Search engine optimization in English provides substantial challenges for most companies, but what about SEO in 20 different languages? When you drill down into it, there’s a lot “lost in translation” when most companies perform content optimization in different languages.
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In this video interview from the Exhibit Hall at Search Engine Strategies in San Jose, my long time friend Andy Atkins Kruger of UK-based WebCertain takes a few moments to answer questions about multilingual SEO as well as some of the common challenges that come about when optimizing content not only in other languages but also dealing with corporate speak in those languages.
I can imagine that translating keywords from one language to the next can be quite challenging. But to take on SEO for 20 languages is quite an accomplishment! I would imagine though that SEO is more common amongst English speaking websites…how popular is it amongst the other languages? Is there any resistance to accepting the concept in some countries?
As always Andy is full of usefull information. It almost feels like I am there? Great post thanks for sharing this with us.
Just to answer Ayat on “SEO is more common amongst English speaking websites…how popular is it amongst the other languages?” I can say that this is a popular and important in any languages be it my native tongue Icelandic or in fact any other. I can give you a good sample of translating a PPC from English to Icelandic having to fit 25 characters in a Google AdWords title can pose a problem. Title like “Great London Hotel Deals” is 24 characters but translated (trying to say the same) Icelandic is never going to be under 32 to 37 characters and if you try it in Finnish, well good luck… Check out http://www.multilingual-search.com for more on this topic.