Master Multilingual Website SEO｜Boost Cross-Border Business Rankings

Do you wish your website could shine brightly on the internet? Have you ever wondered how to attract users from all over the world to visit your website proactively? The answer lies in the magical combination of multilingual websites and SEO optimization!

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected online, having a multilingual website has become an essential tool for businesses to capture the online market!

Why? Take a look at the following data, and you might find the answer!

●  According to Google's analysis of buyer search habits:

●  50% of consumers are accustomed to using English for purchases;

●  The remaining 50% of consumers prefer using their native language to search for products.

Furthermore, other data shows that over 60.4% of global trade transactions occur in non-English speaking countries.

According to United Nations estimates, there are dozens of languages currently used in the digital world. If we consider that one language corresponds to one consumer group, and one consumer group corresponds to one market segment, then a website that includes multiple language versions will naturally have a broader target audience.

In fact, influenced by globalization trends and the development of internet technology, a business website that emphasizes multilingual configuration can gain the following benefits:

●  A multilingual website can help a business demonstrate its international stature to the vast number of non-native English-speaking internet users, thereby gaining the trust of more overseas consumers.

●  A multilingual website is an essential marketing tool for businesses expanding into international markets. It can effectively compete against rivals focused solely on local markets, bringing more sales performance to the business.

●  A multilingual website can help a business gain exposure across multiple search engines, thereby acquiring more potential customer resources.

Given that creating a multilingual website offers so many advantages, how should business owners implement it?

Step 1: Analyze the Commonly Used Search Engines in Target Markets

Although Google is currently the most widely used search engine globally, in reality, certain regions may have preferences for other search engines. For example, the mainstream search engine in Mainland China is Baidu; users in Japan prefer Yahoo; users in South Korea favor NAVER; and Eastern European countries are accustomed to using Yandex...

Therefore, before implementing overseas SEO optimization, the first step is to note the search engines commonly used in the target market and understand their algorithm rules to formulate a viable SEO optimization strategy.

Step 2: Establish Appropriate Website Domains

If you want your website to target specific markets more accurately and avoid search engine penalties due to "duplicate content" issues, it is crucial to set up distinct website domains for different language versions targeting different markets. For example:

Method	URL Display	Pros	Cons
ccTLD	www.example.hk www.example.cn www.example.jp	• Clear geographical targeting • Server location independent • Easy to separate websites	• Expensive (availability may be limited) • Requires more infrastructure • Strict ccTLD rules (sometimes) • Can only target a single country/region
Sub-Domains	hk.example.com cn.example.com jp.example.com	• Easy to set up • Allows different server locations • Easy to separate websites	Users may not identify geographical targeting from the URL itself (cannot distinguish if 'hk', 'cn', 'jp' represent language or country/region)
Sub-Directories	www.example.com/hk www.example.com/cn, www.example.com/jp	• Easy to set up • Low maintenance cost (same host)	• Users may not identify geographical targeting from the URL itself • Single server location Not easy to separate websites
URL Parameters	xxx.com?loc=hk xxx.com?loc=cn xxx.com?loc=jp	Not recommended	• Difficult to differentiate based on URL • Users may not identify geographical targeting from the URL itself

Step 3: Use Hreflang Tags

The primary function of setting hreflang tags on a website is to inform search engines which language version the site uses or which region it targets, preventing users from frequently encountering incorrect language versions in search results.

Generally, there are three main methods for implementing hreflang tags:

1. Add a set of <link> elements within the <head> element of each page to let Google know which language and regional versions the page includes.

Code: <link rel="alternate" hreflang="lang_code" href="url_of_page" />

2. Use the HTTP header returned by the webpage's GET response to inform Google about the language and regional versions the page includes. (This method is only suitable for non-HTML files.)

Code: <link rel="alternate" hreflang="lang_code" href="url_of_page" />

3. Use an XML Sitemap to tell Google all the language and regional versions for each URL.

Sitemap Setup:

●  Specify the XHTML namespace: xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"

●  Create a separate <url> element for each URL (set up the same way as other Sitemaps). Use <xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="supported_language-code"> to describe all language versions included for that page.

●  Upload the Sitemap to the applicable directory on your website.

Step 4: Optimize Local External Links

As is well known, off-site optimization is a crucial part of SEO strategy and a significant factor search engines use to determine website ranking.

Therefore, if you want your website to gain more search exposure in target markets, doing localized SEO optimization is very important. This includes the business profile setup we introduced last time, as well as social media marketing, cooperation with local news media, and conventional off-site SEO optimization to improve the crawling efficiency of search engine bots.

Step 5: Implement a CDN for the Website

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is designed to deliver content based on real-time network traffic, the connectivity and load status of node servers, the distance between servers and users, response times, and other comprehensive data. This allows users to access the needed content from the nearest location, alleviating network congestion and thereby improving website response speed for users.

Simply put, a CDN is a type of cloud service and a preferred choice for many businesses utilizing cloud services. Here is the difference between a CDN and a traditional server:

	CDN	Traditional Server
Server Usage	Global nodes available for selection	Relies on a single/few servers
Content Delivery Speed	Fast: Automatically detects the server closest to the user and delivers cached content directly	Slow: Requires IP resolution and fetching data from the origin server before sending it back to the user's location
Data Security	Data stored redundantly across multiple servers with encryption; enhanced security, effectively dispersing DDoS attack impact	If the server encounters malicious attacks like DDoS or overloads, data security cannot be guaranteed, high risk of being paralyzed
Management Cost	Low: Maintained and managed by the cloud provider; businesses only pay for the CDN service	High: May require hiring specialized engineers or consultants for troubleshooting and maintenance

Friendly Reminder: While creating a multilingual website is not overly difficult, it involves configuring various code settings. Therefore, businesses unfamiliar with programming are advised to seek assistance from a professional IT team.

Frequently Asked Questions About Multilingual Website SEO Configuration

Q1: Does a multilingual website require different domain names?

Not necessarily. You can use subdirectories or subdomains, as long as you correctly configure hreflang tags.

Q2: What role do hreflang tags play in SEO?

They inform Google about the correspondence between different language versions, avoiding duplicate content issues and ensuring the correct language version is displayed to users.

Q3: Is a CDN necessary for a multilingual website?

Using a CDN is recommended because it speeds up global access, enhancing user experience and SEO rankings.

Q4: Is it necessary to create independent SEO strategies for each language version?

Yes. Search habits and keywords differ across markets. Tailored SEO strategies should be developed for each language version.

【Summary】

The internet world has virtually no "borders," as online users from different countries and regions can discover your website through search. Therefore, mastering the SEO optimization secret of a "multilingual website" will help your online business soar like a rocket!

Arachne Group Limited provides one-stop digital business solution services, including web design, online promotion, web hosting & management, system development, and other value-added services, comprehensively meeting our clients' business needs. Feel free to contact us anytime. Arachne Group Limited is your best partner for expanding online business opportunities.

Contact Us:

Phone: 852-3749 9734

Email: info@hkweb.com.hk

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