International websites and SEO: How to get it wrong in 5 easy steps
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This document outlines 5 common mistakes companies make when expanding their websites and SEO internationally: 1. Assuming English is sufficient when people often search in their local language 2. Relying on machine translations which can lead to invisible or incorrect content 3. Assuming the same popular products and content will appeal worldwide without customization 4. Implementing hreflang tags incorrectly through errors in language codes, lack of reciprocal links, or conflicts with canonical tags 5. Failing to continue optimizing the international sites through local keyword research, content, and technical configuration after the initial launch
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International websites and SEO: How to get it wrong in 5 easy steps
- 1. Emily Mace OBAN INTERNATIONAL International websites and SEO: How to get it wrong in 5 easy steps @IAmTheLaserHawk @ObanIntl http://www.slideshare.net/Oban-IDForum
- 3. You might say: Step 1: Assuming English is OK English is the business language @ObanIntl Overseas students need English to study here I’ve been to Sweden / Denmark / Norway – they all speak English @IAmTheLaserHawk
- 4. Is English OK? NO. People search in local language. Even when English is accepted, local language is often the kick-off point of the search journey. @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 5. English is great for students coming to the UK Hybrid English Arabic 0 @ObanIntl 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 @IAmTheLaserHawk
- 6. No English keywords in China Chinese Hybrid English 99% @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 7. E-commerce is different, right? Cross-border sales are increasing... So consumers must be ok to buy in English then? @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 12. High volumes for English? For well known items high levels of English might be used due to product/brand names @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 13. Hybrid? Mix of English and local language Brand names Technology names @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 14. Do your research Review how competitors are using language @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 15. Do your research Review how competitors are using language Review the search results @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 16. Do your research Review how competitors are using language Review the search results Look at keywords in both local language and English @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 17. Do your research Review how competitors are using language Review the search results Look at keywords in both local language and English Remember hybrid terms @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 18. Do your research Review how competitors are using language Review the search results Look at keywords in both local language and English Remember hybrid terms Don’t just assume it’s English @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 19. Do your research Review how competitors are using language Review the search results Look at keywords in both local language and English Remember hybrid terms Don’t just assume it’s English Remember the differences between languages shared by multiple countries @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 20. Step 2: Shortcuts to translation So I need local language? Let’s just get something out there shall we? @ObanIntl It’s too expensive to get full translation - so we’ve just used a tool Having something in language is better than having nothing @IAmTheLaserHawk
- 21. Google Translate doesn’t translate everything @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 22. Invisible to Google! @ObanIntl Google Translate doesn’t change your URL @IAmTheLaserHawk
- 23. Google Translate – can go slightly wrong… @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 24. Differences in the same language @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 25. Selling ice to eskimos @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 26. Step 3: Assuming the same products will sell You know your top 100 selling products – they always sell Let’s just take these and use them internationally – this is a winning formula right? WRONG. @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 27. Not everybody likes the same brands 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% China Germany UK Russia South Korea HTC Samsung Apple @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 28. Not everybody wants to do the same things 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Antarctic/ Arctic Fjords Hiking Husky Dog Sledding Midnight Sun Nature Northern Lights Snow- mobiling SE NO DK FR DE US UK @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 29. Don’t forget payment methods change too! 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Bank Transfer Cash on Delivery Credit Card Debit Card Direct Debit E- Invoices eWallet Others PostPay Pre-Paid PrePay APAC EMEA Latam North America @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 31. Step 4: Hreflang tag woes One of the easiest things to get wrong! Common issues include: @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 32. Step 4: Hreflang tag woes One of the easiest things to get wrong! Common issues include: Wrong language or country codes @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 33. Step 4: Hreflang tag woes One of the easiest things to get wrong! Common issues include: Wrong language or country codes Lack of return tags @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 34. Step 4: Hreflang tag woes One of the easiest things to get wrong! Common issues include: Wrong language or country codes Lack of return tags Redirecting URLs @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 35. Step 4: Hreflang tag woes One of the easiest things to get wrong! Common issues include: Wrong language or country codes Lack of return tags Redirecting URLs Conflicts with canonical tag @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 36. Wrong language codes Some of the most common: Eng for English BR for Brazilian Or a missing language code because you want to target a country not a language. Some of the best we’ve seen: WW for worldwide EU for Europe SE for Sweden @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 37. One page, many locations Hreflang en-de Hreflang en-fr Hreflang en-esEU homepage Hreflang en-pt Hreflang en-fi @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 38. Hreflang tag coding errors No-man’s-land hreflang tags </head> <link rel=”alternate” href=”http://example.com/at” hreflang=“de-at” /> <body> Incorrect syntax “de_de “ not “de-de“ Relative URLs not absolute @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 39. Hreflang tag conflicts No return tag errors Confusing message across different countries English Services Page @ObanIntl French Services Page English Home Page @IAmTheLaserHawk
- 40. Hreflang tag conflicts Correctly returning tags Clear message English @ObanIntl Service Page French Service Page @IAmTheLaserHawk
- 41. Hreflang tag common mistakes No self-referencing tags In both sitemap.xml and on page – different URLs Conflict with canonical tag @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 42. Hreflang tag errors URLs which redirect URLs which are broken @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 43. Hreflang tag common assumptions Having a ccTLD is enough Geotargeting in GSC is enough Having them in both the sitemap and on page is a good idea If you put them on one site you don’t need to worry about the other countries @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 44. Hreflang tag common assumptions Bing, Baidu and Naver don’t support hreflang tags <meta http-equiv=”Content-Language “ content=”en”> @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 46. Step 5: Forgetting your optimisation @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk
- 47. The bonus step: IP serving @ObanIntl@IAmTheLaserHawk