Adventures in web globalization, since 2002
As a small (but growing) number of companies terminate their dot-brand registrations, it’s fair to ask if dot-brands are a dot-bust. It’s starting to appear that way. Though the fault lies less with the domains themselves than with the companies …
Great article by the BBC about email vs. mobile apps in China — and why email is losing out to the most popular apps. It’s important for Westerners such as myself to remember that most of the world did not …
I recently spent an hour with Kathrin Bussman as part of her wonderful podcast The Worldly Marketer. I talked about the most recent Web Globalization Report Card as well as a host of web globalization best practices. You can listen …
For the 2020 Web Globalization Report Card, we benchmarked the following 16 automotive websites: Audi BMW Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai Land Rover Lexus Mercedes Nissan Porsche Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo Cars For the second year in a row, Volvo …
In keeping with past years, I’m pleased to announce the top 25 websites from the 2020 Web Globalization Report Card. When compared with last year’s top 25 list, there are a number of new entrants to the list: Airbnb: As …
Very interesting article by John Herrman in the New York Times about the rise of Chinese sellers on Amazon and their very interesting choices of brand names. From the article… Almost half of top Amazon sellers — those selling more …
I began the Report Card back in 2003 because, at the time, there was nothing out there that focused specifically on the globalization and localization of websites. And, to be honest, most websites were not all that “global” yet; 10 …
For those of you keeping track, this is the 16th edition of this report. Thanks to everyone who has supported it all these years! More soon…
For anyone interested in a truly global (and local) view of the world’s Internet users, I recommend spending a few minutes here. At a global level, it’s revealing to see that the leading search phrase was “India vs. South Africa,” …
As I’ve documented in many editions of the Web Globalization Report Card, companies tend to add languages in fits and starts. The overall average is about one additional language per year. But some companies expand their global reach in sprints. …
The Jehovah’s Witnesses announced today that its website reached 1,000 languages, an impressive achievement. The release notes: On November 4, 2019, jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, reached an unprecedented translation milestone—it now includes articles, videos, and audio content available …
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the OK hand gesture is now a hate symbol. For those of us in the globalization field, we’ve learned to avoid this gesture in web and marketing materials for a more global reason — …
Earlier this month, I wrote about Amazon and India. Now let’s look at Walmart and India, via Flipkart, the leading online marketplace in India. Walmart acquired 77 percent of the company last year. According to TechCrunch, Flipkart is (finally) adding …
In technology, as in life, actions speak louder than words. And if you look at the actions Amazon has been taking over the past 18 months, it’s clear that Amazon is heavily invested in succeeding in India. Consider the following …
Duolingo is an impressive language-learning app. I can’t say I’ve become fluent on any of the languages offered but I certainly enjoy sampling them. And now you can sample Arabic. Unfortunately, Duolingo continues to use flags for navigational purposes. Here …