The impact of culture on web site content, design, and structure : An international and a multicultural perspective

Purpose – The paper highlights the need for cultural sensitivity in designing web sites that are likely to be read by different cultural groups within one's own country or by people outside one's own country. Design/methodology/approach – The link between culture and communication is established via research and this relates to the web as the web is an increasingly important vehicle for communication. A literature review is undertaken into the variables that impact on both culture and cross‐cultural comparison in terms of likely impact on web site content, design and structure. Findings – Cultural sensitivity is a critical factor in communication and must be taken into account if the web site is to be an effective vehicle for communication in a cross‐cultural context. Practical implications – Those designing web sites should adopt a structured approach of firstly assessing the extent to which it is necessary to take culture into account in designing the web site. Then they need to determine the communication objectives and establish whether there is a need to design sites specifically for the target group in each country. Then they need to cluster such markets in terms of cultural similarities to see whether the same web site can be an effective communication vehicle in more than one country. Originality/value – Managers with an international focus can benefit from the focus in the paper on the linking of culture to web site content design and structure in improving its communication effectiveness taking into account the under exploited potential of the global and multicultural medium.