How often have you heard of the term Multilingual SEO or even SEO? Maybe too many to make you feel queasy. Many people talk about it, seem to understand it, and can assure you of having an effective strategy. However, few people seem to give correct answers on what to prioritize and how to do it.
Today, multilingual SEO has become a top consideration for people aiming to get top rankings on search engines. Previously, it was easy to win using search engines by finding your way to the top. You only needed enough keywords and numerous links to your page, but things in the search engine world have changed. You need regular quality content to appear on top of search engines.
Additionally, backlinks from well-known sites will enhance your site’s reputation instead of the old method of putting your website in directories. With that information about the world of SEO, many people overlook the impact of translating your site into several languages. See below and discover all the things you should consider when building your site’s multilingual SEO.
Multilingual SEO Considerations
Businesses should consider site translation if they serve different global markets. One of the main benefits of translating your website is that it will enable you to increase your ranking. Here are the top five things you should know about multilingual SEO and how they can benefit your business:
1. How to Set the Right Keywords for Multilingual SEO
While you may have settled on the perfect keywords for your current website, you’ll have to find the right ones when you localize to another region. You may choose to translate your content, but it is essential to use terms that most people search for to enjoy the results of your excellent work. Even though you can use a VPN to change your location, a native will choose your content more depending on your choice of keywords.
2. How to Create News and Blog Posts
Most companies translate the crucial pages on their sites and localize their critical pages because of their high traffic rate. Some even localize their landing pages to get an edge. You can outdo them by translating all your content.
As mentioned earlier, search engines love regular, fresh, and high-quality content. Therefore, there may not be any other way to increase your rankings than translating all your blog posts, current, and future.
Nonetheless, your content may not be relevant in different countries. That’s why transcreation over translation becomes key to efficiently communicating with your audience. Hiring content writers for specific countries would ensure you always provide updated and high-quality content on your website. In addition, it boosts your user experience and, eventually, your conversions.
3. How to Create Video Content
When creating your videos, adding subtitles is one of the most cost-effective ways when translating for the audience in different parts of the globe. Alternatively, consider your preferred keywords and subtitles that count as content to boost your SEO. Subtitles will help boost your list because videos do well on search engines and count as high-quality content. For clarity, video websites such as YouTube are examples of search engines.
4. Avoid Using Online Translation Tools
Most free online translation tools don’t provide the best results. Your content will be full of errors, it won’t flow as it should, and your customers will dislike it. Your clients will feel unvalued if you don’t spend your money to communicate your content in their native language.
According to HBR, over 70% of consumers prefer spending time on websites in their native languages. 56% of consumers consider the information in their language more than its price. Hence, it would be best to invest in your clients to get great returns from your work. In addition, avoid using Google Translate for your site because it is against Google WebMaster’s guidelines, which can negatively affect your website’s presence.
5. About Subdirectories or Local Domains
After doing all this work, it has to go somewhere. Choosing between localizing your domain or creating a subdirectory for your website would be best. The best strategy would be using domain names because you won’t need to use a local server. However, it is essential to understand that it can be costly, and the name you choose may be unavailable. Also, experts recommend using a local server which boosts loading times.
On the other hand, subdirectories are easy to set up and low maintenance because you’ll add them to your existing website. The negative things about subdirectories are that the user finds geotargeting less clear, URLs are uglier and less linking, and doesn’t have a local server which may affect your search engine reach and trust.
Key Takeaways
There has been significant growth and improvement in search engine optimization, and no one should promise you to get a fast top ranking. They may do it out of misinformation or exaggeration, but SEO takes a long time to nurture, requires consistency, and demands a lot of patience. Localizing your website can be a great idea because it is a cost-effective way to reach an audience from different global locations without setting up physical hubs in the regions.
In today’s globalized world, you shouldn’t give any excuse for failing to provide your website for different users because each will have its pain points and needs that your brand needs to respond to. So, ensure all your content is transcreated to respond to their cultural particularities and personal wants.
Want to talk about multilingual SEO and website translation? Schedule a complimentary session with us.