….and will learn at the International Search Summit @ SMX West

The International Search Summit provides training, advice and insight to those working in the challenging discipline of international digital marketing. Here are just 10 things that anyone involved [...]]]> ….and will learn at the International Search Summit @ SMX West

The International Search Summit provides training, advice and insight to those working in the challenging discipline of international digital marketing. Here are just 10 things that anyone involved in multinational web marketing should know – and that can be found at ISS @ SMX West on Monday February, 27th.

1. How to geo-target your international website correctly in Google – make sure you’re localized content is being seen in the right place, by the right users.
2. How to improve your internal processes to develop a global search center of excellence – don’t let internal inefficiencies hinder international growth.
3. Where Facebook doesn’t rule the social networking space, and how you can harness local social networks to reach users in markets like China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
4. The impact of domains on international performance and how to determine the most effective domain strategy for your business.
5. The latest global internet trends – what is big in the US isnt necessarily having the same impact elsewhere.
6. How to penetrate the vast and profitable market of China, dealing with complex issues such as trade and internet censorship.
7. Why Yandex is the search market leader in Russia and what Russian internet users want from their online experience.
8. How to effectively reach Spanish speaking users online, in the US and around the world.
9. What others are doing.  Learning from the experience of others and sharing problems, challenges and solutions will give new insights and new perspective on multinational marketing activity.
10. That you’re not alone! Making new contacts with experts, suppliers and fellow marketers will help develop an invaluable network and open doors you never realised existed.

Book your place at the International Search Summit Workshop today, saving 10% on all passes with the discount code smx10iss.

Already attending SMX West? No problem! Just contact the team at SMX who will be more than happy to add ISS to your pass!

For the full agenda, list of speakers and pricing details, visit http://searchmarketingexpo.com/west/international-search-summit

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Link building is subject to the same linguistic, cultural and localisation challenges as any other aspect of international marketing. Links do not necessarily carry the same value across every market, and a tactic that works well in one country might [...]]]> Link building is subject to the same linguistic, cultural and localisation challenges as any other aspect of international marketing. Links do not necessarily carry the same value across every market, and a tactic that works well in one country might yield poor results in another.

The importance of links, however, is the same everywhere and therefore getting your global link building strategy right is an essential element of any international SEO project. Bastian Grimm will be speaking on international link building at the International Search Summit @ SMX Munich next month, and here he gives an insight into the topic and what delegates can expect in Munich.

What do you see as the major challenges for organisations targeting a multilingual audience?

“You have to get to know them; all of them – individually!” So what does it mean? Having done quite a bit of work within international companies I’d say the biggest issue is, to find out what actually works on a per-market basis. And to do so you really need to understand your audience which, obviously, differs for each country – and language. That being said, I think a successful multilingual SEO campaign needs a heavy preparation. So if you’re not simply replicating your strategy from another country (which you clearly should not do without further validation!) you have to accept that it’ll just take time, money, market-specific knowledge and a lot of work to successfully conquer another country or language.

What area of search do you see as most important for international marketers in 2012?

Usually companies operating in international environments are big brands – and updating / changing their websites does usually take quite a bit of time (not days, but months and sometimes even worse). Since Google continues pushing in new stuff like the hreflang=X property and because I expect them to continue doing so, I’d say one of the really important tasks for international marketers is going to be testing and validating new stuff before it actually goes live; which means you’d have to have multiple domains in multiple languages just for testing. This is quite a bit of work and might cause some headaches, I’d guess.

What are the biggest pitfalls to consider when developing a global link building strategy? Is it possible to have a global link strategy, when each market needs a localised approach?

It’s still the same problem as it used to be for years now: Markets do need their localised approaches; however this will cause problems with administration, handling all those different agencies and link-builders, etc. – it’s an administrative pain

And very generally speaking one needs to consider that almost everything is different on a per-country basis. Link profiles are very, very different. Looking – for example – at the amount of links, difference in deep- / start-page link ratios, types of TLDs linking-in, anchor-text distribution, geo-distribution in terms of IPs linking in, etc. – it all just differs. And that simply means you have to do a competitive analysis for each market you’re planning to build links for and  need to consider the industry as well.

What will delegates gain from your session at ISS?

I’ll try to come up with a cheat-sheet on what to actually consider when you start doing link-building in multiple markets. So the idea is to provide some kind of “what’s really important, where do I get it and what do I need to do with it?” kind of approach based on real-world data from various countries, which – I think – will be quite interesting.

And finally, why attend the International Search Summit?

That’s an easy one! There is only one truly international-dedicated conference – ISS. That being said I do like the broad range of topics but still all being focused on international search. So if you’re in international search marketing, be sure not to miss it! See you in Munich.

International Search Summit Munich will take place on Thursday 29th March, as part of SMX Munich. Full agenda and registration information is available on the website. All sessions at ISS are in English.

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Geo-targeting is a common problem for organizations with an international website, who are targeting multiple languages and regions around the world. Making sure the right user sees the right content at the right time is the goal – but achieving [...]]]> Geo-targeting is a common problem for organizations with an international website, who are targeting multiple languages and regions around the world. Making sure the right user sees the right content at the right time is the goal – but achieving that is not always easy. How do you ensure that all your UK customers aren’t seeing prices in dollars or that your Spanish users aren’t seeing product pages that are only available in Peru?

