If there are two aspects of business emerging as the most vital cogs in the online marketing system, it is SEO (search engine optimization) and Localization. Translation services online are a vital way of ensuring that any business or service can reach as many potential clients as possible, and increasingly, as competition increases, companies are opting for a fully localized service.
Such translation services online, however, are often limited only to web content and rarely do they include the wealth of other online marketing, such as; article writing, blog commenting, guest blogging, link building, infographics etc. With an increasing focus being placed on both aspects of online marketing, it seems only natural that there should be some cross over between the two.
Multi-Lingual SEO
As SEO has evolved and Google’s algorithm tools been developed, one major change that has occurred within the SEO world, is a shift towards quality. More time and money is being spent on online campaigns – the $700 million raised online by the Obama 2012 campaign is an example of this – and, as a result, it is crucial to ensure that the full potential of such efforts is truly realized.
If, as a business, you are spending time, money and considerable effort on both SEO and translation services online, then it seems strange not to consider the two as part of the same strategy.
SEO and Localization
Social Networking
To start at first base, one example of localizing your SEO campaign is through social networking. This is not even solely a language thing, but, as is the case with any truly localized service, it too is a cultural thing.
In Europe and the US, for example, we are aware of which sites to focus our attentions on. Facebook has an incredible 164,958,520 users in the US alone – that is over 50% of the total population – whereas in Japan, the penetration rate is at just 12.47%. On the other hand, in Japan, the new and relatively unknown, outside of the Asian country, social network, Line, in July last year had a growth rate of five million users every three weeks, and already by September last year had exceeded 60 million users in the country – that is almost four times as many as Facebook.
Statistics, such as these, prove exactly why localization is a crucial component of online marketing. Regardless of the quality of translation services online or SEO strategy you receive, without this localized knowledge, you could very well be fishing in the wrong pond.
Keywords
Businesses work tirelessly to discover which keywords are going to produce the highest number of hits, and then embark on lengthy campaigns to ensure that their website appears at the top of such searches. Again, however it is almost baffling how few of these companies then consider doing the same in other languages.
The first thing to remember is that direct translations of keywords often won’t work, and thus it is important to research (ideally with a translator) the most relevant keywords within other core language groups. This is especially relevant if you have a specific sizeable market, within another language group.
As an example, the Italian translation of ‘low cost flights’ is, directly, “voli a basso costo”, but the much more common search term is, rather, “voli low cost”. Indeed, the latter receives over 1.2 million monthly searches, whereas the direct translation receives just 27,100. This is a perfect example of why local knowledge is crucial when conducting foreign language SEO campaigns.
Domain Name
Along similar lines to the previous point, it is also crucial that you secure a domain name that is attractive and suitable for a specific location. Especially within local searches, the domain name is becoming an increasingly important aspect of SEO, and those that make direct reference to a specific keyword will reap the benefits.
Other Aspects
Of course, a similar trend is true for many other aspects of SEO. Choosing the most appropriate search engine, for example; although Google is dominant in the US and Europe, Yahoo still reigns supreme in Japan, and in South Korea, it is the home grown Naver that attracts the highest proportion of searches. Link-building, too, can be localized and this can ensure that your trust rank is high in other languages too.
Final Thoughts
There is no denying the importance of both SEO and translation services online, and truly for a fully comprehensive service, the two must go hand in hand. Localization provides an enhanced level of success and thus all of the above mentioned processes should be conducted relative to location, and not simply language.