In addition to market studies and process optimization, a successful internationalization strategy is characterized above all by the professional translation of content. Companies with expansion potential have to coordinate and adapt their content individually to the different market conditions in the importing country, understand target groups and potential customers and their needs, and adapt cultural and idiomatic features; so present perfect content in the respective national language. International search engine optimization as a sub-discipline of a successful expansion strategy is a decisive factor. Professionally played content must communicate, arouse sympathy, emotionalize and also ensure a positive brand image.International SEO.
Spoiled for choice: domain concept and strategy
The domain strategy is a fundamental basis decision of international SEO. In principle, there are three domain concepts to choose from, which can also be combined with one another. The best-known variants are probably the country code top-level domains (ccTLDs): Country domains (e.g. onlineshop.de, onlineshop.ch, onlineshop.at, etc.) are the most common and convey the supposed familiarity to site visitors or interested parties and potential customers as well as the seriousness they expect.
Subdomains initially benefit from the main domains, but the link strength is distributed among the individual subdomains. Activities performed for the main domain do not affect the subdomains. Disadvantage: You have less trust. An example of subdomains: de.onlineshop.com
The legacy of the main page speaks for the use of directories ( onlineshop.com/de/ ). Subdirectories benefit from the measures of the main domain and vice versa. However, individual country directories convey less relevance. In addition, they are attached to certain structures via the main page and may not be suitable for every target country.
Avoid duplicate content - the hreflang attributes
The hreflang attribute is an important part of international search engine optimization. The attribute is used when the content in different language versions exists on different URLs. It prevents the classification of identical texts as duplicate content and signals Google to the country-relevant websites. Using the meta tag hreflang, Google can map the geographic orientation of a website, identify international pages and filter the part of the website that is intended for the respective country.
Country-relevant content as a sales driver
Elaborately produced content is often (and in the best case correctly and correctly) translated into several languages, but most translations of this type fail due to the high international standards. Perfect content goes far beyond linguistically correct translations. Because good translations must always be guided by the target country and its culture. For example, these can be units of measure or currency, as well as climate zones and linguistic misunderstandings. For example, Americans may not understand “pants” as what the British might understand by them. In addition, certain content marketing strategies can differ significantly internationally. What works in Germany does not necessarily have to work abroad.
UX & design
Other countries to miss even more "opportunities". Internationally there are different demands on design and usability from country to country. This means that if a UX study in Germany is convincing, it does not automatically have to apply to neighboring countries such as Austria, Switzerland, France or the Netherlands. The design of the website must conform to the cultural standards of the target country and the natives. Because these are not just a potential target group, but the actual target group. Ideally, local and regional service providers cooperate with the central language service provider.
Think Local: Keywords, URL & metadata
Even if a language may appear to be identical, e.g. B. in the DACH region or in the United Kingdom and the United States, terms used and their meaning in daily use - at least partially - may very well differ. The motto must be: think locally. Because the search behavior can differ significantly depending on the country. In addition, the competitive situation and market competition vary from country to country. Here it is advisable to work with native speakers, or even better with SEO linguists. These should not only do keyword research and category tuning in the target market but also adjust metadata and URLs.
About the author
Boris Zielonka is Head of Marketing & Sales at Eurotext AG. With more than 4,000 certified native speakers, the company specializes in specialized translations for industry, IT and e-commerce and offers the right software solutions. Zielonka studied humanities at the University of Würzburg and, as a marketing expert, has been dealing with the problem of multilingual content in e-commerce for many years. He is an expert in online marketing and search engine optimization.
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