Multilingual Search Engine Marketing is one of our specialities, therefore we want to share some tips and tricks to help you all succeed in the industry.
1. SEO the English (or source language) site properly first
Learn how to do this or get agency help, but importantly, target 2-3 key-phrases per page. A really useful tip when looking to localise, it to place these 2-3 key-phrases in the ‘keywords’ meta tag. These will then expose the target key-phrases to the localisation process. When translating the site, research the equivalents of these key-phrases in the target language first and choose the correct local version to SEO for (based on search volume, competitiveness, strategic importance). Build these into the terminology database (multiterm or similar), then when the page is translated, it will stand a fighting chance of being naturally SEO’d for some good keywords.
2. Make sure the language page URLs are unique
The language selector should not be setting a cookie that automatically selects the right content. For example, if one of your pages is www.mysite.com/products, when viewed in French the URL should not be the same URL. Many sites use the same URL with dynamically served content based on the cookie. These will not list in the target language search engines because search engines cannot hold the cookie and then spider the language content. Also, the cookie should not cause the browser to auto-forward on to a French page. Cookies are not bad tools to use for remembering a user’s preferred language, but they should not be used in the ways above or the content will not be spidered.
3. Running PPC in a target language or locale
Running PPC in a target language or locale is an excellent easy and low cost way to test out a market. It saves the expense of translating the whole site, and removes the uncertainty of judging a market because a newly translated site will not list well on local engines. PPC also delivers excellent statistics on search volumes and interest in your products and services, and will drive enquiries or orders instantly without the long wait to get listed.
4. Local domain name and local IP address
Many SEOs talk about having to have a local domain name and local IP address in order to list on local search engines. These are not essential unless in a very competitive market. Many sites list very well without this. Do not take this step (which is expensive because it means hosting on multiple servers) unless you are sure it is required. Use Google’s webmaster tools to specify the location of your site initially, perform good SEO friendly localisation, and then asses the results before you go to extra lengths.
5. Reliance on links
Google, and many other search engines rely on links. This is no different in other languages. You need on-topic links from sites that are in the target language, linking to your site using the target keywords in the link text. Links are not easy to get in English, let alone other languages, so if you do not have the resources internally you may have to enlist help here.
About The Author
Ian Harris is the co founder of Search Laboratory. Ian has been programming for the internet since 1995 and has an MSc in internet technologies from the University of Leeds. Prior to starting Search Laboratory he was the C.T.O. at one of the world’s largest translation companies for five years where his focus was web site and software localisation. He has helped many companies with their global content including IBM, Novell and HSBC. Through Search Laboratory he is now applying his experience of web technologies and web site localisation to help clients reach their global audience quickly and effectively.
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