Four Tips for Gathering Multilingual SEO Keywords
When it comes to achieving global reach in existing and emerging new markets, most organizations look to translate their web content into the target language. According to Statista in 2015, the top five common languages on the Internet were: English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese. A lesson to all can be found in Internet World Statistics, which reports 787 million users, that is 21% of the Internet are surfing online in another language.
It is important to translate and localize your websites for foreign language markets. There are numerous cultural considerations that need to be taken into account in the design, layout and usability. You can learn more in Welocalize’s blog post Welocalize Checklist for Successful Website + E-Commerce Localization.
Despite the growing visibility and importance of localization. Many global brands still rush to translate their content. As a result, they fail to take into account that tweaking and amending their domestic web and SEO (search engine optimization) strategy can play a vital part in ensuring web content fits the culture, tastes and connotations of their new target audience. Most importantly, that it determines if you can BE DISCOVERED in new markets. Developing SEO keywords for international markets is key to increasing visitors to your website and targeting digital marketing activities.
So what is a keyword? A keyword is a word on your website that matches a search term found by global search engines when users search for a particular phrase, word or grouping. This is where a few websites fail to be recognized in foreign markets. Their content may be translated; however, their keywords are not translated and that can be an epic fail. No matter what language your website has been translated into, keywords are what gets your website ranked highly on search engines.
Here are four few tips to help you find and gather keywords for multilingual SEO:
TIP ONE: Identify the perfect keywords
A great starting point is to make sure you have a good selection of keywords in your native tongue. You can translate source keywords; however, the translation is not always accurate and certain words once translated may have a different meaning. People across the world search for the same items but using different keywords. Approach each local market separately and get into the mind-set of a local user.
TIP TWO: Find the right language
Languages sometimes vary from one locale to another. It is important when choosing your desired language to understand the significance of the locale on the creation of multilingual keywords. In Spain, the word “coche” is commonly used for the word “car.” However, if you are advertising in a Latin American country, the same Spanish word may be commonly used for the word “baby-stroller” or “pushchair.” Therefore, the translation completely alters the product you wish to market as something else and probably disappoints your searching consumer eager to by a car, not a stroller!
TIP THREE: Don’t focus on corporate terms
People don’t search for items, services or products using corporate or technical language. Make sure to include more day-to-day phrases and search terms they would use. Evaluate them and pick the keywords that have good search volumes with low competition, this way you stand a better chance of ranking higher in search.
TIP FOUR: Don’t assume one search engine rules all
We all have our own favorite search engines that we use when surfing the Internet. It is important to consider which search engine is the most common or popular one in your desired target market. You may have conducted research on keywords and ranking analysis based on Google search. If you wish to enter the Chinese market, most of your keyword analysis and rankings will be invaluable on Google. The popular search engine in China is Baidu; therefore, analysis would be more applicable using this search engine as a basis than that of Google for this particular target market.
In today’s constantly growing and evolving global and digital economy, a business’s digital visibility is crucial for success. It is important to make sure that your content is readable, targeted at the right market and searchable. Multilingual keywords should be an integral part of any SEO and localization strategy.
