Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies
John Yunker
2002
This is essential reading for any company planning to take a website to global markets, directly or indirectly. It goes into great detail but isn’t overwhelming as it is broken up sensibly into bite sized chunks, giving the reader the knowledge to quickly become an expert in the dos and don’ts of international websites.
Yunker’s engaging tone highlights the necessity of taking culture, colour and emotional influences into account when globalising a website, not just the languages that online visitors might demand. He explains the mistakes that are so easy to make, such as using flags on websites or images that can be misunderstood in other parts of the world.
He also makes the reader think about aspects of a website that could be easily overlooked, such as whether or not the content management system being used to build the site can support additional languages, as and when the company is ready to add them.
All of this is reinforced superbly by humorous case studies of companies that have got their global web approach right and those that have got it very wrong and learned from their mistakes, making the book a great reference source for anyone implementing an online strategy.
Although almost 10 years old, Beyond Borders is still very relevant today and should be required reading for any online marketing employees or any business hoping to expand globally by relying on their website as a communication or e-commerce tool.