Well Google has recognised these challenges and has adapted the way website owners can signal the intended recipients of web content. It may appear confusing at first – it did for me at least – and does need careful implementation but Google is offering a helping hand to marketers struggling with geo-targeting and duplication issues.

There are several excellent explanations of what has changed and how it can be implemented on SearchEngineLand and SearchEngineWatch so I won’t replicate that here, but there are two scenarios where this new markup will apply:

• Websites targeting multiple regions with very similar content in the same language (e.g. the US, the UK and Australia in English)
• Websites that have fully translated content, targeting multiple markets (e.g. German, French and Spanish pages)

This change is mainly applicable to international websites hosted on dotcoms, with subdomains for each market rather than those on local domains, which clearly target a specific market. While local domains provide clear signal to both search engines and users that the site is locally relevant, and therefore, are is still a recommended strategy, Google’s changes will improve the targeting for dotcoms.

Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Müller will be speaking at the International Search Summit at SMX Munich, where he will be discussing how to implement the rel=”alternate” hreflang markup and sharing examples of when to use it, as well as answering delegate questions.

The International Search Summit will be held on Thursday 29^th March, as part of SMX Munich. It focuses entirely on international and multilingual search and social marketing and sessions will include International Link Building, International PPC Case Study, Global Social Media, and Yandex. Check out the full agenda and registration details.

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With 153 million users, Spanish is the 3rd most used language online, trailing only English and Chinese. However, the variations of this language, along with the cultural diversity of those using it are vast, making the job of the search [...]]]> With 153 million users, Spanish is the 3rd most used language online, trailing only English and Chinese. However, the variations of this language, along with the cultural diversity of those using it are vast, making the job of the search marketer all the more challenging.

Ani Lopez, a native Spaniard working as an SEO Manager at Cardinal Path in Canada, will be speaking on the topic of keyword research for Spanish speaking markets at the International Search Summit @ SMX West on February 27th in San Jose. Here Ani shares important insights and tips for marketers targeting a Spanish speaking audience anywhere in the world.

Does the Spanish language create any particular difficulties for search marketers?

Sure! All languages evolve over time, but some are more diverse than others. Spanish is one of these that, growing richer, make it more difficult to manage when targeting multiple markets.

Its distribution is pretty blurry and jumps across continents, cultures and media. For instance, Spanish is the official language in 21 countries and an unofficial but widely spoken language in many others: There is the same number of Hispanophones in the US as the population of Spain and Spanish  is the 3rd most used language online (153M users) after English and Chinese.

With types of Spanish, like formal or colloquial, plus regional dialects and varieties, the idea of just using ‘standard Spanish’ is something that I don’t to buy into. Even grouping them – trying to make it simpler – leaves us with too many variants: Caribbean, South American Pacific, Central American, Highland American and more.

The rapid growth of Spanish speaking internet users is spicing up the language a bit, but it is the diversity that Spanish has achieved due to historical factors, different cultures crossing its path, geographical reasons and such, which makes it so intricate.

What are the major challenges of targeting multiple Spanish-speaking markets online?

Writing Adwords copy in Argentinean for a market of Spaniards is not going to be successful unless, of course, you are deliberately targeting Argentinean people living in Spain. Incorrect localization makes potential clients lose confidence in your company and raises brand reputation issues.

Besides the fact that grammar and vocabulary may change, you get very different dialects and accents. These, of course, do not severely prevent understanding among the educated but – big warning here - very common words in one country/language group may have not only different meanings, but vulgar or absolutely inappropriate ones in others.

In this complex scenario the real challenge is localization, something which is nothing new to advanced international marketers, but it becomes even more critical for Spanish speaking markets. This doesn’t just apply to grammar and vocabulary, but also style or the way we phrase ideas. While Spaniards are more direct and succinct, Uruguayans can be more creative or indirect in their expression. With Argentineans you have to read/write between the lines.

Are there any characteristics that are consistent across all markets where Spanish is spoken?

Formal Spanish is a little easier to cope with as it maintains a bit more consistency across borders and cultures. That’s a small relief when managing content strategies for corporate sites.

Other than that it is hard to find consistencies across markets. If you want to sell sneakers (that’s trainers in the UK) to teenagers in Mexico the Spanish you use is going to be completely different than the one you should be using addressing Argentineans or Castilian users.

What opportunities can organizations exploit in those markets?

It depends on the region. Nobody doubts, nowadays, that Latinos in US are a big demographic target. Proof of that is that big companies in many different market sectors have already translated their sites into Spanish. Victoria’s Secret, Papa Johns, Best Buy and Citibank are all good examples.

A different story is what’s happening south of the US. Fortunately, Latin American countries are awaking from a troubled past and poverty has continued to decrease over the last 10 years. Nothing makes me happier!

Therefore, there is a market of 572 million people, of which Spanish makes up about ~66% and Brazilian-Portuguese,~33%. Of course every country in the region has its own particularities but opportunities are already there for those who want to expand.

What tips can you offer marketers trying to reach Spanish speakers in the US?

