When translating your website: should you choose an SEO agency or a translation agency? The match!
Are you in charge of your company’s website ? Are you planning to have this translated into several languages?
Or perhaps you work for an SEO agency and have noticed a rise in demand for multilingual projects? Would you like to find out what a specialist translation agency could offer you?
We have written this article to answer these questions, which our clients and partners ask us regularly. It is indeed a complex subject, and to maximise the likelihood of converting international leads, combining SEO and translation expertise proves highly effective.
In the following paragraphs, we offer a guide to international SEO and an overview of the services provided by SEO agencies and translation agencies, such as EuropaTrad. We have also included a comparison of these two companiesin the form of a table.
And finally, we’ll show you how these complementary areas of expertise can work together to ensure the success of their clients’ projects!
What is international SEO?
Definition
International SEO, or international search engine optimisation, involves optimising a multilingual website so that it ranks highly in search results across different countries and languages.
This work involvescontent localisation, the use of hreflang tags, and the management of country-specific domains, to attract and satisfy users wherever they are based in the world. The aim is to increase the website’s visibility and traffic on an international scale.
The importance of SEO in the international market
It is important to implement a proper international SEO strategy , as simply translating a website’s pages without paying attention to SEO is bound to fail.
Here’s what such a strategy can offer you:
- Expansion of the target market : by optimising the website for different countries and languages, it becomes possible to attract new visitors, thereby increasing the customer base;
- Improving visibility and rankings : search engines such as Google, Bing, Baidu and Yandex all use different algorithms. Optimising a website for SEO whilst taking these algorithmic differences into account improves its ranking in local search results. What’s more, SEO practices can vary from country to country. For example, keyword density, user search habits and local backlinks are all factors to consider;
- Personalising the user experience (UX) : translation alone is not enough. Content must also be localised so that it resonates with local cultures, taking into account linguistic nuances, cultural references and local preferences;
- Competitive advantage : companies that invest in international SEO can gain a competitive advantage by being more visible and accessible than their competitors who do not. Every additional internet user represents another potential customer to attract and retain in the long term. Furthermore, a strong, locally tailored online presence enhances the brand’s credibility and recognition on a global scale;
- Reduced advertising costs : a high organic ranking in search results also reduces reliance on paid advertising, which can lead to significant savings. In fact, Google Ads budgets can often run into the thousands, or even tens of thousands, of euros per month.
What does an SEO agency do?
Let’s now take a look at what an SEO agency does.
The role of an SEO agency
An SEO agency specialises inoptimising websites to improve their visibility and search engine rankings, such as on Google and Bing.
Its main objective is to generate high-quality organic traffic to its clients’ websites, i.e. visitors who arrive at the site via unpaid search results.
The main services offered by SEO agencies
Here are the tasks that SEO agencies can carry out to help their clients achieve this goal:
- SEO audit : The SEO agency carries out a detailed analysis of the website to identify its strengths and weaknesses in terms of search engine optimisation. She looks at the site’s structure, its content, its backlinks and its technical performance;
- Keyword search : it then identifies the terms and phrases that internet users search for most frequently on Google and which are relevant to the client’s business. The aim: to target the right keywords to attract qualified traffic;
- On-page optimisation : it then focuses on improving internal elements of the website, such as meta tags, titles, descriptions, URLs and the content of the pages themselves, so that they are better aligned with SEO best practices;
- Technical optimisation : The SEO agency also takes the time to resolve technical issues that could affect the website’s ranking. For example, page load speed, mobile compatibility, and crawling errors;
- Content creation : producing relevant, high-quality content that meets the needs of users and the requirements of search engines is another key pillar of SEO;
- Link building : acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites is another service provided by the SEO agency to boost the authority of the client’s website;
- Analysis and reporting : Finally, to analyse the performance of the SEO strategy implemented and adjust strategies accordingly, the SEO agency monitors SEO performance using analysis tools and regular reporting.
What does a translation agency do for multilingual websites?
Let’s now look at what a translation agency specialising in SEO translation, such as EuropaTrad, can bring to the project.
The role of a translation agency
A translation agency aims to facilitate communication between different cultures and languages, by providing high-quality language services tailored to the specific needs of each client. To this end, a multilingual SEO translation agency, such as EuropaTrad, is committed to:
- To provide accurate and reliable translations ;
- Meet delivery deadlines ;
- Provide sector-specific expertise (legal, medical, technical, marketing, etc.);
- Using cutting-edge technologies (which includes AI at EuropaTrad), as well as carrying out translation within WordPress or other CMS;
- Maintain confidentiality ;
- To provide high-quality customer service.
