For a mobile app marketer, the goal of increasing the app’s visibility and exposure tops the list of priorities. While the end goal of app entrepreneurs is almost always unparalleled quality, a close second is how to make your app one that reaches devices of the world. A world that is made up of people […]
Updated 1 February 2024
Director at Appventurez
For a mobile app marketer, the goal of increasing the app’s visibility and exposure tops the list of priorities. While the end goal of app entrepreneurs is almost always unparalleled quality, a close second is how to make your app one that reaches devices of the world. A world that is made up of people belonging to varied ethnicities. A probable solution that a mobile app marketer finds when out looking for ways to promote their app is Localization.
While the stories and case studies of how mobile app localization helped businesses coming in from varied backgrounds are already widespread, hard statistics have a way of validating stances better.
A report published by CSA Research gave out such a set of statistics that highlights the scope of localization’s importance in the mobile domain. Here are the findings that they drew after interacting with over 2,400 consumers
Research gave such a set of statistics highlighting the scope of localization’s importance in the mobile domain. Here are the findings that they drew after interacting with over 2,400 consumers
The stats you just read, while enough to highlight the importance of native language in increasing app downloads leave a question unanswered – How will you satisfy the personalization appetite of people residing in multiple localities and speaking in varied mother tongues through your one mobile app?
Mobile app localization, is the process of presenting your application in different languages, depending upon the region and users you are targeting.
This process involves the integration of various internationalized software to make the text and other elements of the application available in your users’ native language.
Now when we talk about mobile app localization, there is one very similar-sounding concept that shoots up in the search portals – mobile app internationalization. Are these two concepts the same or is there a comparative situation of mobile app localization vs mobile app internationalization set in motion?
Let’s find out in the next section of our mobile app localization guide.
Mobile app Internationalization is the process of customizing the code (as opposed to text in the case of mobile app localization) to make your app ready for the time localization happens. It entails taking care of content displays, font style, language orientation, and other minute details to deliver an in-sync user experience, irrespective of the users’ background.
Whereas, if we talk about App Localization, is the process of rendering your app content to other languages along with customizing it as per your target audience.
There is no denying that many users in the world are non-native English speakers, making it an unwise decision to launch the app globally only in English. Therefore, in such a scenario, launching the app in different languages can help you target the audience globally. Or better say, it will help you access a wider market.
Most of the business apps are still confined to a single language. In such a scenario, by following the mobile app localization guide for making your application available in different languages, you can easily get yourself a competitive advantage in terms of wider market reach, ahead of your competitors who still stick to a single language and better ROI.
Since localization is one of the main elements of App Store Optimization, localizing your app content in different languages improves the chances of app search. And the process ultimately results in greater visibility of the app.
By localizing your mobile application for different regions, you can increase the chances to touch the base of different local markets and thus, get more sales. Clear evidence of this is Pokemon Go – the application that made a staggering $35 million in its first two weeks by investing in app localization.
The cumulative effect of every point that we read above is a higher return on investment that a business makes by partnering with a mobile app development company that excels in-app localization.
Now as we have seen what are the benefits of investing in Mobile app localization, it is safe to assume that you are now ready to integrate the same benefits in your business. But, what’s the right integration approach? How to successfully localize your mobile app?
Let’s get you the answer to these questions in the next section of this mobile app localization guide.
It is one of the very first steps towards the process of localization. Your mobile application’s resources or assets not just consist of code, but also other data files like tutorials, images, videos, etc.
So, to bring out successful mobile app localization, make sure you are correctly externalizing these assets so that the translated versions of each file are easy to create.
When adding a localization facility to your mobile app, ensure that the layout is devised well in advance so that you have a clear idea of the structure you must follow while getting your app localized.
Also, when creating the layout, keep a note of the length of the words that are getting translated, this way you will be able to keep track of the space that the translated words are taking as compared to your source language’s words.
The third step in the process of localizing your application is to find the right service provider. Now, while there are various localization service providers in the market, it is better to go with one that has the right skills, knowledge, and experience to offer you the best tips on making a good app localization and eventually crafting a successful localization strategy.
When someone asks why testing is essential for app localization and how to do it, tell them that once the process of translation is completed, you are required to thoroughly test your mobile app. It is mandatory to carry out linguistic testing along with localization testing for identifying content or layout-related issues and errors.
Also, it is equally important to use the translated app on several devices with different screen sizes to counter bugs and other sorts of errors.
Bonus- Going through our mobile app testing guide can give you a better perspective on the testing procedure you will have to follow now.
App store optimization(ASO) is similar to SEO, it is a way through which you will be refining your app store content so that users can find and download your application with minimal effort. For this, you will be required to research your target markets before drafting your optimized content and search terms for the app store.
To make the local users find your app with utmost comfort and ease, hire the best app localization service provider, they will do a good job by translating your app’s name along with working on keywords and descriptions.
Now, offering post-launch localization services is equally important as preparing your application for market launch. In the last section of our mobile app localization guide, let’s figure out what should be done after the process of mobile app localization in a precise way.
Now that your app is ready to hit the market, not telling your prospective and current users about it will make your app fail miserably, taking your efforts down alone. Develop and publish localized marketing material and campaigns for the countries you are planning to target. In addition to it, going through a last-minute app launch checklist would give a smooth edge.
Since your app is new in the market, there are chances that people might get confused about your newly launched localized version of the app. There might be instances where users would not like your localization techniques.
This is the reason, you will have to offer a 24*7 support service to your users, especially around the time of fresh launch.
Once you are done with the release of your app, it will become mandatory to measure the ROI and the success of your mobile app localization process. You will need to check frequently whether the process of localization has improved or affected the target markets in terms of downloads, ratings, reviews, etc.
No matter how many times you might have thought that you are done with the localization process the reality stays strong that the process just doesn’t stop.
There is no denying that with every passing second, technology does evolve one step ahead, hence, with time, you will be adding more features to the app along with making changes to it – implying constant localization efforts.
Following these steps as you embark on your mobile app localization journey will help ensure smooth sailing. And we are sure that our mobile app localization guide that you just perused will act as your helping hand throughout.
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Director at Appventurez
Director and one of the Co-founders at Appventurez, Chandrapal Singh has 10+ years of experience in iOS app development. He captains client coordination and product delivery management. He also prepares preemptive requisites and guides the team for any possible issues on a given project.
Posted : 9 July 2019
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