Reviewing a website’s keywords is important to understand how to position it. Consider that, at the end of the day, users’ searches are going to be pretty similar, and they’ll depend on those keywords. Therefore, when trying to improve your website’s ranking, it’s essential to think carefully about what words to choose. But what happens when a website is translated to other languages? Do the keywords stay the same in all languages? Do they need to be adapted? Let us explain.
How to translate your website
Translating an e-commerce website or a web portal is not just about translating each sentence in the source to the target language. Other aspects also come into play, such as metadata or the right adaptation of the content to the target language. Let’s take a look at the steps involved in this process.
1. Translate and reinterpret the content properly
First, the bulk of the website needs to be translated to the language in question. However, it’s essential to pay extra attention to certain elements that are more complex, such as any idioms, expressions, or linguistic gaps. Here’s an example: some verbs have no direct translation in other languages. The translator’s job is to find a way to say the same thing (by getting the whole meaning across), but in another language.
Similarly, it’s important to take care when translating any metaphors or imagery. Keep in mind that every language also reflects a different culture, no matter how similar it may be to ours. Consider this, for example: a Spanish omelet is, of course, very Spanish, but in France it might not get the same reaction. This is why it’s important to be careful when looking for equivalences and when adapting your texts, so that they maintain the same meaning in the target language and country.
2. Choose the keywords you’re going to translate
The second step is to make the necessary changes to implement an effective keywords strategy. At this point, a common thought may be: “Can’t I just follow the same positioning strategy and maintain the Spanish keywords?” The quickest answer is the clearest one: no. Consider the fact that markets can differ around the world. The way people shop for boots in Italy, for example, isn’t the same in Germany. There are lots of factors that can vary and change your plan: from the way sentences are structured, to the competition with other brands when it comes to positioning yourself with certain keywords, etc.
It’s not just about the language; it’s also about the market. In some places there will be market niches that are more saturated where you’ll have to compete for a more limited keyword strategy. Meanwhile, in other regions you’ll have more freedom to compete for more general searches. Therefore, it’s not just about translating your website. You’ll also have to put together a new positioning plan.
So, forget about directly translating the keywords you used in your brand’s original language. First you’ll need to properly analyze the market you want to enter, study the competition you’ll encounter, and design an original positioning plan that is adapted to the region.
3. Divide your websites in other languages into subdomains
Of course, you can and should keep your brand’s original website at the core of your operations. Therefore, if you also translate it to English or to other languages, ideally each one will be a domain of that main page.
This is a very convenient way to structure and properly organize your company’s online space. Search engines will also value this positively, since the new subdomains can also benefit from your original website’s reputation and reliability.
4. Translate the metadata
Finally, you’ll have to pay close attention to any metadata on your website. These include photo captions, categories, or meta descriptions, so that the page can be properly listed in search engines. This is a technical aspect that you shouldn’t ignore, since it plays an important role in your website’s final positioning.
In fact, you’ll have to develop a specific positioning strategy for the metadata. In other words, you’ll need to choose the keywords you want to use and introduce them with the right ratio into all these spaces.
We’ve now seen how reviewing a website’s keywords and translating them to another language isn’t enough to position your brand properly. Prior analysis and a good translation are equally important. If you need help with these kinds of projects, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Here at blarlo, we’d be delighted to help you.
