The honest answer first: a cross-border website sells only when the language, the trust signals, the search presence and the checkout all work for the buyer’s market — not yours. Most exporters get the translation done and stop there, which is why the traffic arrives and the orders don’t.
I’m Mark Chambers, a British–Italian marketing consultant, and I build and run these sites — including rebuilding Carter & Lewis as a high-converting Shopify store and Belsogno Beds for the UK and Italian markets at once. Here’s the checklist I actually use.
Language & localisation
- Native copy per market, localised not translated (here’s the difference).
- Correct conventions: spelling, sizing, dates, units, currency.
- hreflang set up properly so the right language shows in the right country.
Trust
- Proof a local buyer recognises: reviews, guarantees, returns, local names.
- Clear contact and a real person behind the brand.
- Fast, secure, mobile-clean — speed is a trust signal.
Search & AI visibility
- SEO in the buyer’s language and phrasing, not translated keywords.
- GEO: structured, answer-first content so AI engines name you (how to get cited by AI).
- Schema/structured data and clean headings.
Commerce & measurement
- Local payment methods and currencies; realistic shipping, duties and returns.
- A checkout a local buyer trusts and finishes.
- Analytics that show enquiries and sales by market, so you can prove what works.
If you want this run against your own site, in English and Italian, that’s exactly what the Corridor Audit covers — and the build itself is my day job.
Or message me, in English or Italian.