SEO translation Be found where your customers search.
A word-for-word translated website is linguistically correct and still invisible on Google. Because in the target market your customers often search with different words from the ones the dictionary suggests. The SEO translation closes that gap: native-speaker SEO specialists carry your keywords across the way people really search in the target country, and optimise titles, metadata and URLs at the same time. Ask us, no obligation.
Four ISO certificationsTranslation partner for demanding companies
- What it is: A translation of your content in which keywords and on-page elements are matched to the search habits of the target market.
- Who it's for: Companies that want to be found with their website, shop or content in a new language market.
- What we optimise: Keywords, titles, meta descriptions, URLs, alt text and headings, in over 220 languages.
- The difference: Website translation carries the whole presence across. SEO translation makes sure it also gets found.
Literally correct, invisible on Google
Why translating your keywords directly costs you visibility
The most common mistake when moving into a new market: translating the existing keyword list word for word. The result is linguistically clean and optimised for terms nobody types. "cheap flights" becomes the literal "billige Flüge", but the German market searches for "günstige Flüge". "E-mail marketing software" often becomes simply "Newsletter Tool" in the market. An SEO translation replaces guesswork with the terms your audience actually types, as part of tolingo's translation services.
What happens with a literal translation
The keyword is carried across, the search behaviour ignored.
- Terms hardly anyone searches for in the target country
- Search intent missed, research instead of purchase
- Titles and metadata stay unchanged
- URLs and alt text stay in the source language
What an SEO translation can achieve
The keyword follows real search behaviour in the target market.
- Terms the target market actually types
- Selected by search volume in the target country
- Matched to search intent, research or purchase
- Titles, metadata, URLs and alt text optimised too
The three options for SEO translation
You decide how much of the assessment sits with us
You usually provide a keyword list. How far we take on the SEO assessment depends on whether an agency or your own SEO team is already involved. Three routes have proven themselves:
Our translators work out one to three translations per keyword. You choose which fits your goals best. Linguistic and regional specifics, terms typical of local competitors and any set text lengths all feed in.
We deliver one translation per keyword. You or your agency check whether it's the best SEO variant for the target country, for example by search volume or number of results. On request we then supply alternatives for another comparison.
Our specialists assess the localised keywords themselves, based on the number of results in the largest search engine of the target country. You receive a reasoned recommendation per keyword for the market in question.
An example from practice. A legal-services provider wants to be found for the term "immigration lawyer", in the UK and in the US. Three obvious variants, very different result counts:
| Term | Search engine | Result count |
|---|---|---|
| immigration lawyer | google.co.uk | 20,200 |
| immigration solicitor | google.co.uk | 3,400 |
| immigration attorney | google.co.uk | 28,400 |
| immigration lawyer | google.com | 68,600 |
| immigration solicitor | google.com | 1 |
| immigration attorney | google.com | 49,100 |
The result of the SEO translation: for the British market we recommend "immigration attorney", for the US market "immigration lawyer". The supposedly British term "immigration solicitor" is barely searched. That's exactly what the core of the method shows: it's measured, not assumed. (Example figures for illustration.)
What we optimise besides the keywords
Visibility also sits in the elements nobody consciously reads
Keywords are half the battle. For a translated page to rank in the target market, the invisible building blocks have to travel with it:
The words your audience searches with in the target market, including synonyms, long-tail variants and the question of whether the intent is informational or ready to buy.
The first thing in the search result. Keyword up front, length within the pixel limit. German titles need more room than English ones, and we account for that.
The text under the title that decides the click. Written locally like a small ad, rather than carried across word for word.
Readable paths in the target language. A URL with the local term beats the English original, especially for less competitive search terms.
Visible to Google, relevant for image search. Translated alt text and headlines bring extra hits in the target language.
We make sure your language versions don't compete with each other, and flag topics like hreflang. The technical implementation stays with your team.
