Do you want to reach millions of additional customers with your product? Multilingual Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one way to get there.
For example, once you translate your website into German, and fill it with high-quality SEO content, users in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland will be able to find it.
Consider the following aspects before you start expanding your search engine optimisation to foreign markets.
What exactly is Multilingual SEO?
Multilingual Search Engine Optimization ‒ or multi-language SEO in short ‒ means that your website is optimised in a way so that people will find it when they search online. It means your site can work hard for you in more than one language, and in more than one country.
If you want to reach customers e. g. in German-speaking countries, a multilingual website that includes German content is a valuable asset.
Even on the domestic market, your business will benefit from multi-language SEO. For example, German-speaking customers who live in your country will also be able to find your products.
How your Company can Benefit from Multilingual Website SEO
Implementing SEO on multilingual websites makes sense if you want to grow your business internationally.
You can expand your existing customer base, increase your sales, and you will have a strong competitive advantage over any monolingual competitor.
With unique SEO content in different languages, you can market your brand, product, or service to a new audience. Multilingual SEO will raise the visibility of your business, and increase online traffic.
Make your site multilingual and you have instantly built a new business (without all the hard work!).
Regardless of whether you run a company website, a blog, or an online store, it works.
How to Approach Multilingual SEO
Multilingual SEO is all about strategy.
This is why I approach any of my SEO projects strategically, whether they are single-language, bilingual, or multilingual.
The Starting Point
Usually, I start my multilingual SEO projects by sending you a comprehensive questionnaire that I tailor to your specific project. You and your colleagues then answer my questions about your history, goals, and expectations.
Next, we meet for an SEO workshop (either via video or in person). Together with your team, we will identify important topics for each target market and language.
This workshop is also where I answer your questions regarding multilingual SEO. Using the data from our workshop, I will then develop a content strategy.
5 Steps towards a Multi-Language SEO Strategy
- Analyze the current state of multilingual content and search engine optimisation in an SEO audit.
- Define the vision, mission, and desired outcome for your website.
- Perform international keyword research.
- Develop a content strategy for each of the languages you want to rank in.
- Define actions, step-by-step in an SEO roadmap.
Of course, each of these steps is a little more time-consuming and complex in a multilingual SEO project than in a single-language one.
Once the strategy is in place, I will put your multilingual website project into practice for you (writing content is what I do as a German SEO copywriter).
Going Multilingual ‒ What Else Do you Need to Keep in Mind?
Search Intent
Search intent can vary widely between different languages. Even within a single language, there are countless cultural ambiguities (Just think about chips, crisps, and fries).
Because of this, you (or the person responsible for your multilingual SEO copy) should look into the topic of SIO (Search Intent Optimization) before starting to craft SEO content.
This way your product will score top rankings on google.de as well as on google.at and google.ch.
User Experience (UX)
Different cultures can mean different user behavior: Users will only become customers if they can find their way around your website.
You want to make sure that everybody has a great user experience (UX) on your website.
As a result, we multilingual UX writers often work with a little something called microcopy. After all, the demands on usability and UX writing can differ from culture to culture.
Just think about tone of voice; for example, what works for English speakers in the Netherlands may not work in the UK and vice versa.
Social Media & Branding
Social networking is becoming increasingly important, especially when it comes to business customers. All the better, if you have regular access to multilingual content.
This way, you and your colleagues can share it with B2B contacts in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.
My advice: remember to have all open graph tags translated before sharing multilingual content on social media.
By posting multilingual content on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter your customers will be able to read it in multiple markets.
If these posts are also relevant in terms of content, your network will likely comment and share them. As a result, multi-language content can help you with brand building on an international level.
Imagine your business is a plant that wants to grow. To grow, it needs to attract as many bees as possible. Bees like plants. One language means one plant, use two languages and you have increased your bees by 100%. That is the way to get your business buzzing.
Summary
Multi-language website can open up foreign markets. However, to get there, you need a multilingual SEO content strategy, as well as unique content.
When you localize your content, you will know from the very beginning what your diverse target groups are looking for. You will also discover whether it is better to work with SEO translations or specifically crafted (German) SEO copy.
Related to this topic: In my article “SEO-Translation – How to rock (German) website translation” you will find more information on how to translate your website .
Multi-Language Website SEO: How I can help you?
My multilingual SEO services focus mainly on English and German-language website projects. As a consultant, I develop bilingual SEO content strategies for international companies day in, day out.
Beyond the conceptual aspect, I am at your disposal when it comes to actually creating multilingual SEO content as well as German SEO translations of your existing content.
For this, I rely on my extensive experience living abroad as well as my international network of native SEO translators.
One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.
Frank Smith
By the way: if you decide to work with me, you can choose English, German, or French as project language. I am fluent in all three languages.
My Multilingual SEO Services
Besides SEO copywriting, I offer several more SEO services for multilingual website projects:
- multi-language website audit
- keyword research in English and German
- international or German SEO content strategy
- optimising existing metadata
- multilingual SEO copywriting & content creation
- SEO translation, SEO localization, or SEO transcreation for multi-language websites, blogs, or online stores from/to German or English
What clients ask me about multi-language SEO…
Does SEO content marketing work in multiple languages?
Yes, bilingual or multilingual SEO content strategies are a great idea to make your website SEO-proof in different languages.
Therefore, if you want to expand to the German market, it makes sense to adapt your original keyword strategy and all relevant content to your German-speaking target audience. Make sure that you work with a native German SEO copywriter.
One more important thing: never translate your English SEO content 1:1 into German. Please remember that different cultures have different customs and preferences.
Also, keep the the aspect of SEO localization in mind. This way, your multilingual SEO copy will resonate well with your German-speaking customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
What happens if I do not improve SEO for my multi language website?
If you neglect SEO for your multi-language website, you lose out on a literal world of potential. If your home market is competitive, you will continue to see low organic traffic and reduced reach to international audiences.
Your website will also struggle to compete with others that have already optimized their content for multiple languages. This means lower customer acquisition and (comparatively) limited growth.
