Wordbank at Internet World 2013
By Willow Colios | Global Marketing | No comment yet
Thanks to everyone who came to see us over the three days of Internet World 2013 at Earls Court 2. It was great to speak to all the visitors to our stand keen to take their businesses into Europe, South America and Asia and helping answer questions about building and executing online strategies for these markets.
There were a range of interesting talks across the three days on subjects ranging from Big Data to Social Media. Our two sessions focussed on ‘Digital Marketing in China: unlocking the opportunity’ and ‘Russian SEO: The secrets behind Yandex ranking’. We had an overwhelming response from businesses large and small looking to get into new online markets.
Of course 30 minutes isn’t enough time to learn everything there is to know about getting into the Chinese market but Wordbank’s Mark Burns and Darja Le-Blond introduced a packed theatre to some of its unique aspects, strategies and pitfalls.
Mark gave a great overview of China’s e-commerce landscape, PPC and social media strategies before Darja talked online content, giving insight into brand adaptation and localization.
Can’t believe you missed it?
Contact us and we can let you know when a special download of the presentations will be available. Of course if you are planning an online market entry into China, Russia or elsewhere right now, please get in touch and we will be happy to help you plan and execute a successful strategy.
How Companies Waste Money on Global Social Media
By Mark Burns | Social Media | No comment yet
People often think that I am against social media as a marketing solution and to a point, they might be right. It’s not to say I don’t believe in it but I believe a lot of marketing budget is wasted in it. So many companies plough thousands of pounds into social media and to what end?
If we then look at this on a global scale, how much money is being pumped in by one company across a variety of individual markets? Millions and often in the wrong places!
Here are my top 5 ways that companies waste money on international social media
Is IE6 Really Dead in China?
By Mark Burns | Global Marketing | No comment yet
Internet Explorer 6 in China has long been a discussion point for website design targeting this country. Historically, IE6 usage in China has been extremely high with 1 in every 4 users coming through this browser/version. It makes China problematic for website designers as any site must function under IE6, and therefore limits design freedom.
However, since the turn of this year, some reports are suggesting a rapid decline of IE6 in China with StatCounter suggesting as low as 5% usage in Feb 2013. How accurate is this data and have we seen the end of IE6 in China?
Top 10 Mistakes in Multilingual PPC
By Mark Burns | PPC | No comment yet
International PPC is often considered the ‘next step’ of paid search activity after a fairly steady English market PPC strategy has been identified and tackled. This is understandable but often it’s the international PPC which then suffers due to pre-existing English campaigns taking over international/multilingual PPC advertising.
In this post we examine some of those common issues and how it should be resolved.
Part 3: Why Does Multilingual SEO Need Localization?
By Mark Burns | SEO | No comment yet
The final part of the SEO in localization series switches the focus to help identify when we need localization for SEO purposes. Multilingual SEO strategies can be created at a top level but localization is the key to delivering this strategy effectively. Below are some of the key areas where SEO and localization must combine in order to gain traction and market specific ROI.
Part 2: When do you start SEO in a Website Translation Process?
By Mark Burns | SEO | No comment yet
The second part of our 3 part series on SEO in localization focuses on the difficulties many companies have when going global – at which point should I start SEO on my multilingual sites? Quite often, the choice is made for you by the need to make a series of sacrifices, but there is no doubt that there is an optimal time to include SEO in your website localization.
So, let’s make it a simple timeline. When should SEO be part of your website localization: after, during or before translation?
Part 1: When Should SEO Outrank Language Quality?
By Mark Burns | SEO | No comment yet
When undertaking an SEO strategy, one of the early factors to look at is keyword research. In English, SEO keywords often reflect everyday speak so adding them into text is relatively easy from a content point of view.
However, when we switch to non-English SEO, keywords are altered depending upon ease of typing. Misspellings, grammar alterations and accent loss are commonplace on what would appear to be the optimum keywords for SEO.
But at what point does SEO keyword outrank language? Should you use the best SEO keyword in content despite its language alteration?
No! Google is not an option in China – at all
By Mark Burns | Global Marketing | 2 responses so far
It’s well documented that Google is currently banned in China but the .com.hk work around makes companies think that Google is still an appropriate route to marketing themselves in China.
For any audience in China, for any product, Google is not the answer and this post explains why that is and where you should be looking to instead.
International Link Building – The Golden Rules
By Mark Burns | SEO | No comment yet
Is your multilingual SEO not performing? Maybe you are looking to get started in a new market in Europe, China or Brazil. Here are some basic rules for using international link building as a key part of any multilingual SEO strategy.
Read more
Nordic SEO: Top 5 Tips on Getting the Most from Nordic Search
By Mark Burns | SEO | No comment yet
The Nordic market has become increasingly popular over recent years with the enticement of a strong market economy which includes countries with some of the strongest internet penetration rates in the world.
Better still, these Google dominated markets have fantastic e-commerce penetration – and in fact they like to buy British! 40% of Nordic shoppers buy online at foreign sites; 60% of these buy from UK websites and 45% buy from US websites.
If you’re looking to get some traction in these lucrative markets the top 5 SEO tips below can help…
