John Yunker (@johnyunker), co-founder of Byte Level Research is considered one of the world’s experts in web globalization. Since 2000, he has worked with the world’s leading global brands to provide web globalization training and consulting services.

He has pioneered best practices in global navigation and is author of the books The Art of the Global Gateway and Think Outside the Country (also available in Japanese). He is also widely known for the landmark report The Web Globalization Report Card, published annually since 2003.

He has spoken at numerous industry events, including the Unicode Conference, Brand2Global, Internet Retailer, and Localization World. He has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and an MS from Boston University. He contributes to numerous publications and media, including UX Magazine and Multilingual Magazine

The Art of the Global Gateway: Tips for Designing a Worldly and Welcoming Website

A localized website is of little value if the web user cannot find it. As companies increase the number of local websites they support, the challenge of directing users to these sites grows in importance. There are many details involved and many ways for users to get lost along the way.

This session explains visual and technical solutions to ensure that users discover their local websites quickly and easily. From country codes to geolocation to the visual global gateway, this session will help you improve the findability of your local websites.

In this session, attendees will learn:

• The four core elements of a successful global gateway strategy
• The many risks of using flags
• Country codes and why they matter
• How to better align global SEO with your localized websites