Web users in the Middle East, Asia, the Americas and Europe have embraced Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms as vehicles for communication, commerce, and revolution. If North American-based businesses are to reach this rapidly expanding, increasingly sophisticated Internet audience, they must get smarter about international search engine optimization (ISEO).
Just like domestic SEO, international SEO aims to boost the likelihood that a particular website will rise to the top of search results, thereby enabling increased conversion rates. The challenge internationally is selecting the right SEO strategies for an enormous number of locales, cultural norms and languages. Here are some key points to consider when tackling ISEO.
1. Humans Beat Machine Translation
Even with adequate time for review and planning, machines can make small errors in localization that have significant consequences. The pressure to get it right via social media is exponentially greater, since time is short and engagement expectations are high. Brands need human experts who can quickly identify faults in automated translations and repair them before damage occurs in important markets. This is also true for accompanying imagery, which can convey unintended messages if not properly vetted.
2. Learn Vernacular and Optimize Keywords Accordingly
Whether a user seeks out information via a regional search engine or through Facebook pages or Twitter hashtags, the company looking for that prospect must anticipate the phrases he or she will employ. For example, a young person in one part of the world may search for shoes using a slang term, such as, "tennis shoes," "sneakers" or "ki cks.”
No two search...
