Multilingual SEO: the long tail of International Branding june2011 1. Online products, localization services, and diversification 2. How professional translation enhances cultural values 3. Locally customer search engine optimization The Online Demographic The online marketplace is a melting pot in which people tend to group on shared cultural values. Social media sites are now virtual spaces in which we exchange opinions, pictures and contents with our peers and friends. Yet, it is also the source of opportunities to reach a global audience, while at the same time segment our audiences providing infinite possibilities of customization of the services. If your business is ready to go global, then there are some interesting facts that give you an immediate image of the internet audience. 75% of the world s Internet users do not speak English as their first language. Asia has the biggest percentage of Internet usage with 43% of the worldwide usage, followed by Europe and North America. In order to globalize your brand you need to understand local habits, as well as regional Internet behavior. A simple translation of your current website is not enough to relate to a foreign audience, as the localization process requires online companies to adapt layout, symbols, navigation, and use of color for each local audience. Your brand has to create a rewarding and tailored online experience that consumers will be willing to share, bookmark, tag, comment, like, tweet This needs to be based on an appreciation of each market s different emotional and rational perceptions, which has been generated by linguistic, cultural and geographical factors.
The Long Tail Theory Shaping your brand around this international perspective will increase your business growth, and provide your firm with access to new, niche markets. This is where the Long Tail theory is applicable, as despite the almost infinite choice that the Internet provides, people still seem to gravitate towards niches. This is because they are better at satisfying our specific interests. Therefore, narrowly targeted goods and services can be as economically viable as mainstream fare, as our culture is shifting away from the mass markets to millions of niches. Things no longer need to be a hit in order to be profitable, as digital services, such as itunes, have discovered. With no shelf space to pay for, no manufacturing costs, and minimal distribution fees, a so-called miss is just another sale or two. And with so many more misses, it can add up to a potentially huge market. In short, the Long Tail states that the aggregate size of many small markets may rival that of an existing mainstream market. Localization and Multilingual Search Engine Optimization (MSEO) Working with a native translator who understands the local language will help adapt your brand around geo-tagged personas. As has been mentioned, professional linguists realize that a direct translation of your web content will not be suitable enough for other cultures. There is also a need to interpret the nuances and dialects to correctly communicate the local message of your brand. Consequently, international firms require Multilingual SEO services to help get their site to the top of global search engine rankings. MSEO is predominantly a research-based exercise designed to identify the highest searched keywords for each local area. Websites should maximize the use of these keywords in order to get plenty of traffic from local search engines. To be successful, e-companies need to identify the relevancy and local competition for all keywords. This task should be assigned to mother tongue translators, who have been professionally trained and can convey your brand values with the proper linguistic and cultural approach.
There are further important elements to be aware of while choosing the keywords to target. For instance: Local search engines (such as Baidu in China and Rediff in India) now dominate some domestic markets. The major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN now have their websites localized for many countries, especially in Europe. There needs to be consideration of local alternative terminology, such as slang, English hybrids, and other such colloquialisms) Your final goal should be to understand your customers needs and what keywords and phrases they are using to find your products or service. The biggest challenge when adapting your website and translating your web content into another language is getting the actual translation right. The internationalization of your website should cater for the specific needs of each individual locality. This will include the utilization of SEO friendly terminology to optimize searches for page titles and Meta tags. The professional and accurate localization of your website content will get your products closer to each audience and will help build the essential bond of trust that drives the completion of your objectives and boost your search engine rank. Hence, one should never forget to satisfy local commercial regulations, by providing currency conversions and secure payment tools. Top tips for MSEO The recent Search Marketing Expo, held on May 16th-17th in London discussed ways for firms to improve their MSEO policies. Here is a summary of the hottest tips from the experts, including Sam Crooker and Louis Venter: Thorough research and planning are essential for success- Remember to check to products and services that are appealing to the local markets, as well as the regional trends and behavior. Generally, three things drive a good SEO campaign, and they are content, connections, and compatibility. However, for a multilingual approach, firms need to also consider culture. Companies need to create individual strategies for each locality, and tailor communications to suit the local markets. For instance, In Britain, people tend to search in plurals, whereas other countries do not.
Geo-Targeting has many benefits- Use geo-targeting to determine the location of your website visitor and deliver them location specific content. One example is that the navigation of your website needs to be altered for different cultures, as countries such as Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon use right-to-left orientation (Barber and Badre). Businesses also need to enlist creative translation, or transcreation services, as online content needs to be more than a direct translation of your original copy. Transcreation considers any cultural differences that could affect your promotional material to ensure it suitable for the target market, while remaining interesting to read. Great content is essential- Online customers will not remain on your site if the content is bland. Attempt to understand local search engines by enlisting the help of regional experts, to ensure that your website has both the interesting material and local SEO-friendly terms. E-commerce and Globalization Trends There is a growing trend towards e-commerce, as companies have realized the lucrative opportunities that it presents. A recent example sees Mothercare, a former hallmark of the British high street, sacrificing its bricks-and-mortar stores and pursuing a global, web-based strategy. With the firm opting to shut down 110, or a third, of their town centre stores, Mothercare are attempting to cut costs, while placing more emphasis on their international expansion and the development of their web presence. EBay have been taking similar action by wishing to offer more local language portals to emerging markets beyond their existing Russian site. The owner of the world s largest market place is set to expand its business to new territories in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Upon observing these trends, adopting MSEO best practices has to become a core feature in your online business strategy. TranslateMedia specialize in providing professional and localized MSEO services tailored for your growing company. Contact us for more information.
TranslateMedia TranslateMedia is a leading global translation agency with offices in London, New York, Paris, Munich and Hong Kong. With a network of over 5,000 professional linguists, TranslateMedia serves clients across a broad range of industries, using innovative web technologies to bring multilingual media effortlessly and cost-effectively to its customers. Our professional language services have been independently audited and awarded the EN15038 and IS09001 certificates, which is reflective of the quality standards that we maintain throughout the company. In 2010, TranslateMedia were ranked 9th in the Deloitte Fast 500 for EMEA 2010, coming first in the media sector. TranslateMedia is also a member of the Association of Translation Companies in the UK, and the American Translations Association. For more information about TranslateMedia or to organize a translation of online materials, contact us. www.translatemedia.com info@translatemedia.com