How to localize content from a multilingual website and take SEO into account

To be successful on the international market and get leads and conversions from a website, it’s necessary not only to provide users with high quality content, but also to adapt it to the particular features of the languages and cultures of the countries where the company conducts its business.

When translating with SEO in mind, the content should be search engine-friendly so that the website can attract the target audience most efficiently.

Here, we review the main stages in the adaptation of website content to the various languages and regions of the world.

Stage 1. Preparation for SEO-based translation and development of strategy

The most important thing here is to gather as much information as possible about the website:

• what the company does
• its area of activity: B2B or B2C
• the website’s audience
• the website’s purpose

Answering these questions will help you understand the specifics of the customer’s activities, compile the portrait of a potential website visitor, and determine the specifics of the keywords in the content. It will be clear what phrases to add to tell visitors about variations of the products and attract more traffic.

The process of the SEO-focused translation and the requirements for it are determined in the development of the strategy. For example, what CMS is used by the website, how many keywords and pages have to be translated, and in what time period, and so on.

Stage 2. Keyword research

First of all, it is necessary to analyze common user queries in search engines for the specific niche in various languages and in various regions. Source language queries should not simply be translated into their equivalents. It is more important that they are relevant queries and retain their search volume.

Stage 3. SEO-focused translation process

Translating keywords

The specifics of the key phrases and terms, the features of the language, and the search volume are taken into account in the process. Determining and preparing the most relevant equivalents is important: they are needed for the semantic core of the website, as well as for later integration into translation glossaries.

Translation and editing of the website’s content

This stage of content translation is mostly done in the traditional manner. Machine translation may be used too, but it is not always precise in inserting equivalents of the keywords in the target language.

The following interactions between the translator and the website are possible.

• Via integration. One of the fastest and most efficient ways to adapt content is to use a semi-automatic method of integration with the website. The content is translated using CAT tools and then sent to the website. The only thing necessary is to preliminarily set up the interaction channel so that the content is localized almost automatically. This enables a faster and more convenient translation process, and it also allows retention of keywords and the structure of the content. The interaction is configured via the installation of various scripts, plugins, and extensions that link the website and the translation tools. The only disadvantage is that not every website CMS has ready-made solutions, and it is sometimes necessary to develop means of integration for large projects from scratch.
• Remotely. All the website files are downloaded as they are, translated, and then imported back. The main issue is that the pages of most websites are dynamically extracted from databases, making it necessary to insert the translations manually. It is desirable to be able to import and export pages quickly in order to simplify the material retrieval and translation placement processes, such as with scripts. It is possible to find an efficient realization scheme for every project.
• Locally. This is the most time-consuming option. The translation is done directly in the website editor. It sometimes makes sense to download materials with all layouts and the translation separately from the website. After that, the translation is inserted manually. The translator needs access permissions on the website to do so.

 Stage 4. Quality control of the translated website

This must be done with cultural characteristics in mind. Experts need to not only translate the text, but also adapt it to the mentality and preferences of the target audience.

An experienced editor checks the level of concordance with the features of the language and culture of potential website visitors.

It is highly recommended to conduct linguistic testing after an SEO-focused translation is finished in order to check if the translation is correctly displayed in all elements of the site.

Stage 5. Monitoring of results

This is the constant supervision of whether the target pages with translated content are effectively promoted in search.

The following metrics are checked with tools for analytics and position monitoring:

• increase of the page’s rating in search engines
• traffic improvement
• assessment of visitors’ behavior
• increase in the number of conversions

After the data is gathered, the before and after results are compared, and promotion strategies are adjusted: the translation is supplemented, the content and website metadata are improved, etc.

Conclusion

Our experts in SEO-focused translation and localization use modern strategies and tools. We do not simply translate the words and text on websites. We transform their content to make it true to the queries of the global audience and make sure it has the highest ratings in search results. The more people see the website, the simpler it is to find relevant products and services online and the more opportunities for business development and growth emerge.