If you’re running a multilingual website, you must learn about SEO(Search Engine Optimization) for global sites.
■ What is multilingual SEO?
Multilingual SEO refers to all techniques for optimizing a single content in multiple languages/regions.
For example, let’s say the language of the site you run is Korean, English, and Spanish. Korean language users should be exposed to Korean content, while English-speaking people should be exposed to English content.
If you take a closer look, Spanish users living in the U.S. should be exposed to Spanish content, and those who speak Korean in the United States should be exposed to Korean content. The best purpose of multilingual SEO is to link to the appropriate content, taking into account the actual language used by the user and the area in which they live.
■ Multilingual SEO purpose
So you got the definition of multilingual SEO now – exposing and strategizing the most convenient form of content from the user’s point of view. There are two main values that can be gained through multi-lingual SEO.
1. To expose to more potential customers.
2. Higher search rankings in specific regions/languages
The objective is simple. To expose my content to more people, who I target. Basically that is purpose of every SEO techniques. However, unlike general SEO, you should be careful when providing content in a variety of languages. Incorrect multilingual SEO techniques have an adverse effect on search rankings because my site can be classified as a “poor quality site”. It is also the main reason to study multilingual SEO techniques.
■ 3 elements of multilingual SEO – content, domain structure, hreflang tags
The Multilingual SEO series will explore the three elements of the multilingual SEO(content, domain structure, hreflang tag), and how to do the multilingual SEO step by step.
1. Content
The most important thing is the content. If the original content is bad, the search ranking cannot be increased by using any technique. So, I’ll talk about the approach of creating a multilingual version that the search engines like. Then, I am going to talk about how to search for keywords and translation.
2. Domain Structure
Domain structure is important than you might think. The easier the search engine bot is to understand your website, the higher the search ranking. You need to know this knowledge, especially because there are pros and cons depending on what domain structure you are taking.
3. Hreflang Tag
hreflang tag is a more technical part, which is essential if you have created a multilingual site. I would like to present an example together so that anyone can see and follow it.