Living as I do on the conjunction of three countries, that is Belgium, Holland and Germany, can make search engine optimisation (SEO) quite a challenge. Just in the surrounding area of the village I work from are four spoken languages so if you extrapolate that out to every possible combination of search terms, browser settings and computer language settings then you begin to see the scale of the problem.
Leaving aside the differing search terms and therefore your various sets of keyword targets, each different language user will have their own set of computer and browser language and preference settings that will give completely differing search results.
As a quick example try searching - management consulting Liege - on Google.com and Google.be-fr. OptimaGest Management Consulting is 2nd out of 392,000 on Google.com and 24th out of 291,000 on Google.be-fr. (Don't worry, I'm still working on the Google.be rankings)
So here are a few tips that I have picked up to make your job a bit easier.
First setup your browser for multilingual searches.
Arm yourself with a browser that has configurable profiles. Firefox springs to mind.
Set up a profile for each required language so that your preference language and search engine preferences can be configured.
For Firefox installed with the installer: Make sure firefox isn't running. Then open the Windows "Start" menu, click "Run" (or Windows key + R) and then type: firefox.exe -profilemanager or firefox.exe -P
If that doesn't work (it doesn't on my machine) then you need to type the full path to the firefox.exe surrounded by quotes and then the switch in the "Run" box. e.g.
For Mac OS X launch the Terminal (Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and enter: /Applications/firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager
If that doesn't work then include the -bin switch e.g.: /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird-bin -profilemanager
The profile manager dialogue will open and I recommend that you keep the "default" profile as this will preserve all your current settings. Click on "Create Profile" and follow the instructions. You should create and name a profile for each language and then make sure the "Don't ask at startup" option is unchecked. Now when you start Firefox normally the profile manager will open and you will be able to select your required profile.
As you start each profile for the first time go to "Tools" then "Options...", "Advanced" tab and then click the Languages "Choose..." button. Here set the language that is required for that particular profile and remove the default en-us.
Then open each search engine e.g. google.be in turn and specify in the preferences the required language etc so mirroring as closely as possible the actual setup your target audience will have.
Now you can quickly check your search engine rankings without having to re-configure your browser settings each time for each target market.
Now the multilingual keywords problem.
Of course before you can monitor your success you must first develop your keyword strategy and that is not as straight forward as it would seem. We must research carefully our target keywords in each of our target markets. It is pointless OptimaGest Management Consulting being number one on Google.be-nl if the chosen keywords are never actually used in dutch.
My native language is english with a passable knowledge of german and the small beginnings of french so I am dependent on my translators for french and dutch. But web designers are not in the business of producing perfectly grammatical and vocabulary correct sentences such as translators delight in. We are trying to pack an optimum number of relevant search terms or keywords into our copy while keeping it on message and readable.
In our native language we can, with a bit of research and practice, produce web site content that just "glows" with pertinent keywords and phrases leading on to mega search results. But where do you start in language 2, 3 or 4? That will be the subject of my next article.
Many people have started using Google's AdSense program to make cash on their blogs, but there are some who find it a bit too uncertain or simply not suiting their own requirements from an ad program.
But thankfully for such people, there are many alternatives to AdSense to help make you cash from your blog that attempt to alleviate some of the Adsense shortcomings. Here is a list of the most noteworthy ones from the lot with a description concerning each one.
AllFeeds (http://www.allfeeds.com/?action=publishers) AllFeeds has a great pool of online advertisers to choose from to place on your blog. It also features many display formats that you can choose from. These include banners, buttons, XML feeds, DHTML pop-ups and so on. It also features real time reporting of your ad status. The site will mail a check every month, provided that you earn more then $25.00, while rolling over earnings for the next month if you don't. Another interesting thing about AllFeeds is that it integrates with Google AdSense, maximizing your earnings with AdSense.
MarketBanker (http://www.marketbanker.com/mb/sell.php) MarketBanker allows you the unique possibility to set the pricing for your blog. It also allows you to allow or reject any link that appears on your site (although AdSense itself does a very good job of this as well, with URL filters) There's also a statistics section which will allow you to see how well your site is doing. The ads are small just like AdSense's and they're just as easy to set up. Also, registration for MarketBanker is free.
BidClix ( http://www.bidclix.com/PubTop.html) BidClix is different because it has advertisers compete for clicks on your blog, which in turn is meant to generate the highest possible profits for your blogs pages. It also has a very large pool of advertisers which ensure there are plenty of people to choose your site. However, it does require more polish on site contents then AdSense. As most sites, real time statistics are available and its very easy to get started with this service, but it's also very flexible.
Chitika (http://www.realcontext.com/index.php?option=RealContext:+Contextual+Targeting+Engine) RealContext uses Artificial intelligence to retrieve the most relevant ads for your page. And there's an extra feature which makes RealContext unique as well. Keywords are selected based upon which previous selections paid off and which didn't. That means there's a constant feedback process that ensures you gain better revenue from your ads. It also supports blocking certain adds and child-safe filtering and many more options.
AdHearus (http://adhearus.com/webmaster.php) AdHearus is a very feature-packed contextual ad provider. As with AdSense, advertisements are targeted but it doesn't stop here at all. The ads are very flexible, you can select from text-ads, banners, rectangles, pop-ups, pop-unders or skyscrapers. You can also display your own ads, through rotation, both on your site and on other affiliate sites, which makes AdHearus a hybrid with conventional advertising technologies. There's a very comprehensive on-line real time reporting feature and, as usual with such services, starting out is free and it's a breeze.
AffiliateSensor (http://www.affiliatesensor.com/) AffiliateSensor has highly customizable ad blocks, which you can make for yourself with an easy to use on-line interface. You also get realtime reporting with clicks-by-domain, page and referrer. There's integration with Google AdSense as well, through the google_alternate_ad_url so AffiliateSensor can be used as a substitute for Google PSA's (Public Service Ads).
Kanoodle Bright Ads (http://www.kanoodle.com/about/brightads.cool) Kanoodle's offering allows publishers to get ads related to topics or segments, and not the traditional keyword oriented ads. The site also groups publisher sites with advertisers by hand to ensure high-revenue generating ads. And speaking of revenue, the amount of money you receive is a clear 50% share of the amount of money Kanoodle receives for an advertiser.
TargetPoint (http://publisher.targetpoint.com) TargetPoint is oriented more towards content publishers. It offers full control over the look the ads, statistics over your site's overall performance and better revenue. It's free to register and you earn a guaranteed 60% of the total revenue. You can get paid with Paypal of Bank checks and (most times) wire transfers as well.
Clicksor (http://www.clicksor.com) Clicksor will earn you as much as 60% from the amount of money your website produces. What you get is about the same as AdSense, there are targeted text ads, you can view the revenues from your website in real time. You can receive money via PayPal or through a check every two weeks, provided that you have earned more then $50. If you haven't made that much, your earning roll over to the next period
Both Lumo & Tre are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lumo has sinced written about articles on various topics from SEO Search Engine Optimization. John Connolly is a web designer based in the east of Belgium. He specialises in multilingual ( En, Fr, De & Nl) web site design for small/ medium sized businesses through. Lumo's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.