What is CMS Localization?
Content Management System (CMS) localisation also known as CMS internationalisation or CMS translation, is the process of customising your CMS to make your best content management system available to multiple markets. To make your material understandable in diverse areas, consider adapting currency, graphics and date formats.
Business benefits of localizing your CMS
Increased revenue and visibility, putting you ahead of competitors. These are examples of what happens when your product is introduced into new markets. However a simple word-for-word translation performed on a disorganised spreadsheet by someone whose profession does not involve translation will not benefit you. When it comes to globalising your product, providing material that is understandable to your target audience is a must.
CMS localization is key for various reasons:
- More growth equals more revenue: when you reach a larger audience and do it successfully your chances of increasing growth and revenue improve.
- You do what the competition does not: Having an edge over your competitors allows you to remain relevant in the business and be more apparent to potential clients.
- People find you more easily: When your content is localised your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) improves and you have a better chance of ranking higher when consumers search for the type of product you provide.
- Your audience navigates smoothly on your website/app: when your product is offered in their language everything feels easier and more straightforward to use.
Understanding the power of CMS internationalisation is critical to increasing product success. When you make your material available to more individuals, they feel seen and are more likely to choose your offer.
Essential best practices for CMS localization
A CMS is a software application or tool that helps a company organize modify and deliver digital content on the web. Non-technical people may effectively and efficiently manage website material because of its user-friendly interface.
A CMS typically includes web-based publishing format management, indexing revision control and a file search feature.With a well-structured CMS, users can create web pages, add or change text, insert graphics and photos and change site navigation layouts without the need for sophisticated coding or web content management system development skills. The major goal is to provide an easy-to-use method for maintaining intricate websites without requiring highly skilled technical knowledge.
In order to generate multilingual material in widely used languages like Arabic, Spanish, English and French certain content management systems (CMS) come with plugin functionality. In order to offer other services like translation, headless CMS providers may also interface with other microservices.
These choices don’t replace a comprehensive localisation strategy but they might assist businesses with simple translations. Without one translated content may miss vital cultural cues and introduce errors or offensive messaging in new markets.
How to prepare your CMS for seamless localization
Verify your Content Management System’s (CMS) ability to handle multilingual content with robust language settings and locale options before preparing it for successful localisation.
To make translations simpler and more reliable, establish a defined content structure that separates text from design.
Use plugins or integrations that allow translation workflows, version control, and language fallback methods to ensure that localised content is properly formatted, readable, and functioning across a range of devices.
Avoid hard-coding text into templates and standardise the naming standards for content fields.
To guarantee consistency, work with translators early on and make use of translation memory technologies.
Selecting the best CMS platform for successful localisation
Selecting the appropriate CMS platform for localisation is necessary to deliver multilingual content in an efficient scalable and high-quality manner. Start by assessing cms content management system platforms that provide native support for various languages and offer adaptable content models that can meet diverse cultural and linguistic requirements. Seek out integrated localisation features like language-specific URLs translation procedures, and compatibility with external translation tools or services. An effective localization-friendly content management system should allow dynamic content presentation based on user location or preferred language role-based access control for translators and content versioning. To ensure that the platform can adapt to your global plan, you should also take into account its scalability, ease of use and development support. Early decision-making minimises errors saves time and creates the foundation for a faultless customer experience globally.
CMS localization challenges you shouldn’t overlook
The process of localisation is intricate, and you should be ready for any obstacles you may face. Some elements are always relevant when it comes to CMS internationalisation even while the challenges you face are unique to your product and the areas you wish to target:
Translation errors – Your website may display inaccurate or unclear translations as a result of automated translation. Always have a group of qualified translators check the previously translated material to prevent this. Confusion with your target audience can be avoided with human inspection.
Display issues – The way a content management system website looks online is influenced by localisation. To prevent formatting issues your localisation team must consider character constraints. Display problems can harm the user experience and your brand’s reputation if they are not adequately handled.
