Expansion of a company to other countries
To expand a business to other countries, you may need to do quite a few tasks and check things out. However, one of the first steps is to register a domain name for that country and set up your website to best suit the target audience. We'll cover that in this blog post, so let's get started!
Once your business has been up and running for a while, you'll need to start looking for new markets. The most logical moves for many Dutch businesses are Germany and Belgium. However, these markets both have a different language and a different way of doing things. So you, as a business, have the task of tailoring your website and domain name to match. How exactly you do this and what you need to keep in mind is explained below.
Extend your domain name to other country extensions
A domain name is what makes your business, it is associated with the identity and has a lot to do with it. However, you need to make sure that the domain name is accessible to the new market. Every country has its own domain name extension and its own ideas about it. .NL has been working to maintain trust for a long time. Every website behind a .nl domain name is scanned for malware and malicious actions to ensure that .nl is as protected as possible. The same rules do not apply to all domain name extensions. So, it is always necessary to research in your target audience which domain name extension is most trustworthy and which domain name extension is most commonly used in that country.
Some countries still require several things to register a domain name. And they only assign their domains if there is actually an address registered for the company in the country. In this way, measures are taken to improve the reputation of their domain name extension. You also need to decide if you want to keep the Dutch name or translate or adapt it. We recommend that you register multiple domains if you want to translate.
Doing your homework on the target audience
Besides the domain name, it is also important to do some homework about the target audience in the country. Who are the existing players in the market and how do they deal with it? You can distinguish yourself by offering a better service, for example. Or you can respond by offering a wider range of products. In either case, it's important to think about how a player can do better in the marketplace.
Targeting can also be done in advertising; with Google and Facebook ads, for example, it's possible to select by country. So place a few ads specifically for the country you want to penetrate and get started right away.
Adjust languages if necessary
Languages are of course one of the first things that need to be adjusted, because with a new country comes a new language in most cases. There are several tools available to automatically translate a website, in most cases an agency or freelancer is hired to do it. In any case, it is important to have the information available in the language in which you want to do business. Or at least be available in English. This will ensure that a large portion of your new audience will continue to read the site and hopefully convert.
Other considerations
Of course, you'll also have to deal with other rules and regulations, such as Google Analytics and data collection. Once you store data from customers or website visitors, it's often important to do so in a secure manner. And report this to the visitor, if appropriate. You can do this by securing the connection with an SSL certificate, using strong passwords, and being responsible with the data. It is also important that you make it clear to the visitor and user what is happening with this data. To this end, create the necessary documents, such as a privacy policy, a cookie policy, and a general terms and conditions page or document.
This often requires the necessary work to figure out what is necessary or required, we recommend you hire a law firm to do the research. Or, at the very least, have your documents reviewed. This will ensure you are in a stronger position if something goes wrong or is otherwise legally relevant.
Google has provided a free lesson that you can use to prepare yourself for entering another market. Follow it now for free:
Are you planning to expand your business to another country? Let us know which country you choose!https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalewerkplaats/course/expand-internationally
