For those not that familiar with all that is required to create a professional website, this job might seem easy, especially with platforms like WordPress that make everything seem quite simple.
On the other hand, there is a big difference between sites created by experienced professionals in this field and those created by people who are not into designing and optimizing sites.
Yes, WordPress offers a variety of tools and features, but one thing that most people overlook is cultural differences. That is why adapting WordPress themes for global audiences is of vast importance, and these tips should be of great help.
Check your staff
It all starts with using the right tools, and when it comes to WordPress themes for global audiences, you also need people with technical expertise for such tasks. Namely, there are three main groups – SEO specialists, developers, and designers. In order to stand out and for your message to reach everyone, you need proper SEO, which is why adding people to your staff who understand international SEO practices is a must.
People use different devices, meaning that developers need to showcase their skills so that regardless of where someone goes to your website, the page’s response rate is fast. Of course, developers’ software and tools are also important, which is why many businesses seek to hire cucumber developers.
On the other hand, everything you do and want to do starts with how well designers do their job. Top performance and a quick response rate are essential, but it would all be for something if the site’s look could be better. As for developers, to get to this point, one needs skilled people who will implement various design changes so that the theme is not just responsive but also highly functional.
Hire the right people
The IT industry is the most evolving one, and one that’s highly promising as a career. Finding the right people for the job at hand should be easy. Well, it all differs from what you want. What you want is to hire experienced IT specialists. As for the search for such staff, even though it can be challenging, it will all get much easier if you know what and where to look for. Also, since it’s about cultural considerations and staffing, you would want a team of professionals from all over the globe, and IT recruitment is one of the best places to start.
When it comes to staffing, during the adoption process, it would be very helpful to have a team of professionals, coming from different countries/backgrounds. These people can collaborate together and arise questions that might be overlooked in the beginning and cause some obstacles later.
It would also be important to have native language and localization specialists – these people would be able to provide content in a way that can seamlessly be integrated to various cultures.
They can, for example, help with choosing the right idiomatic expressions, metaphors, etc. and be sure that the content remains appropriate for that audience.
Furthermore, it is important that the newly adapted WordPress theme is not only visually appealing, yet also functionally user-friendly for the people who will be using it. For that purpose, it is critical to hire competent tech specialists who will have the skills and expertise to reach that result.
Understand cultural differences
Once you have covered the essentials, you can focus on cultural sensitivities. Here, it’s mostly about understanding how people worldwide would perceive your site’s content. On the other hand, it’s impossible to cover every cultural aspect and provide the content you want, so you should focus on the most important cultural elements, like date and time formats, units of measurement, currency, and language nuances. It’s all about making the people who go to your site more comfortable; the more comfortable they are, the higher their trust will be.
As a pattern, for various cultures, the same color can have different meaning – while red is considered to be the color of passion and love in the West, it signifies good luck for some Asian cultures. Even public places signs usually differ from country to country, with that said – adaptation of the site to audiences matters a lot.
Legal regulatory requirements
When modifying WordPress themes for worldwide audiences, it is crucial to keep in mind that each country has their own legal system and while something might be allowed in one country, can be completely prohibited in the other one. With that said, it is also important to stick to legal and regulatory standards in various locations. Failure to comply with these criteria can result in legal implications.
For that purpose, it would be essential to have a legal advisor, or other law specialist, who can check out the information and contribute to smooth adaptation of the sites.
In this matter, the big role of continuous learning and adaptation is evident. Language training, continuous monitoring of global trends, research on other cultures and their perceptions should never be overlooked. This is because the world we live in continually evolves and if the staff is always updated, then they will be able to remain attuned to developments.
Final thoughts
On the final note, when it comes to adapting WordPress themes for worldwide audiences, the staff involved in the adaptation process plays a pivotal role. Cultural considerations, such as the language, visuals, including signs and colors, legal regulations matter the most. It is important for the team to always keep in mind that each culture and nation has their own interpretation and understanding, so before doing the actual adapting, a proper research should be done to not cause any misunderstandings. For that purpose, having a staff that comes from different backgrounds can be extremely beneficial.