The secret of switching between English and Chinese on foreign trade websites: key steps and comprehensive considerations to create a superior user experience

Release Date:2024-07-08

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In today's globalized business environment, foreign trade companies have chosen to build websites that include Chinese, English, or even multiple languages in order to better promote their brands and let more potential customers know about their business. However, simply providing multiple language options is not enough to ensure a good user experience. How to switch between Chinese and English or multiple languages on the website while avoiding customer loss is an important challenge faced by foreign trade companies when building multilingual websites. The following are some key steps and comprehensive considerations to help foreign trade companies successfully switch between Chinese, English, and multiple languages and create an excellent user experience.

1. Determine the technical implementation method

First, foreign trade companies need to determine the technical method to achieve the switch between Chinese and English. Modern website building platforms and CMS systems usually provide built-in multi-language switching functions or plug-ins, such as WordPress, Shopify, and Yiyingbao. Companies can find the language settings or internationalization settings options in the background management interface through simple settings, and configure according to the prompts to achieve the switch between Chinese and English.

If the website building platform or CMS system does not have a built-in multi-language switching function, foreign trade companies can consider using third-party plug-ins or tools, manual language switching buttons, URL structure adjustments, etc. to meet the needs of different websites.

2. Configure language switching options

When configuring the language switching function, foreign trade companies need to pay attention to several key details. First, set a prominent position for the language switching button, such as the top navigation bar, bottom navigation bar, or sidebar, to ensure that users can easily find and switch languages. Second, use a combination of icons and text to display language options, such as a flag icon with the text "Chinese/English" so that users can understand it intuitively. Finally, customize the style of the language switching button according to the overall design style of the website, including color, font, size, etc., to ensure consistency with the website style.

3. Adjust website content and structure

In order to achieve a smooth experience of switching between Chinese and English, foreign trade companies need to make comprehensive adjustments to the content and structure of their websites. First, all pages, menus, buttons, prompts, etc. of the website should be fully translated to ensure that the content of the Chinese and English versions is consistent and accurate. For important information such as core content and legal terms, it is recommended to use professional intelligent translation systems or manual translation to ensure the accuracy and naturalness of the translation.

Second, adjust the URL structure of different language versions. A common practice is to use subdirectories (such as /en/ for the English version) or subdomains (such as en.example.com) to distinguish different language versions. This helps search engine indexing and user sharing while keeping the website structure clear and consistent.

4. Optimize user experience

On the basis of achieving the switch between Chinese and English, foreign trade enterprises need to further optimize the user experience. First, use the language setting of the user's browser or IP address to identify the user's geographical location and automatically recommend the corresponding language version. At the same time, provide a manual switching option so that users can choose other language versions as needed.

Secondly, perform SEO optimization. Use hreflang tags to specify the language and region of the page to help search engines provide the correct language version to searchers. Create a site map containing all language versions of the page to facilitate search engine crawling and indexing.

Finally, remember the user's language selection through cookies or local storage, and automatically switch to the preferred language version when the user visits the website again. This feature can improve user satisfaction and loyalty.

5. Testing and Launch

Before launching the website, foreign trade companies need to conduct comprehensive testing. The testing includes the display effects on different browsers and devices, as well as the stability of the language switching function. Ensure that all links, buttons, forms and other functions can work properly in different language versions.

After the test is completed, the website is launched and released to the public. At the same time, monitoring tools are set up to track the website's performance and user behavior data. According to the monitoring results, the optimization strategy is adjusted in time to continuously improve the user experience and website effect. For example, based on user feedback and behavior data, the page loading speed is optimized and the page layout is adjusted.

In summary, the setting of switching between Chinese and English on a foreign trade website is a complex process involving multiple aspects. By determining the technical implementation method, configuring language switching options, adjusting website content and structure, optimizing user experience, and conducting comprehensive testing and online work, foreign trade companies can successfully implement the Chinese-English switching function, meet the needs of users of different languages and improve user experience. They can stand out in the global business competition and achieve cross-border business growth.

If you have any questions about the construction and operation of foreign trade websites, welcome to contact Yiyingbao Technical Customer Service WeChat: Ieyingbao18661939702, and the staff will be happy to answer your questions!