One of the common misconceptions about international business and expansion is that it’s perfectly enough to prepare content in English. Although it can’t be denied that English does dominate the internet, by no means is it most popular in terms of numbers or sufficient to generate the results every entrepreneur hopes for. So, what exactly is needed? A multilingual website and multilingual SEO might be the key here.
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What is multilingual website & multilingual SEO?
Let’s begin with SEO as such. It’s an acronym of “search engine optimisation” and denotes a whole range of processes meant to improve a brand’s visibility and elevate its ranking in search engines. It includes, for example, keyword research and utilising its findings, or creating and formatting texts in a way that is in line with relevant guidelines.
Multilingual SEO, on the other hand, is the same, but carried out – as the name suggests – in numerous different languages and hence in numerous different markets. Since people from respective countries, regions and cultures – even those outwardly similar – use essentially distinct phrases and have idiosyncratic search habits, incorporating multilingual SEO into your multilingual website (i.e. a website translated or transcreated into languages other than the primary one) is the perfect way to reach out to them, gain their trust and boost their engagement. And this, in turn, helps drive the traffic to your brand and increase your profits.
Why is a multilingual website vital for your business and is it worth the effort?
All of the above poses a crucial question: is it worth investing time and money in launching a multilingual website? Well, that obviously depends. If your sole focus is on a local community or specific country, there’s a fairly good chance you can do without a multilingual website and still meet your business goals (although it’s worth remembering that many regions are multi-ethnic and multilingual, and that not everyone who migrates knows a given country’s official language – an inclusive strategy would be to accommodate to their needs as well, but this in itself requires an expert analysis and shouldn’t be taken lightly). If you have set your sights on conquering new markets and growing your company, a multilingual website may prove to be a fundamental prerequisite. And if you’re still on the fence, it would be a good idea to, for instance, perform a keyword research or (preferably, if you already have a popular-language version of your page and have considered all the important factors relevant to your industry) consult with Google Analytics to check the places from which users visit your website – who knows, you might even discover that it’s worth entering a market which you haven’t considered before!
Multilingual SEO lets you introduce your brand, services or products to people from all over the world, and even if they know English perfectly well, your content will definitely strike different – and search different – if it’s in your new target group’s native language. Remember that multilingual SEO lets small companies compete against great corporations – the internet is an arena where the actual size of a business is virtually irrelevant (pun intended). What matters is a good marketing strategy, and launching a multilingual SEO-optimised website is a perfect cornerstone for your cross-border expansion.
What does SEO for a multilanguage website consist in?
Although there are numerous online and offline tools that might seem temptingly low-cost and time-efficient – for example Google Translate and other machine translation solutions – using them could actually turn out to be a major setback for an organisation.
First of all, optimisation requires a thorough analysis for each market – both in terms of most popular keywords and in terms of behavioural and cultural aspects. No machine translation application can do that for us, and the only thing we can count on is a more or less literal rendition of phrases that might be absolutely unusable and ineffective in a given region.
Secondly, a careful and well-considered optimisation in multiple languages is also supposed to build trust and promote a sense of security among new audiences, to make them feel cherished and respected – a slapdash, incomprehensible cluster of words would hardly serve that purpose.
So what are the best practices when it comes to international SEO? Here are some of the most important ones:
| 1. Translating or transcreating your website content into relevant new languages. 2. Conducting extensive keyword research for each market separately and carefully incorporating the identified phrases into the matrix of linguistically impeccable content in respective languages. 3. Choosing the right URL structure, which includes using uncomplicated, straightforward words or phrases in the relevant language (i.e. they should be localised). 4. Using hreflang tags which helps search engines determine what language is used on a given subpage. Thanks to them, the subpage is showed to users who enter inquires in that specific tongue. 5. Translating metadata and enriching it with relevant keywords. It applies to meta-titles and short meta-descriptions visible in search results. Not only do they drive traffic and provide a brief and encouraging summary of the content, but they also bear testimony to a given brand’s attitude towards quality as such. |
Why is it worth letting Digibutsu take the reins?
International SEO does take time and effort. It also takes a lot of expertise, skill and experience. This is where our dedicated SEO team can help you – we have been working in the industry for years and have already supported numerous clients in their fascinating journey across diverse regions and markets. Moreover, we cover absolutely everything that needs to be taken care of – no need to cooperate with multiple agencies! We offer services from multilingual website optimisation and keyword research to content writing.
Do you think multilingual website and multilingual SEO might be just the thing you need? Simply reach out to us and we’ll be more than happy to devise a strategic plan that will boost your reach and meet your expectations to a tee.
FAQ
Which platform is best for a multilanguage website?
There is no simple answer to this question – although there are many objectively good platforms available, the features they offer might prove useful only to some companies, depending on their reach, operational model, etc. All in all, the most popular platforms include WordPress, Hubspot CMS or Adobe Experience Manager.
How do you structure a multilanguage website?
There are multiple factors that need to be considered, but some of the most important ones are: using hreflang tags and providing a user-friendly language-switch button, employing a uniform template across all versions or taking into account cultural differences when it comes to the colour palette and the overall graphic design.
How do you handle multiple languages on a website?
Apart from using different localised and SEO-optimised URLs for each language version, you should also remember about e.g. including the option to change the language/locale and providing search engines (especially Google) with relevant information about the languages you use.
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