So you want to make a website that is for people in different countries. You've put the Hreflang tags on the site and made your content for people in other places in their language. You even put meta tags so people can see what languages are on your site!
You've double-checked everything and you're ready to hit the big, green launch button. But wait, haven't you forgotten something? It's a question asked by a million worldwide websites that have struggled to rank and engage their intended audiences. This is where we'll end our discussion on image SEO for global websites.
The term "representation" has become a buzzword.
The topic of representation has been a hot-button issue over the last decade. In recent years, consumers have become increasingly self-aware and demand to see themselves represented in everything from films and advertising to children’s toys. It's great that this movement is becoming more commonplace but what exactly does it mean?
Brands and broadcasters have had to change the way they market their products for them to appeal more to a variety of customers. In the past, the image was controlled by men almost always as it's been widely believed that straight white able-bodied individuals are those who would be most likely purchasing these items so companies focus on catering towards this demographic which made women feel alienated from not being represented within media or advertisements until recently when people started demanding recognition through representation.
Since brands needed money and were unable to make profits just focusing on one group of demographics anymore, they've had no choice but to step out of their comfort zones because if anything else doesn't bring enough attention then consumers will simply turn away from your product even though there have been some missteps
We all know that visual content is very important in generating views, likes, and shares. However, the words you use on your site should be different depending on where it’s hosted as well! Doing thorough research into wording, iconography (logos), culture/ colloquialisms are vital for international image SEO success.
Getting your photos right
It's critical to appeal to a wide range of people, but how do you convey diversity without tokenizing and disaffectedly representing your audience?
Consider the sorts of advertising to which you respond favorably.
- Do they utilize actual individuals instead of models and actors?
- Do the people in commercials sound like you?
- Is the picture convincing and genuine, or does it appear forced?
- Are your costumes on point?
A creative, engaging tone of voice might make the last point international relevancy. How much or how little clothing can differ greatly between cultures and countries? Getting this wrong could make a brand appear sexist in one country but offensive in another. A target country's "real" people wear what they do for why reasons?
A study conducted in Google Images shows that even keywords associated with the corniest and sexist stock imagery, now show a more diverse representation of what they mean for countries.
Iconography and culture from across the world
When implementing a landing page design in the Middle East, it's important to understand cultural differences. Giving someone the thumbs up in Iran is essentially saying 'up yours!' It would be wasted technical work and keyword research if an SEO alienates their audience with hand gestures that are lost in translation when designing a landing page.
Adobe has a really useful resource that provides designers with guidelines on international design and iconography. One for web developers, but interesting for SEOs too.
Image alt tags in different languages
I hate writing alt tags for images, but they're important and contribute to Google Images traffic. However, when optimizing international websites people don't even try; it's not done in their native language. People with a sight impairment reading an image written in another language would understand the content better if there was information helpfully tagged on top of them instead of just foreign words. Oh, and imagine trying to rank an image in Japan using English-only alt tags. It's frustratingly happening all the time!
When you're working with a large website, it's important to use plugins that save time and resources. In this case, I recommend using Polylang because having separate image files for each language can be overwhelming. The plugin isn't complicated either-it simply serves the relevant alt tag depending on the page language!
Final thoughts
This post has shown the importance of international SEO. It is important to get your research and suggestions checked by a native speaker when it comes to localizing for different cultures in order not to commit mistakes that would be embarrassing!
Digital Piloto is a digital marketing agency in the UK. We offer 360-degree solutions which include SEO, Content writing, PPC management, SMO, and online reputation management to help businesses grow their online presence. Our ROI-Driven Marketing approach ensures that we provide the best possible return on investment for our clients' campaigns by continually monitoring and adjusting spend based on performance metrics.
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