Ultimate Guide to Multilingual Website SEO: Boost Your Ranking

What is Multilingual SEO and Why Does it Matter?

Multilingual SEO (search engine optimisation) refers to the process of optimising a website for multiple languages and regional variations. This makes it different from traditional SEO, which focuses on one language. Multilingual SEO is also a branch of SEO that focuses on increasing the visibility and accessibility of websites in different languages. 

More than half of the Indian Internet user base prefers content in regional languages. This preference extends to the search behaviour of users, making multilingual SEO a critical factor in reaching and connecting with regional audiences. Let’s understand why it matters to your business.

Key Benefits of Multilingual Website SEO for Businesses

By leveraging multilingual website SEO, your business can:

• Expand Market Reach: Tap into markets that were previously inaccessible due to language barriers.
• Enhance User Experience: Provide content in the user’s preferred language that resonates with their cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
• Better SEO Rankings: Improve your search engine rankings for region-specific queries.
• Build Trust and Credibility: Build trust and credibility with local audiences by offering localised content.

While implementing multilingual SEO may seem daunting, tools like Reverie’s Anuvadak can streamline this process for you. It makes creating and managing multilingual websites effective and efficient. Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the strategies and implementation of multilingual SEO.

How to Excel in Multilingual SEO: Key Strategies 

Mastering multilingual SEO strategies requires a multifaceted approach. If you’re wondering how to do multilingual SEO, here are a few key strategies for you:

1. Content Localisation

Content localisation is more than just translating your content. It’s a process that involves adapting your content to resonate with the linguistic and cultural nuances of your target audience. Here’s why it’s crucial:

• It ensures that your content is accurate and maintains its intended meaning.
• It helps with cultural adaptation to ensure there are no misunderstandings and helps in building trust with local audiences.
• Content localisation also helps in reducing your bounce rate as it provides a better user experience, leading to improved user engagement.

With Anuvadak, you can easily manage website localisation leading to consistent, high-quality transactions across multiple Indian languages.

2. Technical SEO for Multilingual Sites

Technical SEO practices play a vital role in optimising a multilingual SEO website. There primarily two key elements that you need to focus on:

• Hreflang Tags: By implementing hreflang tags, you signal to search engines which language you’re using on that specific page. This is a crucial step in preventing duplicate content issues and getting higher rankings in different languages.
• URL Structure: Consider using clear and logical URL structures, such as subdomains and subdirectories, to organise your multilingual content effectively. 

In addition, it’s important to use language-specific URLs, such as “/hi/” for Hindi or “/te/” for Telugu. This helps the search engines to identify which page to show in a specific search query based on the user’s language preference.

3. Mobile Optimisation

Did you know that about 96.5% of Internet users globally access the Internet from a mobile device? And in the Indian context, more than 53% of users access the Internet via mobile devices. So, why am I telling you this? 

Optimising your multilingual website for mobile will ensure that your site is responsive and provides a seamless user experience across all devices. With better user experience through responsive design and fast-loading pages, you can improve your rankings.

4. Voice Search Optimisation

Voice search is gaining popularity in India, especially with the increasing adoption of smart speakers and voice assistants. Studies show that more than 82% of smartphone users in India use voice search features regularly. Many of these queries are in regional languages, so optimising for conversational, long-tail keywords in regional languages can help you capture this growing segment. Reverie’s Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech APIS can help you enhance your voice search capabilities. 

Implementing these strategies effectively will help you grow your business in India’s multilingual markets. But, how do you get started?

Implementing Multilingual SEO: Step-by-Step Guide 

Now that we’ve covered the key strategies, let’s break down the implementation process:

Step 1. Keyword Research in Multiple Languages

• Tools and techniques: Leverage tools that support regional languages,such as Google Keyword Planner. This will help you analyse search volumes and competition for keywords in the languages you’re targeting.  
• Understanding Local Search Intent: It’s important to recognise that users from different regions may have different search queries. The focus should be on tailoring your keywords to match local idioms and colloquial phrases.

Step 2. Creating a Content Strategy

When planning content for a multilingual website, it’s essential to balance translated content with original content. Direct translations can often miss cultural nuances, which can make your message less effective. Instead, you should focus on creating original content tailored to your target language and region. 

A balanced mix of translation and original content can lead to higher engagement and better SEO rankings in different regions.

Step 3. Technical Implementation

The step includes setting up the proper site structure and implementing hreflang tags. While this process can be complex at times, a well-organised site structure with language-specific URLs ensures that your search engines are indexing your pages correctly. 

Step 4. Quality Assurance

The final step includes proofreading and testing. These critical components involve reviewing your translated content for accuracy and cultural relevance. By leveraging Anuvadak, you can automate much of the technical setup, reducing the risk of errors.

These steps can help you build a robust multilingual SEO strategy that drives traffic and improves engagement across your target audiences. 

Reverie’s Role in Simplifying Multilingual SEO

Implementing a multilingual website and SEO is a complex yet rewarding process. With the right tools, you can simplify the management of your multilingual website. Reverie offers a suite of tools that can make the process smoother:

• Anuvadak for website localisation
• Anuvadaka’s Localisation API for accurate translations
• Transliteration API for maintaining phonetic consistency
• Prabandhak for managing large translation projects

To explore Reverie’s products and learn how they can empower your business, book a demo today!