Mailchimp keeps making rookie mistakes
I know it appears that I’m out to punish Mailchimp — as I first started calling out its rookie mistakes back in 2021. I am a paid subscriber so I feel as if I’ve at least earned the right. What…
Tag Global navigation
How to create a successful global gateway
If someone from outside the US lands on your US-centric .com home page, what is their first impression? And what if they don’t speak English? What visual and textual clues will they look for when searching for a localized websites…
Why use geolocation?
Here’s a reason, courtesy of Wimbledon… To learn more about web globalization best practices, register for Lead the World to Your Website, taking place October 27th.
Taking Flite: Another reason to avoid flags on your global gateway
First of all, this device looks really cool. The ocean also looks inviting right about now. But while visiting the Flite website I couldn’t help but notice the US flag in the upper right corner. Perfect placement, by the way,…
Google Firebase global gateway fail
Awhile back I mentioned the missing scrollbar from the Delta Airlines global gateway. It seems that Delta is not alone in making this rookie mistake. Even the folks at Google are not immune, as seen below on the Google Firebase…
The Delta global gateway and the missing scrollbar
Scrollbars are one of those UI elements that you don’t realize you miss until they’re gone. Of course their prime role is to allow you to scroll up and down. But they also provide an equally important role — in…
The Global Evolution of Nike
Awhile back, I documented the evolution of Apple.com. Now let’s take a look at Nike.com. I hope you like it — and I welcome suggestions for future videos. PS: Nike is ranked #52 in the 2021 Web Globalization Report Card.
Lead the World to Your Website on July 27th
A localized website is of little value if local users cannot find it. And yet many global websites continue to make visual and technical mistakes that keep local websites effectively hidden from their intended visitors around the world. Which is…
Think beyond .com: From country codes to internationalized domain names
One of the major takeaways from the Web Globalization Report Card is the importance of providing “front doors” to your localized websites. These doors begin with the addresses themselves, which may not include the .com domain. In fact, I’d recommend…
Apple waves goodbye to flags
As readers of this blog know, I’ve long advocated for Apple to abandon its use of flags on its global gateway. I first began saying so publicly in 2004. In 2010 I thought Apple was getting close to giving up…
Tesla’s global website shifts into reverse
Tesla was benchmarked in the 2019 Web Globalization Report Card. Of the 16 companies studied, Tesla finished in the lower half (higher scoring than Honda and Subaru, but still with a number of recommended improvements). Sadly, based on a recent…
Peak flag: The decline of flags on websites has begun
I’m pleased to say that, based on the websites I study regularly, we’ve reached “peak flag.” In other words, at a high level, companies are now beginning to move away from using flags on their websites within their global gateways.…
It’s time for your website to go flag free
If you are flying the Taiwan flag on your website, consider yourself warned. By China. As I’ve written many times over the past year, China is paying close attention to how multinationals refer to Taiwan on their websites, not just…
The one “flag” you should never use on your website
I visited the home page of the Chinese online travel agency website Ctrip recently and came across this odd flag: Just because the UK voted to separate from the EU doesn’t mean that it’s considering a merger with the United States (the…
What’s wrong with this global gateway?
A few things. First, using flags to indicate language is almost always a mistake. Second, why are the language names all in English? Only the “English language” text needs to be in English. The purpose of the gateway is to communicate with…