German & French Search Engine Optimization
Although English is still the most common language on the Internet, the opportunities to expand internationally are increasing too quickly to be ignored. Translating your website into multiple languages is just the first step in reaching out internationally. SEO is a crucial aspect of marketing and must be geared toward each target language. Using SEO can be the factor that will determine whether or not your website will succeed globally. Two increasingly-popular Internet languages are French and German, and since Internet users conduct searches in their native languages, it is clear why SEO is so important to a globally expanding company.
French SEO
Although it was slower to start up than the rest of the languages, French is one of the fastest growing languages on the Internet. French is the official language in 30 countries globally, representing an extremely large and lucrative market. Having a website optimized in French is crucial to reach the 120 million French-speakers that cannot be reached otherwise. A website can be viewed by millions more when it is translated and can be more effective when it is optimized for the French-speaking world.
French is currently the sixth-largest language on the Internet and is growing quickly. The smaller pool of the French Internet is beneficial to companies targeting the French market because SEO efforts are done more efficiently and results are seen faster.
When entering a foreign market, developing an SEO strategy geared toward that new market is essential. Search engines used by the majority of web users are in their native language, and French is no exception. French-speakers use search engines by looking for information in their native language 94% of the time. [1] When entering the French market, all marketing resources must be utilized, and SEO is an element that must be fully developed to maximize return.
German SEO
In order to reach a website’s full potential in the German market, German SEO must be utilized. German is spoken by over 110 million people worldwide, and is continually increasing its power and presence over the Internet. 6.9% of the current Internet population is German, and 6.1% of web searches are done in German. [2] Marketing toward this massive population has the potential to increase business opportunities and transactions with a customer or business that is otherwise unreachable.
SEO is one of the most important marketing tools not just on the Internet, but overall. It is estimated that by 2010, almost 3 billion euros will be spent on search engine marketing in Europe alone. [3] Not participating in SEO would have a similar affect of not participating on the Internet at all. Any sized business can benefit from SEO, especially internationally. Results are also seen more quickly in non-English websites because of the smaller Internet pool.
How We Can Help
Integrating multilingual SEO into your marketing strategy is critical for increasing visibility and sales globally. S.E.O. Advanced has the tools to ensure a website gets the full Internet exposure that an international company needs to succeed. S.E.O. Advanced combines experience with knowledge to form a strategy that will allow your company to become an international success.
[1] Overture France
[2] World Internet Stats
[3] Forrester Research

