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GLOBAL SEO AND LOCALIZATION EXCELLENCE:
WHAT LOCALIZATION REALLY IS
“Localizing your website to the geographic
regions you’re targeting is catering to the person
behind the keyboard. It’s that special red-carpet
treatment that your users enjoy. The smile at
reception or the mint on their pillow.”
- David Fimek, Cardinal Path, from “Web Analytics
Supports Website Localization,” for The Definitive Guide to
Website Translation, Lionbridge Technologies
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Enterprise SEO marketers developing a global footprint see tremendous value in global SEO.
Targeting greater performance from global search engines is a top priority for enterprise search
marketers since it is a gateway to increase leads, conversions, and revenue.
Global SEO is all about outstanding user experience
Global SEO involves targeting customers internationally via Culturally-sound adaptation
the many global search engines. Depending on which coun- Done hand-in-hand with the analysis above, it is imperative to
tries you’re targeting, you may need to create copy in multiple apply the following filters to every step of your analysis:
languages and take into account regional dialects and colloqui-
alisms when performing keyword research. Ranking in global 1. What emotions and values matter most to each target
search engines is becoming a greater priority for marketers audience?
because it enables them to deliver the most relevant and seam- 2. What emotions and values are taboo to your audiences?
less experience to each user regardless of location, language, 3. Is the content culturally sensitive?
and search engine. 4. Will the tone and emotions expressed in original content
translate well in the destination language?
What localization is not: translation 5. Is the adapted content as compelling as it is in the original
Localization is often mistaken for translated content, i.e., taking language?
content written for a particular geography and directly translat-
ing it into the language of another geography. This practice can The list is endless, but the goal is the same—the message should
not only derail your immediate campaign goals but can also hurt be delivered in a compelling and appropriate manner that will
brand equity in the long run. Literal word-for- word translations deliver the most relevant and seamless experience to the user.
don’t account for idioms or specific phrases, which can lead to
strange results. Conclusion
Global SEO requires a creative and collaborative effort across
Localization involves more datadriven analysis and culturally keyword, competitive, cultural, and local initiatives. Effective
aware adaptation. It includes a number of steps that apply the global SEO ensures that your organization maintains brand
scientific rigor of research and analysis deployed to rank in consistency worldwide and extends SEO success while accom-
your primary market. Localization employs the core activity modating local nuances.
of translation supported by an awareness of what is appro-
priate in the language, geography, and culture of your target Ranking in global search engines is becoming a greater priority
audiences- in addition to the topics that really matter in for marketers because it enables them to deliver the most rel-
their context. evant and seamless experience to each user regardless of location,
language, and search engine.
Thorough research, data-driven analysis, and testing should
be the core of every SEO project. Keyword research for each
geography and language should follow this approach. First,
select the topics that matter to your audiences and determine ABOUT THE AUTHOR
how these can be expressed in the form of phrases/keywords.
Next, determine how these translate into search demand. During JIM YU is the founder and CEO of BrightEdge. He
the localization process a competitive analysis is necessary. By combines in-depth expertise in developing and
doing this you will be able to see who your competition is for marketing large, on-demand software platforms
each combination of language, geography, and search engine. with hands-on experience in advanced SEO and
Additionally you’ll see what keywords they are focusing on and content performance marketing practices. Prior
whether those terms matter to your target audience. to founding BrightEdge, Yu was at Salesforce.com
where he led a core part of the platform products
Developing a content plan is also an essential component of lo- team that delivered the industry’s first cloud com-
calization. When developing a content plan ask yourself whether puting platform.
your target keywords can be incorporated into existing content
that you intend to reuse. If the fit is natural, great—but if not,
plan on creating new content. You should also find out how the
audience for each combination consumes information. What This article originally appeared in ‘The definitive guide to website
formats do they prefer (for example, text vs. visual)? translation’ by Lionbridge (2016).
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