SEO TIPS: Multilingual SEO

Even though the biggest search engines in the world are based in English speaking countries, you have to remember that when it comes to your audience, the Internet is really worldwide.  Only 6 to 8% of the world’s population speaks or reads English, although many webmasters don’t consider this fact and may even be believe that the entire world understands, speaks, writes or uses English in some form or the other -or that automatic translating systems on their browsers are adequate. They would often be wrong.

A website that is solely in English severely limits your website’s potential. Only around 25% of people use English on the internet, and many businesses today are of global nature with products shipped worldwide and services offered across the borders. One currency spends just as well as a another. When you limit your website to English, you limit the amount of international users accessing your website or ordering your service. A conversion is a conversion regardless of what language it is processed in.

Websites can be viewed in other languages using Google translator, but many internet users will not take the trouble to do that. They will like for something already in the language they speak. It’s just easier to use websites that are already available in their mother tongue (besides, free translator tools are notoriously

unreliable) . Try a few out and see how far off base they can be. It is one of the major reasons they are not suggested for use on business sites. An additional factor is that most users will be more comfortable with a local service provider or at least a service provider who shows them that they can communicate in their local language.

When it comes time to go bilingual or multilingual, you do have a few options to choose from. You can use SEO companies that serve global websites and have access to translators who speak the languages you want to target.  This is the most reliable method even if it does cost the most usually, Search patterns vary from region to region so one has to be familiar with the local search trends while optimizing your website in a different language. You cannot simply assume every aspect of the hands on portion of SEO translates exactly from language to language. Keywords and phrases will differ in the way they have to be presented.

Launch your website in the other languages and then optimizing them for each language may seem like too big of a task and you may wonder how valuable it is. Many webmasters consider this an unnecessary expense, and in some niches the ROI may support that line of thinking. However, for those do make the effort reap amazing rewards since so many do not offer this level of service. With each language translation and optimization, you will be opening up your website to millions of new users. This will give you a high traffic level, good conversion rates and better profits. That is what every webmaster and business is looking for!

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