This article is for Account Owners and Project Managers using the Global Delivery Network.
Regional Search Engine Optimization can be just as important for localized content as for global or source content, with a number of factors that drive regional SEO rankings. Marketers should keep SEO in mind before the localization process begins, and plan for optimizing SEO keywords and other factors which apply to both source and translated pages.
Translating with SEO Keywords
Certain types of website content may need special treatment for Search Engine Optimization, and this is no different for translated versions of websites. Before beginning a translation project, it's recommended that you translate your Smartling Glossary and include not only industry terminology but also SEO keywords.
Translating Meta Tags
By default, the Smartling Global Delivery Network (GDN) will capture title, description, and keyword meta tags for translation.
Additional tags, such as Open Graph and Twitter meta tags can easily be setup for capture and translation by the GDN. Contact your Customer Success Manager to have additional meta tags captured.
Identifying SEO Content
Because the GDN captures one instance of each unique string on your website, it is possible that a word or phrase on a front-end page is considered identical to a word or phrase used in a meta tag.
If you want to have a different translation for SEO content that what's displayed on the front-end page, or if you simply want to differentiate this content within the Smartling dashboard, consider creating Variants.
By adding a variant attribute to title, meta, and h1 tags, unique strings will be captured for these elements. They will be identifiable and searchable by variant name in the Smartling dashboard.
Swapping Meta Tags
In some cases you may want to replace meta tags or other content in the <head> of an HTML page on your source site with SEO-optimized content for each region or language.
You can use a Content Swap to swap in a unique set of content for each language. If you already have the translated content for your target languages, make sure to check the Do not translate box.
Translating SEO content is one aspect of international SEO. Learn more about SEO strategy for your localized sites in the Search Engine Optimization section of our Help Center.