Abstract
Websites and mobile applications continue to be the most convenient point of access to both the organizations selling products and services and user seeking to consume those. Businesses’ default language of communication when engaging with other businesses and customers is English and this is also evident in the multiple channels of communication (websites, mobile applications, chat bots, email, etc.). There are however countries like South Africa that is notorious for its diverse culture, tourist attractions and being the only country with 11 official languages. South Africa has large populations of people who use non-English languages as medium of instruction and communication who would experience English as a barrier of communication. To ensure customers and businesses make informed decisions based on information provided by businesses, it is imperative to communicate in a language most comprehendible by recipient of the information. The purpose of the study was to investigate and determine how business websites can be optimised to incorporate multi-linguistic factors (both English and non-English) within the context of South Africa. Contributing literature has been consulted to create context and better understanding of concepts including information architecture (websites), search engine optimization, customer information experience and understanding the South African language landscape. The study followed a mixed methodology research approach; the quantitative portion was fulfilled by a questionnaire and the qualitative portion was fulfilled by an information architecture checklist together with the search engine optimisation checklist. Data was collected and analysed on an Excel spreadsheet in order to elicit findings to fulfil the research objectives. The incorporation of the results from the IA an SEO checklist together with the language preferences in the strategic design of an information architecture strategy were presented on how to enhance the effectiveness of a website.
M.Com. (Business Management)