The Top Five Hottest Tips of International Search

Prepared by:

Andy Atkins-Krüger - CEO, WebCertain Group

Andy Atkins-Krüger, CEO, WebCertain Group LtdStockholm – Dubrovnik – London – Seattle – New York – Shanghai –

Oslo – Moscow – Mumbai – Berlin – San Jose – Reykjavik – Las Vegas – Berlin– Manchester – Hamburg

Managing Editor – www.multilingual-search.com

What We Do?• Centralize & benchmark global search• SEO, SEM, Social Media, SEO-Localisation• Single time-zone – central hub

• WebCertain trained in-house search marketers• Native in 36 languages• International Only (Since 1997)• Multilingual processes at all times

WebCertainLocations

WebCertain ASSales ScandinaviaOslo

WebCertain Technical CentreProgramming unitKolkata

WebCertain ChinaLaunch Autumn 2010Beijing / Xiamen

WebCertain GroupWorld Language HubOperations CentreUnited Kingdom

WebCertain LLCSales USALos Angeles

WebCertain PolandSales operation Eastern EuropeWroclaw

1: Great Research & Planning

SEO and 3 Cs

Connections

Compatibility

Content

SEO and 3 Cs

Connections

Compatibility

Content

Culture

Searching And ConnectingAre Fundamental Human Needs

Everywhere

All Peoples Are Equally Sophisticated, Impatient And Lazy

Trust is Built Through Cultural Relevance and Dealing with Environmental Factors

User Behaviours are Environment Driven and Buying and Paying are Environmental Factors

The Roll-Out Scorecard

2: Google Is NotEverything

The Others You Need To Know!

64%

68%

48%Czech Republic

Russia

China South Korea

62%

Mobile Reaches Other Parts

Source: Admob

Quick Case Study

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Annual Organic Visitors

14 Languages – 20 Countries

• Year 1: +21%• Year 2: +84%• Year 3: +43%• Year 4: +69%• Total: +444%

3: Don’t Abuse Keywords

Keywords

Language Content & Presentation

Spidering & Site Maps

Language Detection

Language Dependent Processes

Index & Query Response

Keywords Cannot Be Translated

Guilty

Who Has The Shortest Long Tail?Shortest Tails Longest Tails

Romance

Scandinavia

English

Dutch / German

Input Methods Drive Behaviour – Including Mobile, PC and Tablet

Fussballschuhe

voetbal schoen

football boots

scarpe da calcio

botas de fútbol

футбольная обувь

Plurals

Prepositions

Accents

Alternate spellings

Disaggregation

Inflection

Language Issues Are Language Specific

*German language impact on SEO and PPC

4: Have AContent Strategy

How Important is Search?

“Marketing content which is not available to search engines isn’t worth localising. Period.”

Andy Atkins-Krüger

Map Keywords To Pages

Never Look At ONE Page Out of Context

Use Keywords To Drive And Frame Your Content

Creative Copywriting Is Not The Answer

Three Types of Content

Translated Content

Modified & UpdatedContent

Freshly CraftedContent& UGC

NO Compromise Needed Between Search

Engine and User

Best Practice SEO Localisation

Business Objectives

Product Development

Marketing Messages &

Content

SEO-Localisation Strategy

Plan

Content Selection &

Planning

Terminology & Glossary

Management

SEO Meta-Content &

Tactical SEO

Content Localisation

Glossary

Metrics, SEO & Content Feedback Loop

SEO-Localisation Strategy & Plan

Objectives - Organic

Visitors and Visibility

Keyword Research

Gap Analysis

Terminology & Glossary

Keyword Map

Metrics

Content Requests to HQ

Specifies Page Level Keywords

Language Right To Left

Watch Out For Calendars!

Well Done Saudi Air!

5: Effective Geo-Targeting Strategy

What Is Geo-Targeting – Simple?

15- 40% Additional Visitors In Each

“Appearing in front of ALL relevant searchers”

What Is Geo-Targeting – Complex?

The Web Is NOT The Same Everywhere!

“Appearing in front of ALL relevant searchers”

How Does Google Filter “The Web”?

Billigflug: Google.de v Google.co.uk

Billigflug: US v Germany

Billigflug: Austria v Germany

Lufthansa: Google.co.uk – Google.de

‘Keyword Language Tag’?

CasserolesEnglish

GB CasserolesFrench EU

How Does Google Filter “The Web”?

1.By Google Domain (Redirected by IP)

2.By Keyword Language Tag

3.By IP Location

Language?

Country?

Mixed?

WorldLanguage?

WorldLanguage?

French

Spanish

English

German

ArabicPortuguese

Target Polish –You Get Poland& Polish EmigrantsEverywhere

World Language Local Language

Options:

1. Local Domains Representing Language

2. Dot Coms + Google Webmaster Central

3. Dot Coms + Local Links + Local Hosting

Options:

1. Local Domains

2. Dot Coms + Local Hosting

Do NOT use Webmaster Central!

Russia - Yandex China - Baidu

1. Local Domains

2. Dot Coms + Set Yandex Region

3. Dot Coms + Local Hosting

1. Local Domains + Local Hosting (Not Hong Kong)

2. Dot Coms + Local Hosting + Set Baidu Region

Country?

Multilingual Countries

Simple Countries

Multilingual Countries

•Algeria•Belgium•Canada•Hong Kong•India•Morocco•Singapore•South Africa•Switzerland•Tunisia

Simple Countries Multilingual

Options:

1. Local Domains

2. Dot Coms + Google Webmaster Central

3. Dot Coms + Local Hosting + Local Links

Options:

1. Local Domains

2. Dot Coms + Local Hosting

Do NOT use Webmaster Central!

Watch Out for Duplication

Potentially Duplicate Locales

•Create An Individual Language Flavourfor Each Locale You Wish to Target•No Index The Rest (If Duplication matters)

LocalLinks

Use Local Domains

SearchEngineSettings

Link Building Doesn’t Work...

...Without Good Content

Local links

Local links

Local links

@andyatkinskruge

@webcertain