From keyword list to visibility
Three steps, from term to ready-to-use page
Keywords & target markets
Your keyword list, the texts to be translated and the target markets. You tell us whether an in-house SEO team or an agency is involved and which option you'd like.
Native, close to the market
Native-speaker SEO linguists carry the terms across and check them against real search behaviour in the target country. Several languages run in parallel.
Localised keywords
The localised keywords plus optimised on-page elements, ready to use for your team or agency. On request, with a reasoned recommendation per term.
Visible in the target market Content that ranks in the target country and brings visitors who match the search. The best basis for that is a clean specialist translation to ISO 17100, on which the SEO layer sits.
Who needs an SEO translation
And which other service might fit
An SEO translation is worth it as soon as you want to be found in a new language market. Typical cases are online shops and e-commerce brands on an expansion course, SaaS and technology companies, marketing, content and growth teams, and providers in travel and tourism. They all share the same goal: becoming visible in the target language and winning visitors who match the search. Depending on the task, a neighbouring service comes into play:
Want the whole web presence carried across? The SEO translation is the search layer within it; website translation is the full frame.
The precise basis to ISO 17100. A good specialist translation is the prerequisite before the SEO layer goes on top.
Is it about tone, impact and brand voice rather than rankings? Then marketing translation with transcreation is the right route.
Is the content headed for an app or software rather than the web? Then software localisation is the right service.
Frequently asked questions about SEO translation
Method, keyword list, languages, technical side, cost
What is an SEO translation?
An SEO translation carries your content into another language so that it gets found in the target market. Rather than translating keywords word for word, it picks the terms your audience actually types into search. On top come the on-page elements like titles, meta descriptions and URLs. That way the translation ranks in the leading search engine of the target country.
How does an SEO translation differ from a normal translation?
A normal translation brings the content correctly into the target language. An SEO translation adds a second layer on top: it aligns keywords and both visible and invisible page elements with the search behaviour of the target market. That makes it a specialised form of website translation, focused on findability.
Isn't machine translation with a keyword list enough?
Machine translation helps with volume but often misses the search intent. Whether a term is really searched for in the target market and whether it matches purchase intent can only be judged reliably by a person with market knowledge. Purely machine-translated content also often ranks worse. Where useful, we combine the two through post-editing to ISO 18587.
How does it work with the keyword list?
Usually you provide a keyword list. You then choose one of the three options: one to three suggestions per keyword for you to pick from, one translation for you or your agency to check, or the full SEO assessment by us based on result counts in the target country. Without a finished list, we advise on how to arrive at one.
Which languages and search engines do you cover?
Over 220 languages. We optimise for the leading search engine of each target market. That's usually Google, but in some markets Baidu, Yandex or Naver. Each language version is handled by a native-speaker specialist who knows the local search behaviour. The languages overview shows which combinations are possible.
Do you also optimise title tags and meta descriptions?
Yes. Keywords are only one part. We also carry across and optimise title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, alt text and headings for the target market. We keep an eye on the respective length limits; German titles, for example, need more room than English ones.
Do you also handle hreflang and the technical implementation?
No. We deliver the linguistic and content SEO layer: localised keywords and optimised on-page copy. The technical side, meaning hreflang and the setup in the CMS or code, stays with your team or agency. The Google Search Central documentation on multilingual websites is a good orientation.
What does an SEO translation cost?
The price depends on the number of keywords, the option you choose and the target languages, and builds on the underlying specialist translation. That's why we put together a project-based quote. Send us your keyword list and target markets, and we'll give you scope, option and price.
Translation services
Looking for the right translation solution?
SEO translation, website translation, specialist translation and marketing translation all mesh together. The overview shows which solution fits which goal.
Be found in the target market, not just translated.
Send us your keyword list and your target markets. We'll recommend the right option, give you scope and price, and translate your terms the way people really search in the target country.
Native-speaker SEO linguists · keyword localisation · 220+ languages