That is even more challenging. ‘Hispanic’ in US refers to people whose origin is Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Spanish-speaking Central or South American countries, or other Hispanic/Latino, regardless of race. It is truly a melting pot of different cultures which must be considered – although Mexicans do represent a majority.

H.G.Wells in his future history “The Shape of Things to Come” predicted that, in XXI century, English and Spanish would become interchangeable languages. Well, more than interchangeable, we now have a new variance on top of this complex linguistic situation: Spanglish. Living la vida loca!

First Tip: Start planning using Hispanic demographic data in the US, but don’t expect your audience’s behaviour to mimic this data.

Second Tip: Listen carefully to your analytics’ tools to find more reliable trends and outliers.

You’re speaking specifically on keyword research for Spanish speaking markets at ISS. What will delegates learn from your session?

I’ll be explaining how to use free online tools to help you localize Spanish correctly. When it comes to localization, there is nothing better than having native speakers do the work, but even they have to double check localization of words and expressions to make sure their Paid Search or SEO campaigns target the right Spanish audience and yield the desired revenue.

Finally, why attend the International Search Summit?
That’s an easy question to answer. Simply because it is the best summit for those who will have to get their hands dirty planning or executing international online marketing campaigns.

Three reasons to attend:

1) It is organized by a company that knows the challenges of internationalization.

2) It has high level presenters and presentations offering fresh data and real cases.

3) Last but not least, the size of the event makes it very easy for everyone to mingle and chat with presenters and attendees. This is what makes it very exciting for me, because I love to exchange information and experiences.

Early Bird Rates for the International Search Summit and SMX West are available until January 28th. Others sessions include Google: A New Markup for Multilingual Content, Global Domain Strategies and The Other Search Engines.

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The only conference for international marketers is back in London on 24th November – and for anyone working in the global SEO, PPC and social media space, the International Search Summit is one event not to miss.

And here are [...]]]> The only conference for international marketers is back in London on 24th November – and for anyone working in the global SEO, PPC and social media space, the International Search Summit is one event not to miss.

And here are 5 reasons why you’ll want to be there:

• Unique Content: ISS covers topics you won’t find anywhere else. It goes beyond the basics to explore the complex world of international search marketing and will leave you with a host of ideas and strategies to implement in your own organisation. Check out the International Search Summit London agenda.

• Expert Speakers: ISS is committed to delivering quality content from experts in their fields. Every speaker at the Summit works in the international space and will provide invaluable insights for you to take away and implement.

• Networking: ISS puts you together with other global marketers, working on the same kind of projects as you, and facing the same challenges. The contacts you’ll make and experiences you’ll share will help you view your international projects with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm.

• Interactive Sessions: We know you’ll have loads of questions about your international SEO, PPC, social, mobile campaigns and projects – and we want you to get all the answers. There are numerous opportunities for Q&A, as well as dedicated breakout sessions to enable smaller groups to focus on a specific topic that is relevant to them.

• Proven Success: It’s not a coincidence that many attendees attend ISS time and time again or that they’re happy to share the positive experiences they had at the show – check out our testimonials!

The International Search Summit will take place at the British Library in London on Thursday 24th November.

View a full list of sessions and speakers, and book your place at internationalsearchsummit.com/london

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International SEO will be a key topic at the upcoming International Search Summit on 24th November, where delegates will be guided through the challenges of marketing to a global audience by  international marketing specialists who have been there, done [...]]]> International SEO will be a key topic at the upcoming International Search Summit on 24th November, where delegates will be guided through the challenges of marketing to a global audience by  international marketing specialists who have been there, done it – and survived!

Annabel Hodges, aka @searchpanda, will be speaking on the international SEO panel, where she and her OMD colleague Martin MacDonald, will share strategies, tips and techniques for successfully optimising multilingual websites. We chatted to Annabel ahead of the Summit.

What are the common mistakes you see organisations making in global search campaigns? How can they be avoided?
The most common mistakes are I think still the simplest and most obvious. E.g. assuming that because two countries speak the same language, they must be similar in culture. France and French Quebec are worlds apart! Despite this, people continue to treat countries of the same language in a similar manner.  How to avoid this? Well I’m repeating myself in another of your questions here but I genuinely do think it still boils down to the most simply (yet often ignored) steps of international search. Understanding your audience. Do the research, learn the culture, get experts on board.

How can organisations achieve scale in international SEO to improve cost and time efficiency?
Working for a company like OMD, our life is made very easy as there are so many international colleagues in so many countries available to reach out to. I would say that one new country-targeted site done well is better than 100 international sites rolled out with no strategy. Both from a branding perspective and an ROI one. Poorly translated sites are far less likely to convert!

Don’t do everything yourself, look for commercial partners that understand your target market. This doesn’t have to be a huge investment or an entire company, even having one local member of staff can have huge impact. It may seem like a waste of money but the benefits should outweigh the cost.

What role, if any, do you think social plays in international seo?
I think social is big now and will be huge for the foreseeable future . Facebook has taken over the world but that’s not to say that other smaller social sites like Ameba in Japan or Tuenti in Spain should be forgotten.
More importantly, the world’s population is growing increasingly used to being social. No matter their choice of platform – ideas like infographics and creating digital content in general can be easily (and cheaply) used in a  global manner. Much more so than traditional media.

