A website readily available and accessible in multiple languages demonstrates the commitment of the company towards embracing the international audience it seeks. As stated in a report from Euromonitor International, “As ethnic and foreign populations continue to rise and their purchasing power grows, multicultural consumers will represent a critical market whose needs manufacturers will continue to find new ways to cater to.” 1
Manufacturers will also need to cater to the rising ability and independence of people to research on their own of products and services. A clearly and professionally translated landing page on a website is convenient for the visitor, and has a greater chance of increasing the visits and potential conversion rate to business transactions.2
Targeted landing pages have evolved enormously in recent years to accommodate mobile access and social media campaigns. If a website’s search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategic marketing priority, a clear and uncluttered call to action page available in multiple languages must be present. People are more likely to follow and engage with a landing page that appeals directly to what they want, as well as their language, culture and location.
The translation of landing pages on websites also has different technical demands and requirements compared to a translation of legal documents or printed brochure. The key difference is the importance of the optimizing the language of web pages so that they can appear and rank in search engine results. A language service provider (LSP) with experience in the translation of web pages can collaborate with an organisation’s SEO specialist, to ensure that the optimized keywords maintain the desired local search volume of the keywords in the landing pages.
Landing pages that are inappropriately translated can fall out of search engines’ strict rules on duplicated content and can dramatically push down organic page rankings accordingly. Maintaining a strong SEO presence, especially for B2B companies, is strongly recommended for any company thriving, planning to enter or have continued success in the global marketplace.
The need for translations into different languages is only going to increase in the future. Whilst many European companies have long provided translations into the languages of neighboring countries, a website should not be limited to only servicing the region it exists in. In a 2012 Euromonitor International research stated, “57 per cent of hoteliers in Europe were planning to translate the hotel’s website into Chinese, whilst 46 per cent of hotels in the US already offer a Mandarin version of their website.”
Marketing strategies need to be quick and effective as it may be mere seconds for a customer to make up their mind about a product and company.
Multilingual landing pages can help demonstrate a company’s willingness and effort toward growing its business whilst appreciating customers along the way.
References:
1 Global Consumer Trends for the Next Five Years, Euromonitor International, November 2012
2 Webtrends Optimize White Paper, Webtrends Inc. 2013
Read the full article here:
http://www.merrillbrink.com/role-of-localization-in-search-engine-optimized-landing-pages-04292013.htm
About Merrill Brink International
Merrill Brink International ( www.merrillbrink.com ) is a leading provider of complete translation and language solutions for global companies and law firms, with special expertise in serving the legal, financial, life sciences, software, heavy machinery and corporate markets. A proven leader with more than 30 years of experience, Merrill Brink offers a wide range of language solutions including translation, localisation, desktop publishing and globalisation services.
Merrill Brink is recognised in the industry for its commitment to quality and its pioneering approach of leveraging technology to reduce costs, eliminate redundant processes and accelerate translation life cycles. Merrill Brink is certified to ISO 9001:2008; ISO 27001:2005 and ISO 13485:2003, and registered to EN 15038:2006 and ISO 14971:2007. Together, these standards provide assurance that the most stringent process and quality standards for translation are followed. Merrill Brink International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Merrill Corporation.
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