What is Mobile App Localization and Why Is It Important For Your Business in 2021?
Since the evolution of mobile phones into smartphones and better internet connectivity became a common phenomenon, users’ standards have gone up in terms of their User Experience. Whether you are working as a Saas developer or have your own mobile app development company, localization can enable you to attract a wider audience for your business.
A research from Upwork suggests that more than 70% of users want to buy products or services through pages in their local language rather than English. A greater chunk of these customers believe that obtaining information about the product is more valuable than the competitive price of the product itself. It is more important than ever to include mobile app localization irrespective of your product niche. But, including localization to your mobile app development process can be overwhelming. Having said that, let us try to understand the deciding factors when it comes to mobile app localization and how your business can benefit from the process.
Benefits of Localization
Before we proceed to the actual process of localization, let us understand the advantages of localization. Localization is quite different from translation as it caters to various groups of people in your target market. A joke for a british citizen may be offensive to someone in Asia and so on. The benefits of localization are:
- High engagement and app usability
- Increased international market penetration
- High Recurring sales
- Position yourself as an Industry leader
Now that we know the benefits, let us find out how you can approach mobile app localization.
Decide Your Business Model
Mobile apps are of two types, either it is free to use and rely on advertisements and in-app purchases or they depend on premium, one time purchase options. Based on the kind of mobile app you are trying to offer your users, it is best to decide on the business model. It is evident that your business model will greatly affect your localization process and limitations. On the other hand, premium apps need to be actually premium and hence may hamper your localization options as it comes with its own limitations. So, depending on your business model, you can easily decide which kind of mobile app you want to offer to your customers.
Keep Localization in Mind
Whether you are developing an app for iOS or Android, it hardly matters in terms of localization. However, it does matter that you separate your code from the UI language as much as possible. Try not to create UI elements with words coded into their visuals. This will increase your efforts of localization and make it more difficult and time consuming for your development team. Go ahead by developing a raw code with localization in mind and your translation will be far more smoother than it is.
Language Selection
It is not a great idea to stretch your resources for various languages. In place of that, you can explore your specific industry and see if you can pinpoint multiple languages worth localization. For instance, a mobile app developed in the UK should offer French as a localization option. But, translating that app into Hindi might not bring you the kind of ROI you were looking for. There are no set rules for localization but you must keep your target audience in mind when looking for localization options.
Collaborate With Native Testers
The best way to make sure the quality of your mobile application localization is to collaborate with natvie app testers on the project. Native language speakers will provide you the most revered insight into how the localization works on the app. You can use the social media options like Facebook or LinkedIn to invite native testers. Bear in mind that native testers will only offer your feedback on the aspects which needs to be addressed in the mobile app. If they fit into your office culture, then you can decide on the long term transition into permanent testers for your business.
App Store Optimization
Your mobile application will be launched on App Store and Google Play Store as soon as it is ready to face the world. It is crucial that your app store listing is properly optimized for improved ranking just like how your content is optimized for SEO. Elements like high quality screenshots, detailed metadata along with a list of localization languages in the application should be properly defined. You can use the app description to promote a pro-active development with doors open to more localization features. It will automatically impact the ranking of your app, specifically around the launch time.
Conclusion
Mobile app localization should never come at a later stage in your app development process. If you have the resources to include additional features and languages in your app, you should try to do it from day one itself. This will help you to reach a much wider audience. This process can additionally help you to improve your ROI and establish trust and positive word of mouth in various territories which are not accessible by your business in the past. It would be quite difficult to do that with just English only UI and UX. We hope this post will help you understand the benefits and uses of mobile app localization and that you will include it in your app from an early stage. If you have any questions regarding localization, then please feel free to contact us in the comments below.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing mobile app development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.