What is the biggest challenge facing international search marketers in 2011?
I don’t think the biggest challenges for international search are really any different to those faced by SEOs in the English language. Crucial over the next few months will be adapting to changes on the search landscape – from recent changes to GA tracking to increasingly frequent and impactful algorithmic changes such as Panda. It’s not the language that is important here, it is the wider strategy and understanding.

If you could give marketers working on global campaigns just one tip, what would it be?
It’s been said a thousand times before but: “Understand your audience”!
I’ve seen and heard too many stories of companies pushing forward into new counties without stopping to consider cultural/language differences or even simply tax/finance rules – and being hit hard.

Finally, why attend the International Search Summit?
ISS allows marketers from around the world to indulge in their more niche search concerns . Although the wider strategies are applicable to all, I think it is both helpful and reassuring to be able to hear and discuss specifics that relate to building up an international business. Personally I’ve always found real case studies to be really interesting and inspiring, particularly when dealing with international expansion and succeeding in search.

Find out more about the International Search Summit and Register at the best rates

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International SEO, Geo-targeting, Global Search Trends, International PPC and Multilingual Video Optimisation are just some of the sessions on offer at the International Search Summit London on November 24th.

Targeted at international marketers, the Summit focuses on the topics, issues [...]]]> International SEO, Geo-targeting, Global Search Trends, International PPC and Multilingual Video Optimisation are just some of the sessions on offer at the International Search Summit London on November 24th.

Targeted at international marketers, the Summit focuses on the topics, issues and challenges involved in creating and managing search and social media campaigns in multiple markets and languages.

The speakers at the Summit are all experienced in the international space and will share tactics, best practice, case studies and strategies for running successful global web marketing campaigns.

A full agenda is online and early bird rates apply until 31st October.

Kristjan Mar Hauksson, a regular speaker at the event,  answers a few quick fire questions on international search marketing:

Kristjan, what is the biggest challenge facing the international search marketer in 2011?
“In my experience it is their mistake of generalizing when approaching foreign markets, that is thinking that their experience in one market works in another”

In your opinion, what are the biggest opportunities available to organisations venturing into overseas markets?
“Realizing the potential!”

You’re speaking on Global Reputation Management at ISS. What are the biggest mistakes you see organisations making when it comes to managing their brand online?
“Churning out content without a clear strategy, both short and long term”

What do you think are the most effective online channels to use as part of a reputation management strategy?
“For distribution there are as many as there are countries, there are also as many as the audience groups you are targeting so I cannot say that there are any that stand out. But I can say that the strategy needs to be in place before you start and then choose the channels not the other way around”

If you could give just one tip to anyone embarking on a global search campaign, what would it be?
“Give it time and be patient. The ROI will come”

Finally, why attend the International Search Summit?
“Simple: Good speakers, good engagement with the speakers and relevant topics”

To see the full agenda, check out delegate testimonials and book your place, visit www.internationalsearchsummit.com.

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International SEO, Geo-Targeting, Indexing International Social Signals and Search Marketing in Russia and Korea are just some of the topics on the agenda at the upcoming International Search Summit @ SMX East.

Taking place on September 12th in New York [...]]]> International SEO, Geo-Targeting, Indexing International Social Signals and Search Marketing in Russia and Korea are just some of the topics on the agenda at the upcoming International Search Summit @ SMX East.

Taking place on September 12th in New York City, the Summit will immerse delegates in a day of insights, debates and discussions on a range of international search and social media topics.

We’ll be welcoming back speakers such as Bill Hunt, a regular Medallion Award winner, and Yandex’s Preston Carey, as well as new faces including Korean search engine Naver and Rishab Aiyer Gosh from Topsy.

Check out the full agenda

The Summit is designed for anybody working on online marketing campaigns across more than one market or language. It focuses on issues specific to running international campaigns and provides a forum for delegates to share their challenges and find solutions.

Still unsure if ISS is for you? Here are five reasons to attend:

* Unique Content: ISS covers topics you won’t find anywhere else. It goes beyond the basics to explore the complex world of international search marketing and will leave you with a host of ideas and strategies to implement in your own organisation.

* Expert Speakers: ISS is committed to delivering quality content from experts in their fields. Every speaker works in the international space and will provide invaluable insights.

* Networking: ISS puts you together with other global marketers, working on the same kind of projects as you, and facing the same challenges. The contacts you’ll make and experiences you’ll share will help you view your international projects with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm.

* Interactive Sessions: We know you’ll have loads of questions about your international SEO, PPC, social, mobile campaigns and projects – and we want you to get all the answers. There are numerous opportunities for Q&A, as well as dedicated breakout sessions to enable smaller groups to focus on a specific topic that is relevant to them.

* Proven Success: It’s not a coincidence that many attendees attend ISS time and time again or that they’re happy to share the positive experiences they had at the show – check out our testimonials!

Super Early Bird Rates are only available until July 16th, so register now to secure the best rates.

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There were many great sessions and speakers at the International Search Summit Seattle earlier this month, but the standout speaker for many of the delegates was Bill Hunt, and he was nominated the Medallion Speaker on the day. [...]]]> There were many great sessions and speakers at the International Search Summit Seattle earlier this month, but the standout speaker for many of the delegates was Bill Hunt, and he was nominated the Medallion Speaker on the day. And not for the first time, as he also received the accolade at International Search Summit in San Jose earlier in the year.

