SEO Localization Strategy: Increasing Organic Visibility

A catchy URL isn’t enough to drive traffic to your website—especially if you’re expanding into a new region with little recognition. So, how can you attract those new visitors?

Enter SEO, or search engine optimization. When you launch into a new market, you need a solid SEO localization strategy to ensure your site ranks high not just at home, but also in the local search engines of your target areas.

What is SEO Localization?

SEO involves practices that improve your site’s ranking on search engines like Google. SEO localization takes this a step further by focusing on translating and adapting your website for local audiences.

Localization is all about creating a relevant user experience for potential customers in different language markets. This means adjusting your content, layout, design, and images to match local tastes.

Even within the same language, regional differences can affect how well your site ranks. For example, if a U.S.-based ecommerce company tries to enter the UK market using terms like “sneakers” and “pants,” they’ll likely struggle. In the UK, shoppers look for “trainers” and “trousers.”

By adjusting your keywords to fit local dialects, you not only improve the user experience but also boost your site’s ranking for those important local search terms.

Localization isn’t just a one-time effort; it happens in pieces that come together to create a strong strategy. Here’s a look at some key components:

• Keyword Localization: Find and use words or phrases that resonate with your local audience. Understand how people in your target region search for products and weave those terms into your content.

• Multilingual Content: Create content in the languages spoken in your target markets. For example, if you’re an American company expanding into Spain, your product detail pages (PDPs) for that market should be in Spanish. It’s also smart to consider regional dialects—like catering to buyers in North-East Spain by using Catalan-specific terms and cultural references.

• Local Link Building: A strong backlink profile from reputable local sites boosts your credibility with both search engines and potential customers. Localized link-building means partnering with businesses, influencers, and organizations in your target area to create valuable connections.

• Geotargeting: Deliver tailored content based on a user’s location. Geotargeting helps marketers provide relevant offers and information in specific regions. For instance, showing local prices and promotions in the local currency can make a big difference in user engagement.

SEO Translation vs. SEO Localization

Though the terms “translation” and “localization” are often mixed up, they’re quite different, especially when it comes to SEO for your website.

• SEO Translation: This process focuses on converting website content from one language to another. It can involve machine translation tools or basic human translation. Even when a person reviews the content, it often misses the subtleties of your marketing strategy or the local language’s nuances.

• SEO Localization: This approach goes beyond just translating words. It optimizes your website for each market, ensuring it aligns with local search engines and cultural relevance. This strategy leads to better traffic and higher conversion rates.

Why Is an SEO Localization Strategy Important?

Focusing on SEO localization increases your chances of appearing in search results for all your target audiences, helping you achieve your business goals. Here’s how a localized SEO approach can benefit you:

• Increases Your Traffic Potential: SEO localization makes your content easier to find, leading to more traffic. For example, if your company is based in Sweden and specializes in high-quality ski equipment, expanding into Canada could reveal that cross-country skiing is quite popular there. By conducting thorough market and keyword research, you can tailor your content to attract this audience.

• Keeps You Ahead of Your Competitors: A solid SEO localization strategy gives you a competitive advantage. By understanding your Canadian audience’s language, cultural nuances, and search habits, you’ll likely rank higher in search results than competitors who haven’t taken the time to localize their content.

• Fuels International Growth: Better visibility in local search translates to more organic traffic. Over time, this can lead to increased sales and revenue in new markets. Without local SEO, achieving similar results might require a hefty budget for paid advertising.

Why International SEO Localization Gives You a Competitive Edge

Most people discover new websites through search engines. If your target market isn’t familiar with your brand yet, SEO localization helps potential customers find you easily and organically.

Many users conduct searches in their native languages. By producing optimized content in the target language, you boost your site’s visibility on local search engines. Plus, SEO tends to be less competitive in languages other than English. For instance, when localizing for a French-speaking audience, following SEO best practices can lead to quick gains, largely because there are fewer French-speaking internet users compared to English speakers.

What is Global SEO?

Global SEO refers to the strategies used to optimize content for better international visibility, rankings, and traffic. Instead of focusing on keywords for a single region, global SEO looks for international opportunities. This is why it’s often called international SEO.

While SEO localization targets specific regions, global SEO is the broader strategy that guides your digital content to perform well across various markets and search engines.

Think of it this way:

• SEO Localization: Like conquering individual peaks by adapting your approach to each region’s unique challenges.

• Global SEO: Like charting a comprehensive route across a mountain range to ensure your brand resonates across the international landscape.

What Does Global SEO Entail?

• Understanding Global Search Engine Landscapes: Recognize the dominant search engines in different regions, like Baidu in China or Yandex in Russia, and tailor your technical strategy accordingly.

• Multilingual Optimization: Create high-quality content in the languages spoken by your target audiences, making sure it’s culturally relevant and accessible.

• Link Building with a Global Lens: Build partnerships and earn backlinks from websites relevant to your industry in each region. This helps boost your authority and trust across borders.

SEO Localization Best Tips & Practices

Analyze Your SEO and Content Strategy:

When crafting your SEO localization and content strategies, think about the topics you’ll cover in both the target and source languages. This helps you pinpoint exactly what needs localization and when to tackle it. Depending on your team size, you have a couple of options:

• If you have a larger team, you might be able to create original content in each language.

