International SEO: How to Avoid Common Translation and Localization Pitfalls

Have you heard the term, “Subs over dubs.”? This refers to the preference of seeing foreign language films, series, and anime shows in the original language with subtitles in the preferred language of the viewer over a dubbed version. Now, why is this so? Isn’t seeing a dubbed version better as you don’t have to spend time reading the bottom of the screen and can concentrate on what’s happening on the screen? The issue here is translation. Many people, including the film’s makers, complain that the dubbed version has improperly translated dialogue. And they are right. Even the subtitles aren’t so well translated but they are better than the dubbed version. Right translation and content localization are important.

In the above example, you can see that this can affect business. The dubbing industries across the world will have monetary implications owing to poor translations. So, if you are a business that operates in different countries or regions that speak different languages, you need to be careful about your international SEO. Gone are the days when English was the universal language of business. Even search engines are now going local, allowing searches in various languages. So, if your business has customers who speak multiple languages, you need to consider SEO localization.

SEO Localization

So, what is SEO localization? It is the use of local languages to boost a website to customers who stay in a specific country, region, or location. So, by optimizing a website by using a particular language, you are making that website relevant to the people who speak that language. By doing this, you are concentrating your SEO efforts on the right target audience, increasing the chances of the website getting good traffic.

This is important because owing to language, your website can end up on the screen of a customer looking for someone else. Once they realize that your website is not what they want, they will close it, increasing the bounce rate of your website.

An example will help you understand better. If someone in Quebec, Canada is searching for a product or service but lands on a US website that ranks top for that product or service, they will immediately close that website or even give a bad review. But if businesses selling the same product or service in Quebec use the local language, which is French, for SEO, the likelihood of that person being on their website and buying from them increases.

How to Implement SEO Localization?

Hire a Native Translator
If you thought there’ll be recommendations for some special software or buying a subscription to an AI that will accurately translate, you are wrong. Hiring a native translator is the best solution because there is no software or AI that can accurately translate from one language to another. Why, you ask? Because all languages have slang that can mean something else other than the actual meaning of the work.

Languages also have many idiomatic sayings and colloquial expressions that software and AI fail to understand and translate. Yes, software and technology have come a long way, and yes, you can use them for some basic translations, but even that will need to be review by someone who understands both languages. So, you need a native translator for accurate translation.

Now you may wonder about the cost. But if you have international business ambitions, stop viewing that as an expense, rather, see it as an investment that will help your international SEO and PPC campaigns, and help you grow your business.

Another Reason to Hire a Native Language Expert – Localization
Content localization is just as important as translation. Look at the same example given above. In this example, simply because English is spoken in the USA and Canada, the Canadian person ends up on the US website, which is not meant for them. They close the website increasing the bounce rate.

In this case, localizations would have also helped. Localization goes beyond language. The use of the metric system or the imperial system, the mention of the currency, the use of American English or British English, etc., are examples of localization and these factors help with SEO. So, when making a website intended for a target audience of a specific country, these factors have to be accounted for.

For example, if you are making a website for a US audience, your SEO localization strategy should include the use of the imperial system of measurement in the content that uses measurements like ounces, inches, feet, yards, pounds, etc., and the use US English, in which many words have a different spelling.

What to do on a Technical Front?
Use hreflang and accurate meta tags. This is a direct recommendation from Google as it helps their search engine to understand what your and for whom your website is intend for.

Hreflang is perfect for businesses that have a large-scale and complex digital ecosystem. It is an XML sitemap that accurately tells the search engine metrics which country and which language the website and other digital products are meant for. The search engine will then display your website in the accurate region.

Meta tags are a simpler way that small businesses and small websites can use to tell the search engine which language and which country they are intend for. If your business can use both, meta tags and hreflang, then even better, because, at the end of the day, the search engine needs to be told to whom and where your website needs to be display, and meta tags and hreflang are the best ways.

When it comes to SEO and localization, Tru Performance has the best track record. We have been successfully implementing such strategies for all our international clients ensuring effective SEO campaigns. To know more about how we can boost your international SEO presence, get in touch with us today.