As a business owner, you understand that visibility and growth are crucial to your brand’s success and longevity. Reaching your ideal audience through the digital landscape is a vital part of building your consumer base and, ultimately, increasing profits. You may have a strong domestic consumer base, but there is a much larger market of shoppers who speak languages other than English.
What Is SEO Translation?
Translation for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes is far from simply translating the words on a webpage from one language to another. A direct translation could cause your website to lose the techniques that allow it to rank well in the existing language.
When using SEO translation techniques, the goal is to translate the webpage while also making adjustments that make the content more searchable to regions that speak the language.
How Translating Your Website Improves SEO
Search engine optimization helps ensure your website’s visibility when potential consumers search for relevant topics. However, you must alter your SEO tactics when expanding the languages in which you display your content. When you correctly translate content with SEO processes specific to the new language, there are several benefits, including:
- Targeted Keywords. Simply translating your website word for word is not likely to show the level of success you experience in English. Different languages will have different searching habits, so you must alter your content to target these unique phrases. By altering the words you use, you can take advantage of less competitive but highly relevant keywords in the new language.
- Reduced Competition. If your content is only available in English, there is a strong possibility that you are competing against hundreds of other businesses attempting to rank high on search engine results. When you expand your language options, you can target less crowded markets where your business will have less competition. Less competition is likely to translate to higher rankings on search engine results pages.
- Enhanced User Experience. Often, multiple businesses offer similar products and services. Consumers will spend their money where they feel comfortable. In fact, one study found that nearly 76% of consumers prefer to purchase products in their own native language. When the business and product information is in a user’s native language, they are more likely to explore multiple pages and engage with your content for longer.
- Better Domain Authority. When native speakers across different regions find your content shareable, you have an increased possibility of acquiring backlinks. High-quality backlinks are a metric considered when search engines rank results.
- Increased Click-Through Rates (CTR). Roughly 40% of online shoppers claimed they will only purchase from websites in their own language. These individuals will be more likely to click on a search result in their own language, expanding the number of people willing to explore your website. The search engine will log the higher CTR and rank your content as engaging and relevant.
- Improved Conversion Rates. Depending on English proficiency, between 76% and 89% of individuals will choose the product with information in their native language when deciding between similar products. When you translate content effectively, you increase the likelihood that these shoppers will purchase a product from your website. Search engines prioritize websites with a better conversion rate.
SEO strategies can be complex, and understanding exactly how SEO translation can help your business may seem confusing. Speaking with an authority on search engine optimization, like Better Content Matters, can help you explore how translating your content can improve your rankings on search engine results pages.
Is SEO Translation Right for My Business?
There are many benefits of offering your products and services to a wider audience of people who speak different languages. However, you may still be wondering if it is the right choice for you. There will be an expense associated with website translation, so evaluating the potential impact it can have on your business is important. SEO translation might be the right choice for you if:
- Your website analytics suggest it. Examining your website analytics can help you determine where your traffic is coming from, if any of the visitors are international, and if those international visitors are converting.
- You already conduct business abroad. If you already do business abroad, translating your webpages can improve your audience’s trust in your products and services. Browsing through your site and making purchases may feel more comfortable if they are able to do so in their own native language.
- Your brand is gaining international popularity. If your business has gained popularity in a new market, it is important to capitalize on the momentum. Translating your content to be more accessible and targeted can help you achieve this goal.
- Your competitors have already done it. Remaining relevant is essential for your business’s success. If your competitors have begun translating their content, there is likely a market for your products or services among the speakers of those languages.
- Your competitors have not yet translated their content. If your competitors have yet to translate their webpages, you can break into markets in other languages. You can establish yourself in these areas, gaining a market share faster and setting high standards that your competitors will need to meet later.
- You want to deliver quality customer service. Giving all your customers an authentic online experience begins with speaking their language. Consumers are more likely to spend their money with a business they believe values them and bridges the communication gap.
If you see yourself in any of these goals, globalizing your website may be the right next step.
Dangers of a Poor Translation
It is not uncommon to be tempted into translating your content using AI tools like ChatGPT or Google Translate. Their cost-efficiency and speed may seem appealing, but there can be significant pitfalls in using these tools.
Translations using raw AI will not consider the user, which could result in unnatural-sounding content. If you are not fluent in the language, you are unlikely to notice these errors. This can result in a negative user experience and damage to your brand’s reputation among this new audience. In some industries, legal or regulatory issues could result if the translation is inaccurate.
Since search engine algorithms prioritize high-quality content, disjointed, difficult-to-read, or incorrect content can damage your SEO and reduce your rankings. Having a fluent-speaking human involved in your SEO translation process can help eliminate these potential issues and ensure your content is an accurate reflection of your business.
Expanding on SEO Translation
Translation is a strong strategy for increasing your standing in the international market, but it is far from the only method. SEO localization can be used to take translation even further. This allows the audience to feel more connected to your products and services. Localization involves removing metaphors, wordplay, or context that may not make sense if directly translated, as well as adding similar content that will appeal directly to the new audience.
Localization adapts your website’s content on a cultural level, so your audience never knows it was not the original copy. This allows the audience to feel more connected to your products and services. Ultimately, a skilled mix of SEO translation and localization can help you make a strong step into the international market that appeals to both search engines and your consumers.
SEO Localization With Better Content Matters
Globalizing your website is a move that can help you break into currently untapped markets, but it must be executed correctly. Errors could have disastrous impacts on your brand’s global reputation, which could even impact your domestic success.
Better Content Matters is passionate about supporting our clients with SEO copywriting services, including SEO translation. If you believe your business could benefit from translated online content, reach out to our skilled team of industry professionals to see how we can help.
