Most websites need to target specific users. Your prospects are likely in a geographic region, or in a specific industry or perhaps both. Your goal is to write your content in a way that attracts the prospects you want. You do not want to compete for visitors you do not want or need. Content localization is the process of writing content to target your prime audience. You will see your best search results when you have localized your website content,
I this post we will only look at content localization for US audiences. After all, US website owners are my gold prospects. 😊
At the most basic level your content must be in the language(s) that your audience uses. While this is obvious deliver your content in the language your audience speaks. For example, you will need to hire a professional translator if your content creators do not speak fluent Spanish. Your site will not successful with your Spanish speaking audience without professional translation. Putting your text in Microsoft’s Bing translator is not going to work. Don’t laugh, I have seen this on live websites.
Geographic Targeting
Many businesses and organizations serve clients in a specific geographic region. If you are a restaurant your service area can be as small as a single city or town. If you are a landscaping service, you may serve a couple of counties. If you are an electrical contractor, a corner of your state. How do you let search engines know what area you service? After all, if you are in Waukesha WI you do not want to deliver pizza to Walla Walla WA.
There are several ways that you can target your content, and we can help. Generally, a simple list of every town you serve is not going to be very effective. A long list of cities in your content is likely to discourage your visitors. Of course, you will list your address, or addresses in the footer of website content. Then, look for opportunities to mention locations you serve. You can have a project gallery with a description of the project along with the city and state. You may have a list of testimonials, again listing the city and state of the customer. Whitepapers and project overviews are also opportunities to list locations. Search engines want to deliver meaningful results to their users. They will pick up these clues and move your listing higher in the local listings. This has an even larger impact for mobile searches.
Your SEO consultant will also want to track your search results by area. This will gives a more accurate picture of your search success than national results.
Search Vocabulary Targeting
The last type of content localization to address can be the most important. Use the word combinations that inform search engines about the essence of what you do. Good topical localization also informs who you serve. Clear communication of what you do, and who you do it for go a long way toward a successful website.
How important is the keyword targeting? I provide SEO services for several marketing agencies. They do branding, and when I think of branding I think of a specific process with a specific goal. However, I grew up on a dairy farm that also had beef cattle. If I put on my rancher hat branding has a completely different meaning. A poor job of content localization can bring a guy with a suit and briefcase to a feedlot, or a cowboy with a branding iron to a business meeting. Although come to think of it I can think of more than one meeting that would have benefited from a hot iron.
While this example is extreme, your content better say “cattle branding” or “company branding” to avoid confusion. Again, your content needs to communicate the essence of what you do to search engines. Your content also must use the vocabulary and style that speak to your target audience.
If you need help reaching your best prospects with your website, we would like to help. Contact us by filling out the contact us form or call and we will be happy to help.
