Learning the art of SEO translation for global brands

Any brand that works towards going global faces challenges, especially when it comes to going local in different countries all at once. Sadly, too many brands rush to translate their content into their target language without doing any research. The brands forget to consider that tweaking domestic strategy is necessary if they want their content to fit the culture of their target audiences.

Firstly, multilingual SEO needs human touch

When it comes to multilingual keyword research, it’s not a good idea to rely on machine translation alone. While it’s tempting to use tools that claim to handle multiple languages, none can replace human, expertise when it comes to high-quality global SEO results.

Also, other than the necessity for a strong command of the target language and an understanding of the subtleties of a culture, it is necessary to have comprehensive knowledge of international SEO best practices.

To conduct thorough multilingual keyword research, you need a linguist who can translate and come up with new keywords, and analyze them, while also taking into account certain SEO criteria, including:

• The competition – keyword difficulty is an important consideration as it measures the amount of effort it could take to get to the top of the search results. It’s not just about how many competitors are out there, it also has to do with the reputability and authority of competing websites.
• Local search volumes – this one is simple: the higher the local search volumes, the better the chance of getting traffic by targeting specific keywords.
• Strategy – while there may be industry-specific keywords that bring in tons of traffic, they may not necessarily convert to sales. So, the keywords are not bringing the right audience and should not be targeted. That’s why it’s important to use a linguist or translator who knows how to strategically choose the right combination of long tail and broad keywords.

Why is research necessary?

Quality translation is the key element of the localization process as it ensures the tone of voice correctly reflects the brand identity and helps ensure the brand message is consistently conveyed across global markets.

Multi-language keyword research lays the foundation of a global content strategy. It’s goal is to identify what you’re going to be talking about and ensures customers will find you wherever you are in the world. But, there are a few things to consider:

• Identify your target markets – make use of Google Analytics to determine which countries are already bringing in organic traffic and which ones you need to build an audience from.
• Study potential markets – keyword research tools will help you figure out how many people are already searching for your kind of services in your targeted countries. So, find out who the local competitors are, and study their strategies.
• Think outside the box – Google isn’t the most popular search engine in every country. In fact, in America, 21 percent of the market actually belongs to Bing. So, research the specific search engines in the target countries, such as Seznam in the Czech Republic, Yahoo in Hong Kong, or Yandex in Russia.

Search patterns around the globe vary according to cultural references, local customs, and more. Don’t miss out on those global opportunities. Do the research and use professional linguists to do the multilingual keyword research!