5 Steps to DOMINATE International SEOWithout Learning Another Language
Eli SchwartzOnline Marketing Manager
SurveyMonkey
Pubcon New Orleans 2014
SEO @ SurveyMonkey
Own Your Destiny
Keywords Matter THE MOST
Non-English Search is Weaker than English
More Spanish speakers worldwide than English*
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers
2nd Page of Results for Competitive Terms
Google.com (English) Google.es (Spanish)
Must Use Correct Keywords to Rank
Non-English Spelling Correction is Weaker
In French a misspelling brings up different results
Make Sure Your Translations Make Sense
Double Check Translation Work
Keywords Need to Be Culturally Relevant
Let’s Learn Keyword Research
Keyword Tools are NOT the Starting Point
In English, you might just go to Adwords Keyword Tool and call it a day
Just blindly trusting search volume will NOT work
Understand Keyword Weakness
None of these are relevant to SurveyMonkey’s Business
Learn just one word…
Put your primary keyword into Google Translate
Search Translation Alternatives Too
Some of these might be the better keyword
Add Keyword Modifiers
Adding a modifier gives Google Translate context around the word
Start Googling
Search the just discovered keyword in your target language AND country
Google can help even in non-Google dominant languages
Search All Translations To Get Right Word
Not all translations will be relevant to your business
Some Translations Are Very INCORRECT
Google’s suggested translation was a XXX term
Look at Number of Results
Only 51 results
Two Tabbed Searching: Translate vs Original
Use Chrome’s translation tool
Add Search Competitors to Spreadsheet
Using your first keyword, find competitive sites
View Search Competitors in Two Tabs
English Translation via ChromeSpanish Original
• View each site to find new keywords• Look at the English to find important keywords• Compare words to original and add translated word to spreadsheet
Google Suggest Will Show New Keywords
Spanish English Translation
Can also use a tool like UberSuggest
Look Up Search Volume of Keyword List
Paste in all keywords you discovered
Pluralize Keywords
• Not every language has a plural • Don’t forget non-s plurals
(Alumnus alumni)
• Search volume of plurals could be greater than singular• A greater search volume for the plural
version of one word does not have bearing on other words• Singularize plural keywords from original
list
Translate Keywords in Your Favorite Tool
Translations just help you to communicate to other team members
Buddy Up With a Native
Dedupe the List and Make it Actionable
Some International Keyword Tools
5 Steps to Dominate Your International SEO
1. If you aren’t doing international keyword research: START
2. Do the work yourself
3. Find a native or rent one
4. Localize content5. Once you are done,
start all over again
