Is Your Website Latino Friendly?

If a business guru told you he could instantly increase your website’s exposure by 15%, would you follow his advice? That’s exactly what having an English – Spanish website can do for your business: Hispanics constitute 15% of the US population, and that number is constantly growing. Is your company doing everything it can to market to this large and growing US Hispanic community?

Nearly 20% of the U.S. population age 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home, and over half of these were Spanish-speaking, according to the US Census Bureau. If your business is not reaching out to Hispanic consumers, it should. Latino buying power totaled more than $860 billion in 2007, and web-based spending continues to grow. Statistics show that even though more Hispanics in the United States are gaining internet access every day, less than 1% of US web content is in Spanish.

Well over half of Latinos use the internet regularly, and those with higher income levels spend more time, and consequently more money, online. 90% of Hispanics with an annual income above $50,000 are online. Perhaps more importantly, the Latino population in the US is a very young one: 63% of Hispanics in the US are between the ages of 18 to 41, compared to 36% of whites. Studies consistently show that younger Americans across all ethnic groups are more likely to spend money on the web than older members of the population, and unsurprisingly, Latinos constitute the fastest-growing segment online. In fact, US Hispanics spend more on the web on travel, pet supplies, automotive parts, baby supplies, and consumer electronics than non-Hispanics, according to Entrepreneur.com.

If you’re still not convinced, follow the lead of many large, growing US companies. Visit the websites of Best Buy, Office Depot, JP Morgan Chase, and Ford Motor Company, who are among an endless list of well-known American corporations that have constructed Spanish-language websites. These companies understand that the tremendous and growing buying power of the US Latino population can’t be ignored.

How can you attract Latino visitors to your site? Studies have shown that visitors stay twice as long on a website that is in their native language. Even though many US Hispanics do speak at least some English, they are more likely to stay on your site if it’s also in Spanish. Studies show that Spanish-speakers make important buying decisions in Spanish, despite English language ability.

For more information on affordable, professional English to Spanish website translation for your business or nonprofit organization, visit www.spanishmatters.com.