Online marketing is obviously one of the most cost-effective weapons when targeting global markets, and with increasing numbers of UK companies looking overseas, it is crucial that web sites are found by search engines – whatever the country.
The golden rule for tackling new markets is to localise. Every country is different and the localisation of each language site is essential. Localisation takes into account both language and culture to ensure the web site is appropriate, attractive and comprehensible to the market for which it is intended.
1. Translate URLs and keyword them
Even if you have all your text translated and optimised in your chosen languages and you have links flying in from local directories and websites, if your URLs are still in English, you are missing a trick.
URLs are an important indicator of the content of a website for both users and search engines and, therefore, its relevance to the search queries. As well as ensuring that the URLs are in the local language, make them keyword rich – leaving the search engine in no doubt about what your page has to offer.
2. Use native speakers
A straight-forward translation of pages will generally lead to a site that is neither user nor search-engine friendly. Search terms in particular need careful attention as they are what will lead people to your website. Native knowledge of both how people search and the language they use is essential to ensure you reach your target audience.
3. Set up websites with local domains
Although having content in the target language will improve your web visibility, search engines will favour sites that have local country domains and are hosted in the country. In most cases it is relatively simple and cheap to do, yet will be a great boost to your SEO efforts.
4. Source local links
Just like having the copy in the right language and a local domain, links from local websites are also really important as search engines attach greater value to local links than global ones.
5. Research regional search engines
In certain markets, relying on Google is not effective as local search engines hold pole position. This is particularly true for some of the emerging markets, for example, in Russia, Yandex has over 60 per cent market share compared with Google’s 25 per cent. Similarly, in China, Baidu has 70 per cent market share while Google has only 20 per cent.
As well as increasing the likelihood of reaching searchers, regional search engines such as Baidu are often cheaper per click than Google – while still offering volume.
6. Online PR
Online PR is very much part of the SEO process nowadays and is an excellent way to increase visibility and links. Online news releases, blogs and enewsletters all appear in the search listings and also work well as viral tools for spreading your message.
They also enable you to link back to your website, boosting the SEO. When working across a number of markets, this can be a particularly effective way to get widespread coverage and increase the all important local language links.
7. Consider emerging markets
Emerging markets such as China, Brazil, India and Russia offer a wealth of opportunity, but are sometimes ignored by marketers who either fail to recognise their potential or are daunted by their complexities. As some of the world’s fastest growing economies, they offer attractive returns and are less saturated than Western markets. For example, with a population of over 1.3 billion and only 20 per cent of Chinese people currently having Internet access, the potential for growth in China is still huge.
Of course, these emerging markets do present new challenges for marketers and it cannot be stressed too strongly that it is vital that cultural and linguistic knowledge of those markets is sought to ensure the campaign is appropriate to that target audience.
8. Do your market research
Multilingual online marketing will help sites attract a greater number of global visitors and clients. It is very important though that market research has been carried out and has identified the target audiences in each specific country. What’s more, your target country should not simply be considered as one large region, but rather segmented and geo-targeted.
For example, as only 12 per cent of the population in north and north-east Brazil have Internet access, any campaign should focus on the Central West, South and South East where there is 59 per cent Internet usage.
9. Be aware of political/culture issues
Even if your content is in the local language, if it is not relevant or appropriate to the market, it will not achieve the desired result. This is where understanding the cultural differences and subtleties of each market becomes important. For example, in many developing economies the concept of online payment is not widely accepted – over 70 per cent of all purchases in the B2C ecommerce market are paid cash on delivery.
Regardless of where they are in the world, people want a website they can relate to and that is relevant to them and their needs; and search engines fundamentally want the same thing. The key is to remember that going local is the only way to successfully go global.