Throughout his search marketing career Bill has worked with a vast range of leading global brands and understands the challenges and processes involved in achieving streamlined and efficient global campaigns better than most.

In Seattle, Bill’s session “Operationalizing Global Search” looked at how organisations can use their existing content and data more effectively to dramatically improve performance and lower costs.  Following the show, Bill answered a few questions to share some of his key tips.

Bill, What are the most common mistakes you see organisations making when it comes to managing global search activity?

The big mistakes I commonly see are:

1. Thinking that search is the same anywhere in the world.  They will often mandate change globally that won’t work or where there are not resources in the local markets to facilitate it.  This leads to a lack of communication and collaboration allowing countries to work on different paths but with the same content, which can lead to problems.
2.  Not integrating SEO best practices at the infrastructure level. They use Content Management System (CMS) templates but don’t look at the global implications.   Andy always reminds people about word length and direction and people are aware of it but they don’t apply that to search.  They don’t apply the same business rules to ensure key places are populated with the most popular, linguistically correct term.
3.  Not sharing their PPC keywords and performance trends.

How can localization processes be streamlined in order to utilize valuable content effectively?

Companies should map their localization process and find the intersections with search.  In my presentation I gave an example of a company that compared its German speaking markets.  They looked for words that were the same across all of them.  Of their top 20 keywords, 12 were the same.  They were able to share that content, keyword research and prioritized that content and pages to be edited since they would all benefit.  Just sharing the audit reports across markets cut down on costs allowing them to focus on the 8 keywords that were different.  This approach saved them $25k in potentially redundant localization costs alone.

In your session at ISS, you talked about the importance of centralized keyword management in global search campaigns. How can search teams use keyword data to maximize performance?

This is growing as an approach.  First it gives corporate a lens into the performance of the country and business unit level where they have not typically had it before.  We are not necessarily talking budget control or some power shift but the organization of data.   While all the words should be localized and not translated or used only in English, these can be used to inspire words not considered in the local language.  Also, trending words in one market might be a insight for another.   For example, in Japan we saw searches related to a new application of a product.  We started adding wider set of words to the campaign in Japan.  We then added them to other markets and this resulted in significant sales in multiple other markets.  We may not have seen this trend had we not shared data.

In addition, the global manager can see opportunities and budget needs by understanding local share of voice and opportunity, that may lead to additional budget and better alignment with global and regional activities.

When operating in multiple markets using local teams/agencies, what steps can organizations take to ensure consistency across all markets? And how can they benchmark performance?

Great question and it follows your first question.  I recommend a center of excellence.  This is where you standardize many of these issues and share the knowledge.

Communication and Guidelines – this is critical – the agency needs to follow similar process around the world.   Too many times companies use multiple agencies that don’t share templates or follow guidelines that are in place because either they don’t care or they are unaware of them.
Web and SEO Standards should be uniform and communicated globally.

As far as benchmarking – always start with a current state analysis.   The usual suspects can and should be evaluated:

1. Share of traffic from paid and organic (this is a great global benchmark to average against all countries)
2. Page Inclusion – too many times the problems start with no or few pages indexed
3. Click and Conversion metrics – paid and organic – this is a great diagnostic tool

While I like ranking reports for diagnostics they are a challenge in local markets if not generated there, since they won’t be accurate.  KPI’s and metrics should be the same for every market and use the same template.

Bill will be speaking at the next International Search Summit, at SMX East in New York on September 12th, where he’ll be on course for a hat trick of Medallion Awards.

The agenda for International Search Summit New York has just been released and other speakers include Preston Carey from Yandex, Maura Ginty from Autodesk and WebCertain’s Andy Atkins-Krüger. Check out the full agenda, and register at the Super Early Bird price, available until July 16th.

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Microsoft Advertising is a brand that takes customer engagement seriously and values building relationships with its audience. However,  as a global brand this engagement needs to be tailored to each market and each audience – no mean feat!

Jenny Leahy, [...]]]> Microsoft Advertising is a brand that takes customer engagement seriously and values building relationships with its audience. However,  as a global brand this engagement needs to be tailored to each market and each audience – no mean feat!

Jenny Leahy, who leads the Web Marketing and Evangelism team at Microsoft Advertising, will be speaking at the International Search Summit @ SMX Advanced on June 9th, where she will share Microsoft Advertising’s experience of running multinational social media campaigns.

Here she shares a few insights into Microsoft’s successful strategy, as well as the challenges they’ve faced.

Jenny, what are the major challenges of developing a social media presence in multiple countries/languages?
The social media tools landscape is different in each country – there are some more “universal tools” but you really need to evaluate your strategy in each region and market before establishing your social channels. I find that marketers in the local markets, especially the smaller markets are often the most dynamic and creative marketers – but they are often running all of the marketing channels for the country. Social needs to go beyond the amplification of a message to the daily engagement with customers in a local language – I see the challenge in having an already over taxed marketer take on an additional channel.

How does Microsoft use social media to engage global users and build lasting relationships?
Microsoft Advertising focuses on a few social channels to drive engagement with marketers. We focus on our blog, twitter, Facebook and youtube.

