How to translate keywords for multilingual SEO

International expansion online begins with translating your website. But to get ahead of the competition and find your customers overseas, you need to go the extra mile.?

Like regular SEO, multilingual SEO improves your site's visibility and connects you with new audiences — but specifically in international markets. However, direct translation of keywords isn’t always enough. So how should you translate keywords?

In this article, we’ll break it down step by step to help you get started. You can also watch the video summary below.

1. Translate your existing SEO keywords

You likely have an SEO strategy that works for your domestic audience, so the first step is to adapt your current keyword list to your target market. To find the local equivalent of your keywords, do some research and go beyond direct translation. This could involve using an alternative word or completely rewriting the keyword because customers in other countries might be using different words or phrases when referring to the same product or service.

2. Check their SEO viability

Once you have your localized keyword list, test its SEO viability in your target market. By running a keyword search in your SEO tool, you’ll get more insight into key factors such as search volumes and keyword difficulties. In a new market, your translated keyword might not have the same competitive advantage or you might be missing some powerful keywords that don’t exist in your original list. So you should optimize your multilingual SEO strategy by adding or removing keywords.

3. Refine your localized keywords

Your localized keywords can perform better with further refinement. For example, by changing a keyword into a long-tail keyword you can reduce its keyword difficulty. Or by modifying your web pages and content for better compatibility with your localized keywords you can achieve better results. You can consider getting help from professional translators or local SEO experts if needed.

4. Use an automatic translation tool for quicker keyword translation

Keyword translation is necessary but it can become time-consuming when done manually. Introducing an automatic tool to speed up this process will allow you to focus on strategy rather than repetitive translation tasks.?

We hope that you found this article helpful! It’s time to put your knowledge into practice and start getting results with your multilingual SEO strategy today.

Weglot helps kick-start things by automatically translating keywords and even providing alternatives. It also allows you to set up glossary rules to translate specific keywords in a particular way. You can also add team members to work on keyword translations together or get help from professional translators. The changes you make will be live throughout your website so you can immediately start seeing the results of your multilingual SEO efforts.