ux writing
Web Design

The Importance of UX Writing in Creating a Personalized Experience for Your Global Audience

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User Experience (UX) isn’t just a visual journey but also a textual one. So if you fail to write compelling content for your website, you’ve missed the opportunity to retain your user’s attention.

It only takes 15 seconds for users to decide if they should stay or look for another. 

There are several factors to consider why users won’t stay on a website. One of them is that the content found on the website didn’t meet their expectations. It’s especially true if what they’re searching for online is finding a solution to a problem.

Because of this, the role of a UX writer is equally important as a UX designer

To shed some light on UX writing for a global audience, I interviewed Alex Ninan, the conversion rate optimizer of Tomedes, a translation agency that works closely with native translators specializing in UX writing and web developers in creating multilingual User Interfaces for businesses worldwide.

We talked about his experience optimizing the agency’s website and some of his insights on the UX writing if you plan to target multiple markets. 

What is a UX Writer? 

Before discussing user experience writing, we should first talk about who UX writers are and their roles. 

UX writers write copy for websites, apps, and other digital materials that assist and enhance the users’ navigation around the product.

I asked Alex regarding the UX writer’s job in conversion rate.  

“UX writing is one of the most important things on the website. It builds trust, especially with the design. You can’t persuade the user and convert without both elements,” he explained.

Part of this content includes the menus, buttons, error messages, instructions, etc. The small pieces of written copy are called collectively “microcopy.” 

A UX writer’s role in writing microcopy is intuitively making it easier for users to understand and navigate. They’re tasked with ensuring that the UX written copy is consistent with the brand’s voice.          

What is the Goal of UX Writing?

For many UX writers, the goals coincide with the UX writing fundamentals. The heart of the plan is to ensure that your writing assists the users’ journey and accommodates what they need.

When describing how crucial UX writing is to the entire user experience, Alex said that for him, it would make up a hundred percent, especially when it comes to the description and Call-to-Action portions of the content design.    

According to him, it’s impossible to personalize everything in the content for everyone because each person has their preferences. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t personalize your user experience design for your audience.      


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Why is Personalization Important in UX? 

Personalization isn’t just a buzzword and trend that will go away soon. According to Instapage, 75% of marketers said that they believed the increase in click-through rates was due to their personalization. 

 Why do users prefer personalization?

Well, look at it this way. If you can’t relate to the content and it doesn’t answer your questions or solve your problem, then users won’t stick around your website. 

When it comes to the global audience, personalization of content can also involve cultural and linguistic preferences. Crystalhues reported that 90% of shoppers would buy online products if they were in their mother tongue.

For Alex, because he worked for a translation agency, he stated that from his experience, even though you’re marketing for native English-speaking users, they still have different cultures and linguistic preferences that UX writers and UX designers must know. You will have to do your UX research for each market you’re planning to enter to better connect to them. 

Can’t Relate, Won’t Stick Around and Wait: Translation’s Role in Personalization 

Personally connecting with your audience through the user journeys is crucial. One way of achieving this is by speaking to your international users in their native language. 

“From my end, I design landing pages based on what people are looking for. I look into what they intend based on what they’re searching online. If I notice anything missing on the landing page, I include it in its content,” Alex explained.

We discussed how language is everything in UX writing, and grammar is a big factor.

Website Planet’s survey reported that landing pages with sloppy grammar and spelling had an 85% higher bounce rate than properly written ones. If you’re planning to create a content strategy that enhances the user’s journey, you will need it to flow effortlessly and build an authentic experience.  

Because of this, quality translations in our UX copy are crucial. Your brand’s first impression starts with how well it flows in its native language and its knowledge of its target market.     

Seeking out experts to create copy that communicates in the language of your audience, like a translation agency or you as a native speaker UX, is a good choice for this project. But do you have UX writing skills to attract your target audience?

To DIY or Not: Writing Multilingual UX

If you’re a native speaker of a target market, you can write the UI text yourself. Because if you’re not a native speaker of target users, you’re better off collaborating with professional translation agencies as they have more qualified individuals handling it.

There are some advantages If you plan to do multilingual UX writing independently.

However…

The problem of creating multilingual UI text by yourself is that if you’re not a good UX writer, you could have potentially lost more than whatever you saved up by not hiring an agency or expert. UX writers have honed their skills to the point where they know how to nudge users in the right direction.

The UX design depends on how well-written the copy is. If you’re not an expert in writing UX content, especially in another language, you should seek out those who are language experts specializing in UX writing and research

Where to Start: a Translation Expert’s Advice on Good UX Writing for a Multilingual Audience 

During our interview, I asked Alex for some advice and tips from him for UX writers planning to create multilingual user interfaces.

As someone who has worked in analyzing a Translation Agency Tomedes’ conversion rate, I wrote below some of his suggestions on how you can get started in writing a user interface for a global audience. 

Conducting UX and Market Research

When we discussed UX and market research, Alex suggested that you do them separately, as they are entirely different research processes.

“Market research is more following the numbers. UX is a hit or miss,” he explained.    

As a UX writer, you should also be knowledgeable in handling UX research, including testing out the UX design before officially launching it. All forms of research will take some time. 

Professional translation agencies can assist you with your research and UX design on a tight deadline. They have UX designers and UX writers specializing in marketing towards various markets.  

Identify Your User’s Demographics and Preferences

Now more than ever, it’s easier to understand customer behavior through their user intent. 

“By studying user intent and the factors involved, I would create landing pages. The language we use on our pages is in sync with those demographics and location-oriented. So, for example, even if we’re marketing towards native English-speakers, the landing page I ensure that it isn’t purely US English or UK English combining them in our website,” Alex explained.

Remember, good UX writing means centering it on the wants and needs of the user. A UX writer must work closely with UX researchers if they’re not the ones doing it themselves.

Determine the Tone for Your Target Users

Failing to communicate with users is what will kill the user experience. It’s not only the mother tongue you’ll be considering, but it’s understanding the customer persona and communicating to them based on what you’ve researched.

Professional translation agencies can assist you as their multilingual UX writers create content in line with your branding. Building a connection with users is vital in the UX writers’ work through establishing the brand voice and tone, making it unique from its competitors. 

Because of this, Alex advised that if you plan to work with a translation agency, you should be clear on how you want your brand’s messaging and tone to be for your target market.

Bite Bullet: Write Like a Local 

Part of the many roles of UX writers was also being content strategists for your target locale. When I asked Alex for advice, he said that a UX writer must know what the user wants. 

“Find out what works and what doesn’t work. If you need a local’s perspective to create a content strategy that is authentic to your brand and relatable, then do so,” Alex said.

It might not be enough to bite the bullet with your UX writing. You can always seek professional translation agencies with a UX writer and a native language expert specializing with your target market.

Always Test Things Out Before Launching

Alex examines the UI text and scripts, ensuring that every aspect of the landing pages is working. He explained that sometimes people forget the little things about UX writing, like translating error messages, which distort web experiences for the user.

When working with a translation agency, you have the convenience of letting experts test out your multilingual UX. But if you’re planning to launch on your own, have native language speakers criticize your work to ensure it’s done properly.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, with the advice we got from Alex, you can get started by working with a UX writer from a translation agency or get started on the design process to achieve your business goals in attracting your target market.   

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