Multilingual Search Engine Optimization
Search engines have dominated the way user look for information in the internet and will continue to do so in the near future. The reasoning to this is very simple, really. We just don’t remember that well, and search engines help us look for what we need quickly and easily.
After all, who can remember URL address that is as complex as this:-
www.basecamphq.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4907
I know I can’t. I would rather search it out on Google or Yahoo and have them bring me the correct information.
And companies know that and are in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) fervour to get listed as one of the top listing on every major search engines. However, the sad this is that they forget the internet is a global entity. Everyone from anywhere in the world can view the website. What happens to someone who visited the website does not understand English?
Companies realize that and began creating localized version of their website. Still they forget another thing; SEO for the local search engine. They hope to that they just optimize the English site well enough and think that will bring the localized version up too.
Similarly with their Pay Per Click (PPC) advertisements. They thought that by just translating the keywords into the appropriate language, they can have the similar effect that they have been getting with the English version.
That is not the case always. It may give you a hit on occasions, but not always. Why? Simple. No one language is the same throughout. In fact some can be so different, you will need to rephrase each content as a whole to be able to give out the correct meaning. Chinese for example is so different from English, in its sentence structure and in the way the languages is written. There are no alphabets in Chinese. What will you do then? Using a translation tool will 100% give you gibberish.
A solution for that is to hire a translator and have it translated per content meaning and not per word. To make a sale, you need to speak their language, and a properly translated website will help you do just that.
Some simple steps for you to follow in localizing you website if you have already own the English version is as followed:-
Find quality Localization / Translation Company
Ensure you ask for examples of web sites that they have localized before and have your in country people (if you have them) validate the translations on the reference sites. Get your page-by-page keyword glossary translated and approved FIRST. Much effort went into the generation of keywords for each page of the English site.
Your English pages are rich with these keywords. Put the same effort into the translation of these keywords. This should be done first, before any localization of the pages begins. These translations should be approved by your in-country marketing representatives if you have them, or be double-checked by your translation company (using specialist marketing translators) if not.
Ensure the site is professionally localized
The site must be well formed (no broken HTML or other code), be translated well, and must not contain broken links (links to pages that have not been migrated to the language site and therefore throw an error). Quality localization requires a quality localization company using specialist tools to protect page code, and to check it once the localization is complete.
When translating the web site, use the keyword glossary ELECTRONICALLY.
Do not leave it to chance. Your translation company should be using the translated keyword lists in electronic glossaries so the translators are automatically prompted with the approved language version of the keyword whenever they are translating an English equivalent.
Following these steps will ensure that the site gets the basics right and can be effectively indexed on the correct keywords by the engines. However, to ensure you are getting the correct prominence on the search engines, you need to read on.
Also, if you want to score in your marketing at the localized area, you should have your optimization done specifically to the local search engine. This involves the identification of important engines by country for your target market. Google is not necessarily the dominant player in all countries. In China, for example, at the time of writing, you won't find Google in the top ten sites. An engine called Baidu is by far the most used site. In order to identify, and then optimise and monitor for these engines you will require support from external specialists.
PPC is the fastest method to achieving search engine prominence in any country. Using PPC you can instantly achieve success, but unless you have the expertise you can instantly waste large amounts of money. In order to generate PPC keywords (this is not simply the list of page-by-page keywords) and manage your campaigns you will need outside help.
In the same way as you have build vast numbers of links to your English site, the language version is a rich and often untapped source of links. Again, outside help may be required, either with or without the use of your in-country marketing team.
So remember that it is not always safe to assume that English is a universal language and that everyone knows it. They may jolly well know it, but may not be interested in using it. To do well in your business, you have to speak in their language to gain their trust.
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