What have you found to be the most successful tactics for growing a social media presence around the world?
Our event coverage in multiple regions has been our strongest tactic in growing our global audience. We use the major advertising festivals to drive traction in this area.

If you had just one tip for organisations trying to develop an international social media presence, what would it be?
Cheating…I have two:
1) Create a global framework (i.e. look and feel of social channels, structure of your handles etc.)
2) Build global, social communications cascades that focus on amplification that can be easily localized, allowing local markets more time to focus on 1:1 conversations.

And finally, why attend the International Search Summit?
Content is global, we have to learn how to build marketing campaigns and online experiences that don’t alienate individuals, but bring people together and into an experience regardless of their location.

There are still places available at the International Search Summit. Other speakers include search engines Yandex and Baidu, global brands Dell and Logitech and international search specialists Bill Hunt, Andy Atkins-Krüger and Shari Thurow.

Register now to secure your place!

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The International Search Summit Munich on April 4th covered a wide range of search topics – from in-house international PPC, to video optimisation, from display advertising to international SEO fundamentals, from search in Russia to international link building.

There were a [...]]]> The International Search Summit Munich on April 4th covered a wide range of search topics – from in-house international PPC, to video optimisation, from display advertising to international SEO fundamentals, from search in Russia to international link building.

There were a lot of tips and tricks to come out of the day and I’ve summarised some of the key takeaways below:

#1 Research your markets. This might sound obvious but it’s essential to conduct thorough research into your potential target markets to identify any possible obstacles and avoid wasting money. And don’t try to crack every market at once, start with one or two markets and then build your international presence from there.

#2 Just because an agency is well-known and has a presence in many markets, doesn’t mean that each local office has the same level of competency and knowledge. Test your agency in advance and verify that it has the relevant expertise to do your campaign justice in each target market.

#3 The best sources for links will vary from country to country. In the US for example, Social Media sites provide great link opportunities however these have much less value in other markets such as Germany.  In France, article directories work well for building links, but these just don’t exist in Poland.

#4  Interlinking your sites is a great way of driving more links – however don’t simply link just to the root domain but connect equivalent pages on your different country sites to develop deep links on the site, as well as a more relevant user experience.

#5 Display is on the rise. In the Middle East, for example, many users spend a lot of time on news sites/portals/ special interest sites where display has a great impact, yet search volumes in many countries in the region can be quite low. Different audiences use the web in different ways.

#6 Russia is a huge country – with 83 federal regions and180 ethnic groups. At the moment the majority of Russian web users are in the major cities – so target your marketing efforts at cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg,  at least to begin with.

#7 Ecommerce in Russia is still very different to in  Western markets. Although more Russians are using the web to research purchases and buying online using a credit card is becoming more common, the majority of Russian users still prefer to buy offline, or at least make an offline payment for goods ordered online.  It’s essential to be aware of the purchase preferences of your target market and offer the facilities to accommodate them.

#8 User Generated Content is an excellent way to create unique content in multiple languages. It generates regular updates which will assist search engine rankings, as well as increasing the number of local links, as they come from local users. However – be aware of spam and cloned content.

#9 By their nature, videos are able to tap into the emotional side of the brain which enables brands to engage with their audiences on an emotional level. Brands should be innovative and creative with video marketing  in order to maximise this potential.

#10 Plan video production carefully, to make it as easy as possible to adapt it for multiple markets – e.g. don’t have talking heads in shot as it just won’t work if you want to dub the video in other languages.

#11 ” Be Local”. This point was reiterated in almost every presentation. You need to understand the local market you are targeting and tailor all of your communications to be relevant to users/customers in that market.

The next International Search Summits will take place at SMX Advanced in London on May 18th and SMX Advanced Seattle on June 9th.  Registration is open for both events and full details can be found at http://www.internationalsearchsummit.com

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A fantastic presentation about leveraging global content earned international search marketing expert Bill Hunt the Medallion Speaker award at last week’s International Search Summit in San Jose.

In his session, Bill discussed different ways organisations can use content to [...]]]> A fantastic presentation about leveraging global content earned international search marketing expert Bill Hunt the Medallion Speaker award at last week’s International Search Summit in San Jose.

In his session, Bill discussed different ways organisations can use content to increase search traffic and conversions. Some of his key tips included:

• Develop a shared language content strategy. Identify the top keywords in each market and align common words and content from different country sites, which use the same language, to gather scale

• Map searcher intent. Breakdown searches on a keyword into categories e.g. searches for diabetes can be seperated into understand, diagnose, treat, live with and use that information to match keywords to the most relevant landing pages.

• Structure your management system to integrate global strategy with local country implementation and localise global content to make it relevant for each market.

• Make the most of all content – including template and top-level content optimisation – e.g. make sure all content on the page fully indexable, including navigations, ensure that all page titles and meta data are optimised, check that search engines are able to follow all links on the page.

• Organsations with global websites can enhance the value of their content through interlinking between sites – however should link each page to a similar/relevant page on the other country sites, rather than just including home page links.

• Develop content to satisfy a user need e.g. how to guides or product usage information.

