SEO localization is the practice of increasing traffic to a website by showing organic search results in the right target language. Localized SEO (search engine optimization) allows marketers to increase their traffic in different parts of the globe.
Consider the following scenario: We have recently expanded your eComm site, which currently sells wristwatches in the United States to Mexico. It’s a great place to start translating your website into different languages. But you can’t guarantee that visitors will visit your website without optimizing SEO for all users. English term ‘watch’ might be the perfect word to search in the United States, but not for Mexico. If you don’t optimize your search engine result for the local keyword “reloj”, your website will not be found by Spanish speakers.
In this guide, we will give you an overview of the benefits of localized SEO and some tips for getting started.
Benefits of Localized Search Engine Optimization
Let’s take a look at some benefits of localized search engine optimization.
Targeting Local Consumers
Keywords are the main focus of international SEO. For targeting a local audience, the use of local terminology becomes important. The local terminology for a commodity may be different from the actual terminology. To find the local keywords that can help drive traffic to your brand, you need to use local search engines.
Improving the Local User Experience.
Using local keywords effectively will help you rank higher in local search engine results pages (SERPs) and potentially increase the number of visitors to your page and some profitable conversions. It has also been shown that a well-designed localized SEO strategy can reduce exit rates.
The results of localized SEO, however, also help to enhance the overall consumer experience. It’s natural that customers will prefer to use their native language and visit websites located in their own region. The local language catering will make sure that visitors stay on the website for a long time.
Credibility Positions and International Development
Website localization adds credibility. Your reputation starts with the local target market and grows from there. The more credibility your brand has, the more reputation it will have.
A low ranking in local search results can also be an indicator of how your website will do on a global scale. Improving your local SEO ranking can help you achieve a high Domain Authority. DA is a metric that enables you to evaluate the strength and potential of your website compared to other websites.
Optimizing your SEO for localization will also expand your audience. When you explore new markets, you reach a new global audience.
Why is an SEO localization strategy important?
SEO localization helps your content to be visible in new markets by ensuring that the main search terms used by the users of the targeted region are included in your content. Your translators will inevitably include some of the terminology and phrases that your consumers use when browsing for your products and services.
Search behaviours vary. It’s not just that direct translations may not account for the keywords and key phrases individuals from around the world or geographies use to search for content. Also, search engines should understand that you are not penalizing you for page overlap if you are providing unique content for your target regions. However, fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to ensure that your translated content is optimized for your target audience.
Optimal procedures: What is the best way to optimize content for search engine optimization?
You know now that SEO localization is important, but how do you do it?
Some of our most valuable recommendations are as follows:
- You need to do research on the language, culture, and search behaviour of your target market to localize your efforts.
- To research your keywords, use tools like Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner, but with a local perspective (context) and colloquial/proper terms.
- Localize meta titles, descriptions, and URLs so that they meet the local search terms you want to rank for and the cultural relevance to your market.
- Google Trends and market research to understand the bigger picture of your audience and what’s trending.
- If you can stay with it, make your content contemporary and relevant by using local holidays, festivals, and political climates.
When doing keyword research, you need to think locally.
Keyword research is no exception to the rule in any SEO strategy, and localization is no exception to that rule. Remember that direct translation of keywords hardly works as it should, and you must take the area into consideration. For example, in English, we might frequently search for ‘house’, but the same entire term might apply to a different country, language, or state with a completely different meaning or fewer searches performed.
Try to give life to the kinds of terms that have a high search volume in your target market. See what long-tail keywords or local colloquialisms are in your area. But beyond simply gaining assurance that your searched keywords are useful and relevant, focus groups and interviews with native speakers can provide information on the phrases and terms used by your target audience.
In addition, you will have to compete with competitor keywords. SEO localization also requires location-specific keywords, so prioritize them during the research phase. Use the keywords you translated in order to create localized content.
Instead, choose your keywords and make sure they are translated and ready to use before you create localized content. This will also help you to prepare your keywords so that you don’t waste time and resources on content that doesn’t resonate with your target audience. If you have content that is relevant to your target audience and it’s been carefully curated, it’s much more likely to perform well.
Local inquiry behaviour should be considered.
People search and browse in different ways in different countries. For example, mobile search produces more web traffic than desktop search in some parts of the world. You should also assess your preferences with respect to search engines. While Google is the preferred search engine in the Western world, Baidu takes a large share of the search engine market in China. If you develop content, it is important to understand that there are minor differences between search engine algorithms.
Don’t underestimate the power of backlinks.
In any capacity, backlinks are indispensable for SEO and can help a lot with your international SEO efforts. To be relevant, it makes sense to seek referrals from local websites. If you’re not able to place a backlink on a website, consider guest posting or directly reaching out to potential backlink opportunities.
Use glossaries to keep consistency.
A glossary can help you with your SEO localization efforts and keep your brand voice. As a glossary is a living document, encourage linguists to always contribute to a glossary as they use new keywords and important terms. Not only do glossaries and style guides help you develop your tone of voice, but they also speed up the translation and localization process when it comes to creating content afterwards.
URLs and meta elements can be localized.
Effective SEO localization strategies localize every category of content, from metadata to imagery and graphics. Meta titles, descriptions and URLs are very important elements that affect search engine rankings and user views. Make sure they’re optimized for local search terms and that they are culturally appropriate for your audience.
An example would be URLs that feature Romanized Japanese words or Katakana, which might be easier for Japanese users to understand but also easier for users in Germany to understand.
Additionally, if your meta descriptions are culturally relevant, they can greatly improve click-through rates by making your search listings more appropriate and appealing to local users. Ensuring that each touchpoint is consistent with local expectations will provide your SEO, and user engagement can be greatly improved.
SEO Factors to Keep in Mind
The aforementioned best practices cover the fundamentals of SEO localization. However, in order to enhance your SEO strategy in your regional markets, it is also important to take into account these two frequently disregarded elements:
- Link to local content:When you link to other sites or materials, you may want to replace the existing hyperlinks in your source content with hyperlinks to content in your target language or content that is related to the region or country. Also, work on supporting strategies to try to get other websites in the area to link to your multilingual website.
- Evaluate the distinctions between search engines: While Google is the most commonly used search engine in many of the international markets in which we all offer WordPress, we shouldn’t assume it’s the most popular search engine in the country in which we want to deploy WordPress. For instance, if you aim to reach an audience in China, Russia, or South Korea and wish to translate your content, you may think about rethinking your SEO tactic — perhaps you will also modify it in accordance with Baidu, Yandex or Naver, instead of or in addition to Google.
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