Multilingual SEO Website Translation

Domain and URL Structure

In the United States, the most common and credible domain for all commercial websites is “.com”, while educational institutions, government bodies, and nonprofit organizations are denoted with “.edu”, “.gov”, and “.org”, respectively. However, these standards vary greatly country to country. The equivalent of “.com” in Germany, for example, is “.de”. Additionally, there are different formats involved in pinpointing a domain. ccTLD, for example, refers simply to changing the “.com” to “.de”. Subdomains, on the other hand, keep the last four characters intact but change the beginning of the URL as required for the market; for example, in “de.site.com” or “fr.site.com”. This is important to consider when expanding to a global market, as having the most common and familiar domains grows brands’ credibility and searchability.

Keywords

A crucial step to successful multilingual SEO website translation is identifying the common keywords and key phrases that consumers or clients are likely to use when searching for your product or service. Oftentimes, a potential customer will lack in-field sophistication or expertise, so it is important to make your content as accessible and searchable as possible through the use of familiar, local terms. Additionally, in-country linguists can ensure effective targeting of specific populations by including cultural nuances, key phrases, and region-specific terms or expressions.

Learn more about CSOFT’s search terms translation services.

Hreflang Tags

Hreflang tags are indications that search engines use to determine both the language that a multilingual website translation is in as well as its intended region. For example, on a page intended for a UK audience, a hreflang tag on the site map indicating “en-gb” will correctly inform the search engine where the target audience is located, their language, and where it should prioritize hits from a search.