• Compare glossary in translation memory tools to keyword lists to make sure they match up

Other speakers at the one day event, which was held as part of SMX West, included Maura Ginty of Autodesk, Andy Atkins-Krueger from WebCertain, Philippe Pieri from Cisco and LinkedIn Co-Founder Konstantin Guericke. Watch out for further posts around the International Search Summit sessions.

The next International Search Summit will take place in Munich on April 4th, followed by London on May 18th. The next US Summit will be in Seattle as part of SMX Advanced, and the agenda for that event will be released later this week.

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Eastern Europe, The Middle East and Africa are all regions that are rapidly developing when it comes to web use and becoming increasingly popular targets for global organisations.

We speak to Google’s Steffen Ehrhardt ahead of the [...]]]> Eastern Europe, The Middle East and Africa are all regions that are rapidly developing when it comes to web use and becoming increasingly popular targets for global organisations.

We speak to Google’s Steffen Ehrhardt ahead of the International Search Summit Munich to find out more about targeting these  emerging markets, display advertising and global search in general.

As an Emerging Market Specialist, you focus particularly on Central & Eastern Europe, The Middle East and North Africa. What are the main online trends you are seeing in these markets at the moment?

More and more people are going online but the big difference to Western Europe is that in Emerging Markets more people go online via mobile devices.  Especially in countries where there is a poor landline infrastructure mobile devices are key for online access and with all the new high-end devices a lot more people have  the opportunity to go online for the first time. So one interesting development that is happening because of this are a lot of innovations around mobile e.g. m-banking. Another interesting trend is for example the creation of content in non-English languages – Arabic is currently the fastest growing language on the web.

How do these markets differ from more developed online markets say in Western Europe? What do marketers targeting countries in these regions need to be aware of?

Generally you can say that Western European markets are a lot more developed in direct online transactions, so have also a lot more direct response online campaigns, mainly because conversion rates are easier to track.  Emerging markets often lack a standardized, trusted form of payment, clearly defined ICT regulations etc. so direct transactions are less often made online. Also competition and user  interests and behaviour can heavily vary from market to market.

You’re also part of the Google’s display team – how does display compare to other online advertising mediums in EMEA in terms of usage? Has there been an increase? Does it vary much by region/country?

Display is currently getting a lot of attention and more and more people realise the potential display advertising has. Growth rates in display are really impressive globally and in a lot of markets it is growing even faster than for example search advertising. I think advertisers are realizing the effect of having a holistic view on online advertising so aligning search with display and other online advertising activities. Display offers a lot of different solutions today like Video, Dynamic Ads or Remarketing that combined with creativity can deliver great results. Usage of display in general varies a lot from market to market e.g. in some Middle Eastern countries display is more important in the whole advertising mix than in some Western European markets.

In your opinion, how should organisations be using display as part of their international online strategy? How does it integrate with other online tools & techniques?

First of all you have to define  a clear strategy of what you want to achieve with the internationalisation of your products or services and if you have an offline business you have to make sure activities are aligned cross channel. Online definitely makes it easier to internationalise but I still see a lot of companies totally underestimating the work that is required when you want to go into other markets. You can not just copy a successful campaign, translate it and hope it will work in another countries – you need to know market specifics, what are established forms of payment, regulations that may affect your business etc. With regards to tools – there is a wide range of great tools in the market, from Google I’d like to specifically highlight: AdPlanner, Remarketing, Global Market Finder Tool, Insights for Search and of course Analytics.

If you could give one prediction for what we should expect in 2011 – either in search and/or display – what would it be?

The biggest growth in 2011 that I see is in the following areas: Mobile, Local, Social and Video & Dynamic Advertising. So my one prediction is that the combination of all these areas opens up an incredible potential for advertisers where the user will also see a lot of benefits.

Finally, why should people attend the International Search Summit?

There are a lot of great online events but most of them are focused on what is happening in a specific markets or in a specific region. International Search Summit is for me personally a key event you have to attend when you want to be be successful in online marketing across several markets globally, at the same time. There are a lot of roadblocks you need to be aware of – campaigns can be successful in one market but not in another one and the International Search Summit sessions will help you to minimise risks and to understand what is required to be successful in all markets.

Steffen will be speaking on the Impact of Display on Search at the International Search Summit Munich on April 4th. Also speaking at the event are Evgeny Lomize, Yandex; Cedric Chambaz, Microsoft; Florian Reisinger, BMW; Andy Atkins-Krüger, WebCertain and Thomas de Buhr, YouTube.

Tickets for the Summit, which will take place alongside SMX Munich, are still available.

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The Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance is finally coming to fruition with marketers and advertisers in Europe beginning to feel the effects of the partnership in early 2010.

In advance of his session at the International Search Summit Munich on [...]]]> The Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance is finally coming to fruition with marketers and advertisers in Europe beginning to feel the effects of the partnership in early 2010.

In advance of his session at the International Search Summit Munich on April 4th, Microsoft’s Cedric Chambaz, gives an insight into the development of the alliance and what it means for search marketers around the world.

Can you just give us a brief overview of what the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance is?

First it is critical to understand that the Yahoo! and Microsoft partnership is, as it says on the tin, a “Search Alliance”. Not a fusion, not an acquisition… An alliance, limited to search.