The services offered by a translation agency
Here are the main services offered by translation agencies:
- Document translation, in various specialist fields (e.g. industry or cosmetics).
- Localisation
- Interpretation ;
- Transcreation ;
- Subtitling and voice-overs ;
- Editing/Proofreading
- Terminology management and glossary creation ;
- International multilingual strategy consulting (as part of a “global content marketing” approach), including consideration of international SEO requirements.
Translation / localisation: what is the difference?
Translation involves converting a text from a source language into a target language whilst faithfully preserving the meaning and style of the original. His aim: to convey the content clearly and accurately.
Localisation, on the other hand, goes beyond simple translation. She adapts the content not only linguistically, but also culturally. In practical terms, localisation will involve adapting cultural references, date and currency formats, as well as images and colours, to ensure they are relevant and appropriate for the target audience. It therefore aims to make the content as natural and accessible as possible for a specific audience, whilst taking cultural and regional characteristics into account. As you’ll have gathered, to optimise SEO internationally, you need to prioritise localisation!
An important reminder: the accuracy of translations and their adaptation to the culture of the target country are crucial factors in winning over an international audience.
SEO agency vs language services agency: a comparison
In this section, we provide a comparison table of the pros and cons of SEO agencies versus translation agencies:
| Working exclusively with an SEO agency | Work exclusively with a translation agency | |
|---|---|---|
|
Benefits |
– Technical expertise in SEO;
– Proficiency in SEO analysis tools;
– Constant monitoring of developments in search engines.
|
– Linguistic and technical expertise in the integration of translations;
– In-depth knowledge and understanding of the local culture;
– Careful tailoring of content to the target market;
– Creation of original content or adaptation of content to the target market. |
|
Disadvantages |
– Limited cultural understanding of foreign markets and cultures;
– Risk of misinterpretation and cultural misunderstandings in the selection of keywords. |
– Limited technical knowledge of SEO;
– Limited understanding of foreign search engines;
– May not be as up to date with the latest SEO trends. |
How can you work with an SEO agency and a translation agency at the same time?
Working with an SEO agency and a translation agency at the same time allows you to reap the full benefits of both areas of expertise!
A combined approach optimises both SEO and linguistic impact, ensuring that the content effectively reaches the target audience across different markets.
At EuropaTrad, we firmly believe that bridges can be built through the joint development of services and commercial partnerships, and that this is not only possible but also desirable.
Why is a combined approach effective?
SEO and translation services complement each other perfectly to boost a website’s visibility and appeal in international markets.
The SEO agency, for its part, focuses on search engine optimisation by creating a semantic cocoon and suggesting relevant keywords in the source language.
As for the translation agency, its role is toadapt these elements, taking into account the linguistic and cultural specificities of the target market (localisation).
This synergy ensures that the content is not only relevant and engaging, but also visible to the target audience.
What approach should we take to collaboration?
Here is EuropaTrad’s vision of the ideal collaboration between our translation agency and our partner SEO agencies.
Firstly, the SEO agency carries out an in-depth analysis to identify the most relevant keywords and groups them into semantic clusters.
These form the foundation of the SEO strategy, by structuring the content in such a way as to maximise its visibility on search engines in the source language.
The keywords selected by the SEO agency are then sent to the translation agency.
Using specialised tools and adhering to the criteria set out by the SEO agency, translators adapt these keywords for the target market.
They ensure that translated keywords remain relevant whilst being optimised for the local language and culture.
The client company’s marketing and sales teams then play a crucial role in validating the selected keywords.
They review the agencies’ proposals in light of the company’s specific business objectives and its positioning in the target market.
This step ensures that the chosen keywords are aligned with the company’s business and marketing strategies.
Once the keywords have been approved, the translation agency proceeds with the localisation of the website content.
This translation has been optimised to incorporate the approved keywords, thereby ensuring maximum visibility on search engines. Translators ensure that the text reads smoothly and naturally whilst being optimised for SEO.
For key pages, such as the homepage, blogs and market-specific product pages, the translation agency can adapt existing content or create original content directly in the target language.
This approach ensures that the content is not only accurately translated, but also specifically tailored to the expectations and needs of the target audience.
To conclude, translating a website into other languages, in order to reach new markets, is a truly strategic undertaking, which requires the mobilisation of a wide range of skills: SEO, linguistic expertise, an understanding of local cultures, proficiency in technical tools, etc.
Your localisation agency, EuropaTrad, offers you all of these services, either in collaboration with your SEO agency or by working in partnership with our exclusive partners.
Book an appointment with our team to discuss your multilingual SEO project!