• If that’s not feasible, start with content in one language and plan to translate it later.

Discover What Your Audience Is Searching For:

Understanding what keywords people are using in your target markets is crucial for a successful international SEO strategy. Here’s how to jumpstart your keyword research:

• Use tools like Semrush to find popular keywords that can guide your content strategy.

• Filter your keyword searches by locale and language to uncover what terms are common in your target markets.

• Work with your localization partner to catch slang, idioms, and other nuances that tools might miss.

Your approach may depend on your team size:

• Larger teams with leads in different countries can often conduct keyword research at the language level. Team members in the target locale will have a better sense of local language and can identify more effective keywords.

• For smaller teams with a single language strategy, conduct keyword research in the source language first. Then, prepare content briefs and keyword lists to translate before sending them to content creators.

Implement Geotargeting:

Geotargeting is all about tracking your audience’s location to provide them with localized content that suits their region. Search engines like Google recognize geotargeting and often rank localized content higher.

To implement a geotargeting strategy, work with your web development team to create a country-specific URL structure and use “hreflang” tags. These tags help search engines index your content for the locales you’re targeting.

Enhance On-Page Localization Elements:

Your SEO localization project might be strong, but it’s the little details that make it truly shine. Enhancing your on-page localization elements is the final touch that transforms your website into an inviting space for your target audiences.

Think of it like this: walking into a beautifully decorated home only to find mismatched cutlery and confusing signs in a foreign language. On-page localization elements are the thoughtfully placed details that ensure a smooth, enjoyable experience for every visitor.

Here’s how a manufacturing brand can optimize its website for both users and search engines:

• Display Local Currency: Show product prices in the local currency and update them dynamically based on current conversion rates.

• Use Local Language CTAs: Replace English call-to-action buttons with their local language equivalents. For example, change “Buy Now” to “Comprar Ahora” for the Spanish market.

• Align Language Settings: Set the document language in HTML to “ES” for Spanish, signaling local targeting to Spanish search engines.

• Showcase Local Shipping Options: Highlight the fastest local shipping methods at checkout and provide estimated delivery times to improve transparency.

• Adapt Address and Date Formats: Make sure online forms and checkout processes align with local address conventions. For instance, Spanish customers should be able to enter their postal codes easily, and using the local date format (“day-month-year”) will help avoid confusion.

Ensure Important Site Elements Are Translated:

Make sure to translate every part of your content, even the small details that can easily be overlooked. For instance, image alt tags may not be visible to users, but they play a key role in SEO localization by helping search engines and accessibility tools understand what your images depict.

Understand Regional Search Engine Preferences:

While Google is the dominant player in the U.S., different countries have their own major search engines. For example, in China, Baidu is the primary search engine, while Russian users often rely on Yandex in addition to Google.

Each search engine has its unique ranking criteria, so it’s important to research the most popular search engines in your target region and understand how they rank websites. Here are some key points:

• Baidu: Focuses on backlinks from websites hosted in China. It also takes longer to index sites than Google due to China’s strict internet regulations. Additionally, Baidu relies heavily on image alt tags since it doesn’t have AI image recognition like Google does. Be cautious of duplicate content, as Baidu penalizes it, while Google typically ignores it.

• Yandex: Most popular in Russia, Yandex holds a significant market share alongside Google. Before the conflict in Ukraine, Yandex had about 44% market share compared to Google’s 53%, but Google’s presence has decreased since then. Yandex offers features beyond search, like maps, online advertising, and email hosting.

Yandex has its own version of Google’s Search Console called Webmaster Tools. It’s important to use these tools to set up “regional binding,” which ensures your search results appear for users in your targeted geographical area. Webmaster Tools also provides analytics, performance metrics, and insights similar to Google Search Console.

Yandex places more emphasis on user behavior metrics, such as bounce rate, time on page, and click-through rate. They offer a feature called “Site Quality Indicators,” which gives you a detailed report on your site’s quality based on user behavior, audience size, and inferred trust signals.

Lastly, Yandex allows you to check if your site qualifies for rich features on their search results pages, while this is often less straightforward on Google.

FAQs

How Can I Build Trust with New International Customers?

Building trust with new international customers takes time and effort. Here are some key strategies to consider:

• Understand Their Needs: Take the time to understand your customers’ specific needs and concerns in their region.

• Address Regional Concerns: Make sure you’re aware of any region-specific issues that might affect their buying decisions.

• Offer Value-Added Services: Consider providing local case studies, informative webinars, or partnerships with trusted regional brands. These efforts show customers you’re invested in their success, not just interested in making a quick sale.

What's the Difference Between Localization and Translation?

While translation is about converting text from one language to another, localization goes much deeper. Localization adapts your website and product information to align with region-specific cultural conventions, regulations, units of measure, terminologies, and expectations. Essentially, localization ensures your content feels natural and relevant to the local audience.

Do Search Engines Like Google Treat Sites Differently by Country?

Yes, they do! Google operates hundreds of geotargeted domain versions and uses region-specific ranking algorithms and indexation rules. This means your site must be optimized for each target country to gain visibility among local searchers.