanations of your product or offer.

Errors and Best Practices in Localization

Every company wishing to internationalize or serve foreign-language speakers must face localization challenges. Let’s look at an example of poor localization that should be avoided.

Paris, the most tourist-heavy city in the world, attracts millions of visitors. For a prestigious gastronomic restaurant, having a well-translated website is essential. In the image below, the site is supposed to be in "English," but the translation is almost non-existent, making it difficult for non-French speakers to understand the menu. Only one out of two CTAs is translated, and the untranslated word "carte" could harm the restaurant’s reputation if the customer doesn't understand it.

In the second image, some text is translated while other parts are not. As you can see, for a high-end restaurant, a partially translated site can ruin the customer experience and potentially cause them to lose business.

Tips for Successful Localization

To succeed in global expansion, it’s essential to understand your target market’s language, cultural norms, and preferences. This insight helps you craft localized content that feels relevant and trustworthy to the audience, moving beyond generic material to more authentic communication. Recognizing cultural nuances allows your brand to connect meaningfully, creating familiarity. For a deeper dive, see our article “Why Software Localization Can Help Global Growth?” .

A common translation error is translating content literally, which can distort the original meaning. Idioms and casual phrases often lose their sense when translated word-for-word, making cultural context crucial. High-quality services avoid this by considering local nuances. While automated tools handle basic translations well, they struggle with subtleties that human translators capture, especially with individual words or phrases that need context for accuracy.

To boost local market visibility, effective localization requires tailored SEO, such as hreflang tags and metadata optimized for regional preferences. Additionally, local search engines, like Baidu in China, have unique algorithms and behaviors that need specialized strategies for maximum impact. Keywords play a central role, linking SEO to copywriting, which should reflect the target language for improved reach. SEO improvements show results gradually, typically after a few months.

To illustrate these tips, let's consider a major fashion brand that did more than just translate its content it adapted it to each country’s cultural specifics. For instance, the word "basket" differs between the U.S. and the U.K. By tailoring this term to the country, the brand avoids a literal translation, offering a more natural and seamless experience that makes users feel valued and engaged, thus increasing their likelihood of staying and interacting.

Conclusion

Personalization and localization are key drivers for building a deeper, more meaningful relationship with global customers. By understanding cultural nuances, adapting content, and optimizing for local search engines, businesses can create a more engaging experience that resonates with users, encouraging loyalty and trust. Avoiding the pitfalls of poor localization ensures that users feel understood, leading to better retention and conversion rates. In the global marketplace, embracing these strategies is essential for standing out and fostering lasting customer relationships.

‍