New research shows that marketers are investing more in localizing their content for international audiences - here’s why

When it comes to going global, marketers are pumping dollars into their translation and localization efforts. According to research from 2016, the total amount that companies invested in translation and localization increased from $26 billion in 2010 to $38 billion in 2015. Why does localization matter so much to companies these days? Localization - the process of adapting a product or content to a specific locale or market - can make or break a company’s success abroad. It differentiates brands that communicate effectively with international markets from other brands that remain foreign and inaccessible to international audiences. Dedicated investment in content that speaks an audience’s language and aligns with their cultural norms can help companies win new market share around the world. According to…

Don't limit your SaaS brand - the do's and don'ts of international SEO

We live in a world of nearly 200 countries and thousands of different languages, so why should your SaaS company limit itself just to English speakers or a North American audience? Asking this question, many SaaS companies will embark on a journey to expand their international visibility, only to realize that international SEO can be a strange beast. “If you build it, they will come,” does not apply if no one can find what you have built. 

Brands can find greater success within international markets if they understand how search engines, like Google index, retrieve websites for international audiences. With this understanding, your SaaS company can build a strategic approach to capturing international traffic by following international SEO best practices.

So, start studying abroad — no passport needed!…

Take control of your localized website for SEO

For digital marketers managing many localized websites, multilingual SEO can be a whole different ballgame compared to traditional SEO strategies. Sure, some practices are similar, such as placing appropriate keywords in headers and metadata. However, there are many new considerations to factor into the plan when optimizing your website for various cultures around the world. After all, there is a lot more to multilingual SEO than translating a few keywords.

5 Tips to avoid with your website localization

Here are five common setbacks to avoid even before you head down the website localization path. Along the way, I’ll share some valuable tips to help guide you on the right path to search engine (and customer experience) glory.

Tip 1: Thin, low-quality content on your localized websites

As you may know, SEO is not about stuffing your website full of keywords. In fact, doing so can land you right…

A briefing on the options to improve your visibility with International SEO

For any company that trades overseas, or hopes to expand into foreign markets in the future, International SEO is a big factor in gaining awareness of their brand, products and services. When you need to market your website in multiple locations, there are a number of different options.  However, the SEO implications of each approach are often overlooked by many organisations, leading to underwhelming organic search performance in each locality. It is therefore essential that marketers are aware of the pros and cons that accompany each method of structuring international sites, before making a decision relating to the expansion of their website to target additional locations. In this article I will explain the different options for marketers to gain visibility in different countries and the pros and cons of each.

Targeting audiences in other countries

Often,…

A great summary of the key decisions you need to take to rank in different countries

Making SEO effective for site(s) in different countries has been a long-standing challenge for ranking in local markets. Google has introduced different tools in recent years to help, but you need to be aware of them. Jimmy McCann summarised these in his checklist of 10 common international SEO mistakes to avoid and we also detail the techniques in our 7 Step Guide to SEO. Now Aleyda Solis, a widely recognised leading International SEO Expert in Spain, who has produced a fantastic summary in this step-by-step SEO checklist of issues to consider in this infographic. We are sharing this as it provides actionable steps for companies growing their overseas traffic in new or existing countries. …

Reaching global customers through your Wordpress blog or company site

Wordpress is a popular blogging and content management tool now used by many businesses for their blog or main site. It's now used by over 60 million websites worldwide according to Forbes, including up to 15% of Alexa’s 'Top 1 million sites'. Builtwith.com, a competitor analysis and business intelligence tool providing technology adoption and usage analytics for the internet, has reported that Wordpress usage has continued to increase in the past year.

Further analysis of the top 100,000 Wordpress sites by builtwith.com shows that while the platform is being used for almost every type of internet activity, Wordpress is an extremely popular tool for business – accounting for around 17% of distribution.

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Key points to implement an effective global SEO strategy

Ecommerce sales are set to exceed $1trillion next year (according to Goldman Sachs) and, in the current economic climate, many businesses are considering exporting their goods and services abroad. However, going global can be daunting. The process of localising and optimising your website for overseas territories requires careful consideration before you launch your SEO strategy. Here are the top 10 common multilingual SEO mistakes to be avoided……….

1 Using the wrong keywords

The keyword a person in your domestic market might use to search for a specific product may not necessarily be a literal translation of the keywords or phrases used by buyers in other countries. Despite this being the most basic of errors, it is one people continue to make. Do not translate your keywords and don't forget to research new target markets…

Which are the most popular search engines I should target in each country?

Its not often I look at trends data but its good to do every quarter. The popularity of search engines does change and within this blended search like video, images, local search is becoming more important. My comments below focus on how this data has search implications but the links also show popular social networks & entertainment sites. This data is always useful when justifying time & effort for channels or campaigns. Another tool not mentioned below is Google's Adplanner (& its top 1000 sites report), this is a great tool when you need data / demographics on categories or specific websites.

Data on most popular UK search engines - Hitwise

March 2012 update - Hitwise have just published a simple infographic summarising UK search behaviour. The main insight which prompts questions about how we target through SEO and paid search…