Conquering the global market goes beyond the mere translation of words: it must speak to hearts and minds in every language. At Undertow, we are well-versed in the ins and outs of localization, but we were curious to unpack the wonderful success story behind Canva, the world’s biggest online design platform. To do so, we sat down with Michael Levot, the driving force behind Canva's incredible internationalization strategy, who shared his insights on building a brand that truly resonates on a global scale.
Michael Levot: The Architect of Canva's Global Resonance
Michael Levot leads the localization team at Canva, a free graphic and marketing design tool used by millions worldwide. His journey began six years ago with a small but mighty team of four. Fast forward to today, and that team has blossomed into over 30 dedicated professionals, mirroring Canva's own incredible trajectory from 10 million to over 200 million international users.
Canva's Localization Evolution: From Seed to Mighty Oak
What started as a single unit focused on breaking language barriers has evolved into a well-oiled machine, a landslide expansion that is reinforced by a sophisticated, layered structure divided into specialized teams, each playing a crucial role:
Marketing Localization Team
They are the guardians of Canva's brand voice, ensuring it translates seamlessly across cultures.
Product Localization Team
Their mission is ensuring Canva's platform feels like it was built for every user, no matter their language.
Content Localization Team
From templates to tutorials, this team makes sure Canva's content library speaks to the unique tastes of each market.
Language Management Team
They are the quality control experts, guaranteeing consistency and accuracy across all languages and projects.
Michael, however, points out that, at Canva and in many successful companies, departments are not set in stone and need to adapt dynamically to changing priorities. As such, he does not rule out a future rearrangement of Canva’s teams to suit their needs and new customers.
Canva’s Localization Strategic Insights: From First Steps to Global Giant
Taking the Plunge: From One Locale to A Worldwide Span
Canva's localization adventure began with a strategic focus on a big addressable market: Spanish-speaking countries. Their bold next move was setting their sights on an ambitious goal: 100 languages within a year of launching in Spanish. This big surge implies this audacious strategy paid off, allowing Canva to tap into markets that were a natural fit for their product without needing major overhauls.
Canva’s scenario is a particular one: as Michael points out, they adopted what he calls “reverse prioritization”, which consists of a comprehensive localization strategy that allowed them to see where there was a natural market fit and what was necessary at which time. That way, they started big and assessed each necessity as they went.
This might be considered a risky strategy, but it paid off for them. Nevertheless, he highlights that companies looking at this approach need to have organic acquisition, local growth marketing teams and the right payment methods in place before venturing into full localization workflows.
Challenges and Lessons Learned Along the Way
No localization process is free from mistakes, and Michael openly shares some early missteps. One key takeaway was not to over-invest in full localisation of all product elements, like localized homepage banners, before seeing a significant impact on key metrics. B2B SaaS companies need to analyse if other
departments need their strategic attention and focus their efforts there. In other words, see what makes the difference, where customers place value. In the case of Canva, it was extraordinary customer support that improved the user experience and gave Canva customers the peace of mind they needed to make the most of the platform.
Another valuable lesson was the importance of timing. Levot reflects on Canva's localization experience and concurs that diving into market research before having the internal structure to act on those insights proved premature.
These experiences highlighted the need to align localization efforts with strategic business goals and real user needs.
Advice for SaaS Startups: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint
The most important thing that startups eager to make their mark globally should do is set realistic expectations. For localization to be successful, it should be understood not only as a financial investment that generates results overnight, or as a technical achievement. The so-called localization journey goes beyond that: it is an integral cultural shift in the entire organization that demands weaving cultural understanding into the very fabric of your company. It's about building a team that doesn't just translate words but champions the nuances of different cultures. It’s vital to hire people who can dominate the right tools and who are capable of advocating for localization as well as executing it effectively throughout the whole business. Remember, it's about integrating localization seamlessly into your overall business strategy.
Data-Driven Decisions: Letting the Numbers Guide the Way
Canva doesn't just rely on gut feeling. Their markets and, therefore, their localization strategy are profoundly subcategorized and fueled by actionable data. Breaking down the product into high-level metrics such as customer satisfaction surveys (CSat) and in-depth funnel analytics, allows them to assess which areas are performing well and which ones raise concerns. For example, the localization team might look at the trial user experience and see if users in a particular market are dropping off during signup or finding the right value in the brand and staying, a good lever to streamline the localized content or user experience.
How To Best Measure Localization Efforts?
The localization's very own encompassing presence in all areas of a business makes it hard to track its own metrics. As such, looking at very granular (or domain-specific) data helps gauge the effectiveness of a startup’s localization efforts. Examples of this are the user ticket creation ratio, the success rate of searches, which is the number of people purchasing the product after searching for it, or the bounce rate.
Needless to say, quality feedback (derived from the user experience) needs to be measured against quantitative data, like revenue impact and user growth.
And of course, numbers cannot be taken at face value. For instance, countries with large populations might not be tied to a high penetration rate, while, for Canva, other factors, such as the level of investment in educational programs, might contribute more notably.
This will determine if there ultimately is a market fit or if the company needs to go back to the research phase.
Organizational Alignment: Finding Localization's Success
Where localization sits within your company structure can make or break your efforts. In a product-led company like Canva, it's crucial for the localization team to work closely with product development. This ensures that cultural nuances are built into the product itself, creating a truly tailored experience for each market.
Localization Done Right - The Canva Way
Canva's journey is a testament to the power of well-executed localization. It's about more than just words; it's about empathy, understanding, and building connections that transcend language. Michael Levot's insights offer a roadmap for businesses looking to create products that resonate on a global scale. Remember, it's not just about speaking the language; it's about speaking to the heart of your audience.
At Undertow we know a fair bit about all things localization, both from the product and the customer sides. We’ll coordinate your efforts so you set realistic expectations from the get-go and hit the right spots with your end users. As such, we are in a good place to help you and your B2B startup find the solution you need to ensure your entire localization journey runs smoothly from beginning to end. Start gearing up your product localization journey with us today!
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