Veruska Anconitano discussed the importance of localization in SEO. She explained that localization matters for gaining new qualified organic traffic, improving user experience and conversion rates. Her presentation covered doing market research, implementing a localization process, optimizing content by country rather than just language translation, and how the human element is still essential for understanding cultural nuances in different locations. The key is to make the target audience feel at home on the site so they are more likely to convert.

1. Global virtual edition
International Search Summit
“The importance of
localization in SEO”
Veruska Anconitano
SEO and Localization Project Manager, Canva

2. A bit about me
Multilingual SEO and (Localization) Project Manager
with 20+ years of experience.
Worked/Works for
• Amazon
• Skyscanner
• eBay
• Booking.com
• Groupon
Currently: SEO and Localization Project Manager
@Canva
🇮🇹 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇪🇸🇫🇷🇵🇹🇯🇵🇰🇷

3. STATS ARE ALWAYS A PERFECT ICE-BREAKER*
of searches are
processed every day
5.6 billion
of websites are in
English
60%
billion people are active
Internet users
4.66
worldwide Internet
users speak Chinese
19.4%
worldwide Internet
users speak Spanish
7.9%
worldwide Internet
users speak English
26%
* Statista January 2021

4. English is spoken in 36 countries
The problem
with stats and
data
1
2
3
4
Spanish is spoken in 21 countries
French is spoken in 29 countries
German is spoken in 6 countries

5. 1
3
None of these
countries speak the same
English, German, French,
Spanish.
4

6. PISO
Convey a great number
of information in an
effective manner
APARTAMENTO
OFFERTA SPECIALE AZIONE
SPECIAL OFFER APARTMENT
CAR
CHAR VOITURE
CAMPSITE CAMPGROUND
THE FUNNY PART...

7. Culture and
Language…

8. Are
inextricably
linked

9. Linguistically and culturally
congruent web contents
activate shared schemas for
people who share the same
culture, and, thus, help them
to better process contents

10. SEO
Localization
Matters

11. New and Qualified Organic
Traffic
GAIN
User experience
Conversion Rates
Your Domain Authority
Your Brand Awareness
1
IMPROVE
2
INCREASE
3
ENHANCE
4
BOOST
5
The Importance of SEO Localization

12. Experiment, measure, analyze, adjust
Review existing materials in source language and
strategize their use
How to Implement a Fully
Functioning Local
Strategy
Do Market Research
Implement a project management process
Keywords’ research, topic research, insights research –
Optimize by country, not language
Create a Local Strategy involving the whole team
1
2
3
4
5
6

13. Do Market
Research
Check existing data
Define your persona(s)
and their interests
Research your audience
navigation habits
Research how your audience
find and search online
Research competitors and
define your USP
Understand the context you
want to break in

14. Implement a PjM
Process and
Structure
Identify your company’s
needs
Create Senior Management Team &
assign Project Coordinators
Define roles and responsibilities
within the project among the
different stakeholder Identify Training
Requirements
Create a Project Organizational
Chart
Define goals and assign
tasks

15. Review existing
materials in source
language
Existing data (user and
content)
Evaluate impact of existing items on
foreigner markets
Create an SEO Source-Language
Term base based on the existing
content Transcreate keywords from
existing items
Analyze, Prioritize and discard

16. Create a Local Plan
Language Guidelines
Adapted Brand Guidelines
List of competitors and their
keywords
Strategic approach: aggressive,
passive, etc?
Goals and results

17. Research
Your keywords
Move past the “high volume” keywords,
focus on real language and real searches
Forget direct translations of keywords
Take foreignization into account
Account for seasonality and get
familiar with regionalisms and cultural
don’ts.

18. ORDENADOR COMPUTADORA
COMPUTER
DRINK
BREUVAGE BOISSON
Optimize by
country, not
language

19. Tools are helpful!

20. Humans are Essential

21. Do you know that 83% of people declare to leave a website if they don't find a localised
version or if they find mistakes?
Humans are soaked up in the culture and are
able to pick slang, idioms and nuances using
them to perfectly target the right people in
the right country with the right content
Know how to simplify
By addressing your new potential customers in their own language, organically, the
messages you convey will be more understandable. Your audience will be more touched
by your brand and will be able to relate to it.
Makes your brand unique
Can fill the gap between a company and its potential customers
Know nuances, slangs, idioms
The Human Touch
Easing up the complexity of the language
for SEO purposes allows to create content
that appeal to a specific segment and that
can rank better.

22. Build a
culture of
Ownership!

23. Facilitate the relations between the SEO Team
and the Localization Team
01
06 02
05 03
04
Use a TMS (Translation
Management System) for
scalability and productivity
Create an SEO Source-
Language Termbase
Create a Bilingual SEO
Translation Glossary
Analyze both SEO and
Localization’s team
efforts, results, and
advancement over time.
Refine as needed.
Clean up the Translation Memory
periodically to ensure consistency and
implementation of the best SEO
keywords/phrases
Train Translators/Vendors on best
SEO practices to apply daily

24. International SEO is
everything
but just translating
content

25. It's qualified traffic
SEO is about driving organic
traffic that’s likely to convert.
International SEO is about driving
organic traffic from a specific
country to get them to spend
money.
SEO LOCALIZATION 101
It's not magic
International SEO is a
combination of doing SEO as
you’re used to, while reflecting
cultural differences.
It's all about
experience
International SEO is all about
offering your target audience a
pleasant experience on your
site.
It's empathy
International SEO requires
you really have to know your
target audience.

26. Make your target feel
at home, and they
will convert.

27. Veruska
Anconitano
Get in touch with me if you
have questions or suggestions.
Email Address
veruska@anconitano.com
Website
www.anconitano.com
Linkedin
www.linkedin.com/in/veruska-anconitano/