Websites and domains: choosing a .it domain with the proper Italian language translation

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Here at Italy Language we are Marketing Localization Experts.
We can help you start a business in Italy or improve your existing presence in the Italian or Spanish markets. Starting from this guide, we are going to introduce some of the major topics we will deal with. Following our advice, you will understand how to reach your customers and get through your competitors.

How important is having .it domain in Italy?

In general terms, we can say that Italian common people approaching the web are firstly considering to register a .it domain for their website in the Italian language. If the domain name is already registered, they use to opt for a .com, .net or .org as second choice – if applicable. However, many are the scenarios where .com domains are the first choice. For example when the website includes a second language, or when the target market is represented not only by Italy.
Techies and people interested in SEO are thinking that an .it website generally can take more advantage in Google search results, being classified before the others on the SERPs. However, true Italian SEO experts know that there is no real difference in terms of ranking between an .it and a .com domain. Both are eligible to rank as high as they can.

Is having a .it domain a must-have for companies selling to Italian customers?

.it domains are available to the public since 1988, they can be registered by anyone with a European address. Apart from European countries, people living in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Vatican City, and San Marino can register a .IT domain name.
If we look at the present situation, we can see that both Italian and foreign companies selling their goods in Italy are using mainly .it and .com domains, while just some of them opt for other domain extensions. There are many reasons behind these choices, and we are going to list some of them:

Why choosing a .IT domain

* The website is displaying only Italian language content.
* The business owners want to remark the Italian identity starting from the domain name.

Why choosing a .COM domain

* The business is actually/will to be internationally working, it is not only Italian -targeted.
* The .IT domain name has already been taken and the only alternative is to opt for another extension.
* As regarding the common feeling, .COM domain names are cooler.

Which registrar you should consider for .it domains

 It is not possible to choose a registering-only-service, as everybody is looking for hosting services too. If you ask around in Rome or Milan, they’ll answer you Aruba. Further than being just a registrar, Aruba offers a wide range of services and many customers are eventually locked in. However, Aruba.it prices are not cheap and even their interfaces are not that updated. If you want to consider options really adopted by Italians regarding domain registering and hosting solutions, Hostinger, Godaddy, VHosting, Siteground, Keliweb, Bluehost, Xlogic, are among the most adopted by those who value for money.

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How important is having a translation to Italian?

Is the English version enough for SEO tools?

Few Italians – a niche, have a high English level. In Italy we have always translated every kind of movie and only in recent years, with the diffusion of internet and anglo-culture, people are getting used to reading English texts. That is why, if you want to reach Italian customers, you need to translate and transcreate in their language.

As regarding websites, it depends. If really interested in a specific product or service offered exclusively on a trusted English-speaking website, Italian people with a basic or even poor English level will buy it. But in the end, having just an English version for the Italian audience will not help sales. If another Italian competitor is focusing on the same subject with Italian keywords and content, he will win. Italians will always prefer Italian content. Just in a few cases, English terms are used inside search phrases. In many cases search intents contain only Italian keywords, that is why Google will consider only Italian-100%-focused websites in the competition for those search terms.

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