Multilingual SEO, but why?

The field of E-commerce is booming these days. The internet has seen an upward trend in retail sales in the last 10 years and doesn’t look like slowing down. According to statistics by aggregator Statista, retail sales amounted to US$1.86 trillion (£1.33 trillion) in 2016 and increased to US$2.29 trillion in the year 2021. That upward sales trend continues to increase and is expected to soar to US$4.48 trillion by the year 2021.

The internet has given businesses full access to markets and consumers across the globe, but businesses today need to find a way to connect with their customers across the world, and this is only possible with the effective use of multiple languages. Businesses can take full advantage of this e-commerce boom by communicating with their customers in their own local language.

Most e-commerce businesses rely on English when it comes to their web content and digital promotions. That is because English is recognized around the world as a ‘global language’ and is widely accepted and understood as well. But when it comes to e-commerce, it is wise to look at the global picture and see the potential of going beyond English-speaking markets and exploring potential target audience. According to a research conducted by Internet World Stats, in December 31st, 2017, nearly two billion internet users were from Asia. This is nearly half (49%) of the global total and China alone has 772 million internet users. China is home to the world’s leading e-commerce brands that have expanded worldwide over the years, for instance, Alibaba.

 

E-commerce is a hugely diverse sector, one that is growing around the world and relies on the digital world. Thousands of brands and e-commerce stores are competing against each other to stand out and find a way to communicate and promote their products and services effectively.

Choose The Right Language(s)

Language can have a huge impact on your target audience. The accurate and effective use of language has the power to boost a company’s online presence and get the brand noticed in markets that communicate in different languages

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), can help e-commerce businesses establish and grow their online presence and also increase the amount of traffic it receives from search engines. Implementing an effective SEO strategy ensures that you have the right keywords in place and your web pages are optimised metadata and are easy to find on the search engine.

This is the reason why the efficient use of language and translation services plays a significant role in the digital world. Use terms on your website that are searchable in many different languages. You can find these terms by sitting together with an SEO specialist and translation professionals who have in-depth knowledge of the relevant language and can tell you the type of keywords that would attract maximum traffic.

As an e-commerce entity, your job is to get yourself noticed online in not one but various markets. It can be a big challenge which may take many months and even years to see any results. By ensuring your website is properly translated and SEO optimised for local search, you can take the vital first step towards long-term success of your e-commerce business.

Find out more on Multilingual e-commerce translation for online retailers.