Inconsistency in local specificities – For CMS translation to be effective local specifics are important. Verify information twice, including time formats currencies and laws particular to a certain nation. Maintaining accuracy makes your goods seem more recognisable and reliable to your audience.
Localization synchronization – Coordination is difficult for teams who operate in different time zones. For instance when translators from Japan are not available a team operating in New York may publish a defined content management system. Plan your localisation procedure ahead of time and engage with your localisation staff as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition between time zones.
As your initial localisation rounds go live you will probably run into new hidden obstacles. Your localisation team should detect the differences, gather feedback, and make the necessary changes. In this manner as time passes your CMS localisation process becomes more seamless.
Manual, automated, or integrated: selecting the right localization workflow
There are three forms of CMS localization. The one you choose is dependent on your needs, timeframe budget and scope of work. Every process has pros and downsides and you should understand what to expect before choosing one over the other to avoid surprises along the way.
| Process | What | Pros | Cons |
| Manual | Copy/paste from external files | Full control over the contentLower budget | Time consumingMore prone to display issues |
| Automated | Automatic translation via machine translation (MT) | Content available immediatelyLowest budget | More prone to contextual errors |
| Integrated | CMS linked to a localization content management system | More professional (use of glossaries, Translation Memories (TM), etc.)Full control on the content | More organizationHigher budget |
Integrated CMS localisation is the recommended option by content management system definition. This approach is more professional, comprehensive and allows for greater control over material for each market. However improved quality comes at a higher cost and requires rock-solid localisation strategies to succeed.
CMS vs. website localization: key differences explained
Website and CMS localisation are frequently used interchangeably. There is a little distinction between the two procedures though. Ultimately both need modifying your offering for regional markets. CMS localisation is the tool that assists you with localising your free content management system for websites on a smaller scale. The primary distinctions between them are displayed in the table below. Remember that each process is unique since every business has various needs:
| Elements | CMS Localization | Website Localization |
| Definition | Configuration of a CMS for localization | Language adaptation of website content |
| Target | Businesses | End users |
| Goal | Enabling a strong and centralized organization for localization | Making your product available for different markets |
| Example | Managing localization through the CMS | Localized content live on the website |
Who is using what is the primary distinction between the two procedures. Website localisation refers to the front-end interaction with your target audiences, free web content management system while CMS localisation is meant to help your teams develop their back-end localisation techniques.
Putting localization at the heart of your content strategy
One effective strategy to increase awareness and credibility internationally is to reach new audiences. Your potential clients are more inclined to trust your goods and pick you over rivals when your material is appropriate for various markets. To engage your new audiences however translation is not enough. Localisation is more than just changing a word to its equivalent in another language.
Making localization a core part of your content strategy goes a long way: cultural quirks, appropriate speech, modified imagery, and SEO tailored to a certain nation… There are several things to take into account that set a good cms localised product apart from an exceptional one.
A bulletproof localization strategy depends on the expertise of your team: For the content to be smoothly localised, your project managers must prioritise, arrange, and coordinate it. Your expert translators must understand the subtleties of their target market and their language whether they are employed internally or not.
To guarantee seamless integration of the localised information your CMS developers must offer precise instructions and input on technical aspects like character limit URL localisation and string formatting.
When done properly localisation can be a treasure trove for your product’s expansion. The best method to earn your clients’ trust and loyalty is to speak their language.
How a localization-ready CMS strengthens your SEO strategy
An excellent localisation CMS is good for SEO. To increase global visibility and spur further expansion, you wish to introduce your product into new markets. Working on a localization-friendly CMS that supports multilingual SEO is essential if you want to strengthen your position in your niche. Seek out software that gives you command over a subset of the following components for every language:
- Metadata
- Tags
- Sitemaps
- Local search behaviors
- URLs
Your clients should find localised information that speaks to them regardless of the language they use to search for the service you provide. Raising your rating eventually raises your revenue as well.
Related Article:
The 7 biggest challenges of software localization (and how to solve them)
Top 10 website localization best practices and its biggest benefits