Expanding into international markets? A translated website is a useful start, but your audience also needs to be able to find it. Multilingual search engine optimisation helps you plan content around the language your customers actually use. Read on to see how multilingual SEO can support your marketing and sales.

SEO for websites in other languages

If visitors are already reaching your website from other countries, consider whether they can easily understand and use it. Look at where those visitors come from and which pages interest them. Your website analytics can help you identify these patterns. If you have an audience that speaks another language, it may be time to plan a multilingual content strategy.

Some visitors may use automatic translation to read your website. A more useful experience is to provide a professionally translated website . This saves visitors the effort of translating the content themselves and gives you more control over how your message is presented. Clear product and service information matters for tourism businesses, hotels, manufacturers, distributors and online shops. Customers need to understand what they are booking or buying. Accurate information can help reduce misunderstandings, cancellations, returns and complaints.

What should you consider when localising a website?

Choose languages based on your audience and business goals. English may be useful, but it will not be the right choice for every market. Before optimising your content, research how your audience searches online. Search terms and browsing habits can differ between countries and regions. Social media can also offer useful clues about your audience’s interests and language. Find out which content potential customers value, how similar products are described in their language and which topics are relevant to the market you want to reach. If you work in international trade, consider whether your brand name and domain are clear to customers in other languages.

The same applies to e-commerce businesses when preparing content for international customers . Product categories, navigation and the order in which information appears may need adapting to how your audience browses and shops. For example, the design and content that work for Croatian customers may differ from the preferences of Chinese customers. Your audience may expect different typography, more images or different wording for key messages. The search terms people use for a particular service can reveal differences that a literal translation misses. Present prices and currencies clearly so customers understand what they will pay. Content and technical optimisation should work together to make the site easy to find and use.

Why work with a translation company on multilingual SEO?

Multilingual SEO involves finding the terms your customers use when searching in each language. Even a familiar product or service name may have several possible translations. Regional vocabulary, dialects and synonyms can affect which words people choose. A native speaker can help identify expressions that sound natural in the market you want to reach. Those suggestions provide a starting point for keyword research. Related terms and phrases can then be considered alongside the main keywords. Search demand should be assessed for the relevant country or region. If you are targeting a particular international market, understanding these language differences helps you create content that matches your audience’s searches. The same research can inform your social media content. It can also help you choose relevant phrases and hashtags.

Relevant keywords help connect your content with the searches your potential customers make. Working with a translation company can save time when researching language and adapting content for a new market. Language specialists can help assess terminology, review competitors’ wording and incorporate suitable search phrases into clear, natural copy.

For example, an English search for “car hire” may correspond to a different phrase in Spain . The wording should reflect how customers search in that country, rather than translate the English phrase word for word.