Internationalizing an Online Store: Creating a Multilingual System

Sooner or later, a scalable and fast-growing business will have to think about when and how to enter the international market. Today we are not talking about logistics or recruitment, but about the website and its adaptation to different regions. In this article, we will discuss the important aspects of creating a multilingual and multicurrency website for other countries.

Setting up a Magento website begins with the configuration of languages and currencies in the admin panel. In the settings, you can choose languages and different currencies that the store will support.

This is convenient because customers will be able to feel comfortable while shopping and getting to know your site. Another important thing is a variety of payment gateways, which can be added by using a store extension.

This is also important because this way you can connect various payment methods, such as bank cards or digital wallets.

Content localization is a separate point in adapting a website for the global market. It is important not only to translate, but also to adapt the content for each region. Why? Because what, for example, is allowed in the UK and is considered funny may be prohibited in another country due to moral, ethical or religious standards.

Therefore, you need not only to translate, but also to adapt the media part for other regions. 

You need to review and check the content on your website for the following indicators:

• adaptation of the colour palette;
• use of local images or illustrations;
• text placement.

Effective localization will help to make your online store more attractive to the audience from other countries, which in turn will increase the loyalty of the audience.

There are a variety of methods for this purpose: from automatic checking to checking by native speakers. Both options are functional and effective. It's better to combine them, because even modern AIs can make mistakes and use wordplay incorrectly or not take into account the context of a phrase.

Therefore, the ideal format would be a combination of machine translation and human review.

Working with finance and taxes requires special attention. It's a good thing that Magento already has options for configuring tax rates and payment options.

1. Setting up taxes. In the Magento admin panel, go to Stores > Tax Zones and Rates. Create tax zones for each country or region where you plan to sell. Add tax rates for each zone based on local tax rules. Set up tax classes for goods and services according to local legal requirements.
2. Configure payment options. Under Stores > Configuration, go to Sales > Payment Methods. Activate and configure the payment options you want, such as credit cards, PayPal, cash on delivery, etc. Configure payment currencies for each payment option to meet regional requirements.
3. Localized options for each region. Magento allows you to customize tax and payment options for specific countries, regions, or language versions. Use the Store View feature to configure taxes and payment options for each language version or region separately.
4. Multi-currency support. Magento allows you to work with multiple currencies. Configure currencies for each language version or region. Please note that accepting different currencies may require integration with payment gateways that support this feature.

It's no secret that internationalization of an online store is a powerful impetus for the development of the store, expansion of the audience and entry into the international market. We have identified 8 key aspects to consider when promoting your online store in other regions:

1. Market research and website audit. You need to understand which languages are dominant in a particular region. Then you need to analyse competitors who are already on the market. Audit your website for errors and ways to fix them.
2. Choose a domain name. You need to use separate subdomains or directories for separate language versions of the site: "example.com or example.com/fr".
3. Content. Here you need to work with both translation and adaptation of materials in different languages, checking for compliance with local moral, ethical, legal, and religious norms.
4. Technical component. You need to provide a language tag (hreflang) for each page to indicate the correct language and region to search engines. You also need to configure the URL structure for localized versions, maintaining the sequence of folders or subdomains.
5. Local search. Optimize your pages for local search, including local keywords, address, phone number, etc. Use local registries and directories to increase local visibility.
6. Links with local websites. Build local links by getting backlinks from local websites. Look for opportunities to collaborate with local bloggers and influencers.
7. Social media and marketing. Conduct analytics of local social media. Identify the most popular ones among local residents and use them to attract the attention of the audience.
8. Analytics. Use modern international analytical tools to track traffic and conversions in each language market.

Internationalization of a Magento store is an important step for business growth and expansion in the international market. This process is not easy and requires comprehensive preparation: from setting up languages and payment systems to working with content and its adaptation. But all the efforts will be justified when the business scales and profits grow.