The importance of localization in SEO

What's the key to success in the international markets? How to make sure your website is visible to users in different markets, capture their attention and allow them to convert? It's all possible with a joint effort between SEO and Localization. In this deck, you will find insights on the differences between SEO translation and SEO Localisation, how to integrate Localisation in SEO, the benefits, and practical information on starting.

Slides presented at International Search Summit - September 2021

Transcript

1. Global virtual edition International Search Summit “The importance of localization in SEO” Veruska Anconitano SEO and Localization Project Manager, Canva
2. A bit about me Multilingual SEO and (Localization) Project Manager with 20+ years of experience. Worked/Works for • Amazon • Skyscanner • eBay • Booking.com • Groupon Currently: SEO and Localization Project Manager @Canva 🇮🇹‍ 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇪🇸🇫🇷🇵🇹🇯🇵🇰🇷‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
3. STATS ARE ALWAYS A PERFECT ICE-BREAKER* of searches are processed every day 5.6 billion of websites are in English 60% billion people are active Internet users 4.66 worldwide Internet users speak Chinese 19.4% worldwide Internet users speak Spanish 7.9% worldwide Internet users speak English 26% * Statista January 2021
4. English is spoken in 36 countries The problem with stats and data 1 2 3 4 Spanish is spoken in 21 countries French is spoken in 29 countries German is spoken in 6 countries
5. 1 3 None of these countries speak the same English, German, French, Spanish. 4
6. PISO Convey a great number of information in an effective manner APARTAMENTO OFFERTA SPECIALE AZIONE SPECIAL OFFER APARTMENT CAR CHAR VOITURE CAMPSITE CAMPGROUND THE FUNNY PART...
7. Culture and Language…
8. Are inextricably linked
9. Linguistically and culturally congruent web contents activate shared schemas for people who share the same culture, and, thus, help them to better process contents
10. SEO Localization Matters
11. New and Qualified Organic Traffic GAIN User experience Conversion Rates Your Domain Authority Your Brand Awareness 1 IMPROVE 2 INCREASE 3 ENHANCE 4 BOOST 5 The Importance of SEO Localization
12. Experiment, measure, analyze, adjust Review existing materials in source language and strategize their use How to Implement a Fully Functioning Local Strategy Do Market Research Implement a project management process Keywords’ research, topic research, insights research – Optimize by country, not language Create a Local Strategy involving the whole team 1 2 3 4 5 6
13. Do Market Research Check existing data Define your persona(s) and their interests Research your audience navigation habits Research how your audience find and search online Research competitors and define your USP Understand the context you want to break in
14. Implement a PjM Process and Structure Identify your company’s needs Create Senior Management Team & assign Project Coordinators Define roles and responsibilities within the project among the different stakeholder Identify Training Requirements Create a Project Organizational Chart Define goals and assign tasks
15. Review existing materials in source language Existing data (user and content) Evaluate impact of existing items on foreigner markets Create an SEO Source-Language Term base based on the existing content Transcreate keywords from existing items Analyze, Prioritize and discard
16. Create a Local Plan Language Guidelines Adapted Brand Guidelines List of competitors and their keywords Strategic approach: aggressive, passive, etc? Goals and results
17. Research Your keywords Move past the “high volume” keywords, focus on real language and real searches Forget direct translations of keywords Take foreignization into account Account for seasonality and get familiar with regionalisms and cultural don’ts.
18. ORDENADOR COMPUTADORA COMPUTER DRINK BREUVAGE BOISSON Optimize by country, not language
19. T ools are helpful!
20. Humans are Essential
21. Do you know that 83% of people declare to leave a website if they don't find a localised version or if they find mistakes? Humans are soaked up in the culture and are able to pick slang, idioms and nuances using them to perfectly target the right people in the right country with the right content Know how to simplify By addressing your new potential customers in their own language, organically, the messages you convey will be more understandable. Your audience will be more touched by your brand and will be able to relate to it. Makes your brand unique Can fill the gap between a company and its potential customers Know nuances, slangs, idioms The Human Touch Easing up the complexity of the language for SEO purposes allows to create content that appeal to a specific segment and that can rank better.
22. Build a culture of Ownership!
23. Facilitate the relations between the SEO Team and the Localization Team 01 06 02 05 03 04 Use a TMS (Translation Management System) for scalability and productivity Create an SEO Source- Language Termbase Create a Bilingual SEO Translation Glossary Analyze both SEO and Localization’s team efforts, results, and advancement over time. Refine as needed. Clean up the Translation Memory periodically to ensure consistency and implementation of the best SEO keywords/phrases Train Translators/Vendors on best SEO practices to apply daily
24. International SEO is everything but just translating content
25. It's qualified traffic SEO is about driving organic traffic that’s likely to convert. International SEO is about driving organic traffic from a specific country to get them to spend money. SEO LOCALIZATION 101 It's not magic International SEO is a combination of doing SEO as you’re used to, while reflecting cultural differences. It's all about experience International SEO is all about offering your target audience a pleasant experience on your site. It's empathy International SEO requires you really have to know your target audience.
26. Make your target feel at home, and they will convert.
27. Veruska Anconitano Get in touch with me if you have questions or suggestions. Email Address veruska@anconitano.com Website www.anconitano.com Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/veruska-anconitano/