As a result of the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance, Microsoft’s technology will power Yahoo!’s search and search advertising infrastructure, meaning that the search alliance covers algorithmic search (web, image and video through Bing algorithm) and search advertising. Microsoft and Yahoo! will unify their paid search marketplaces, and Microsoft’s search advertising platform, Microsoft Advertising adCenter, will be used for paid search advertising.

The search alliance however does not include any aspects of display advertising, vertical searches or Yahoo! site searches, such as queries on Flickr or Yahoo! News. In these fields, our two companies will continue to compete.

The search alliance offers brands and search agencies a new competitive alternative as the two best converting search engines consolidate their high quality audiences. Practically spoken, advertisers can now promote their business to a larger, highly converting audience of Bing and Yahoo! users, in less time and efforts. This improves productivity and budget efficiencies, especially for resource-constrained advertisers, by allowing them to manage their search campaigns at both search engines from a single platform.

What stage is the roll out at in North America? And what about Europe?

After the natural search algorithm was successfully  implemented in Yahoo!’s Search in Northern America in late-August, at end of October we completed another major milestone for the search alliance transition in the U.S. and Canada: Microsoft Advertising adCenter now powers all of the paid search advertisements on Yahoo!’s owned and operated properties and its publisher network. Advertisers operate a single account on adCenter that powers search advertising campaigns across the combined audience of Bing and Yahoo! currently reaching 164 million in the U.S. and 15 million in Canada.[1]

For Europe, we anticipate the organic search transitions for the UK, France, Ireland, Germany, Spain and Italy to begin in the first quarter of 2011, with other European markets following in mid-2011. We expect to begin the paid search transition in the UK, France and Ireland in the second quarter of 2011, with other European markets to start in late 2011 and early 2012. Our goal is to provide a quality transition experience for advertisers in Europe. If we feel that it would improve the overall experience, we may adjust the timing of the organic and paid search transitions.

Is the plan to eventually rollout in all markets? And what are the timescales for reaching Eastern Europe, and Asia?

In addition to the roll-out in Europe early 2011, we expect to start transitioning in further international markets also in early 2011 for selected markets in Asia as well as Latin America, with all global customers and partners expected to be transitioned by early 2012.

What does it mean for organisations that are currently advertising on Yahoo! and/or Bing in Europe? And how will it impact organic rankings in both search engines?

Search advertisers will need to transition their account to the Microsoft Advertising adCenter platform in order to continue showing their adverts on the Yahoo! sites and their partners. In case advertisers don’t have an adCenter account we’ll support them in creating one allowing them to reach Yahoo! traffic once the Yahoo! Search ad serving transition is completed. With a single platform with superior targeting capabilities, they will then save time and effort by managing only one global account for their search marketing campaigns across both search engines.

Once the algorithm for natural search is completed, the organic results displayed on both Yahoo! Search and Bing will be the same with the single difference that each company will continue to own and enrich its individual consumer experience. However, the current organic ranking in Yahoo’s search engine might possibly change once results are powered by Bing as the website ranking will be 100% based on how the Bing algorithm indexes and ranks the relevance of your site for a particular search query. Therefore, we recommend that webmasters ensure that their sites are properly referenced and indexed by the Bing algorithm by them time the transition will be completed. Webmasters can register their websites and sitemaps in the Bing Webmaster tool.

What about those not currently using Yahoo!/Bing – what does the alliance offer them? What benefits will it bring?

Firstly, advertisers will gain access to more highly converting customers in several markets through the combined traffic of Yahoo! Search and Bing. In the UK for instance, the combined Yahoo! Search and Bing audience is 36% more likely to buy online than the average user[2].  Additionally, the Search Alliance reaches users that advertisers won’t be able to reach elsewhere: 5 million unique users use Microsoft and Yahoo! Sites (including Yahoo! Search, Bing, and partners) that don’t use Google in the UK[3].

Secondly, the campaign setup and management will be easier and more time- and therefore cost-efficient as advertisers will have one sales force supporting them as well as a one set of campaigns and keyword structures on a single platform.

Third and primarily what we hear from advertisers: The Search Alliance offers a competitive choice in search, providing advertisers with greater value and efficiency by delivering a higher quality audience and a better conversation rate driving a greater ROI.

And finally, why should people attend the International Search Summit?

The International Search Summit, combined with SMX Munich, is a great opportunity for advertisers and publishers to get their head around the up and coming trends in global  search. The global deployment of the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance is obviously a major evolution in the advertising industry and it is important to get a good understanding of its impact and associated opportunities for your business.

Other speakers at the International Search Summit include Steffen Ehrhardt, Google; Evgeny Lomize, Yandex; Andy Atkins-Krüger, WebCertain; Florian Reisinger, BMW and Thomas de Buhr, YouTube.

View the full agenda and register for the Summit

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Overcoming language barriers is one of the greatest challenges for any business targeting an international audience, particularly in the social space where multiple conversations are happening on multiple platforms in multiple languages all the time.

Here we talk to Jani Penttinen, [...]]]> Overcoming language barriers is one of the greatest challenges for any business targeting an international audience, particularly in the social space where multiple conversations are happening on multiple platforms in multiple languages all the time.

Here we talk to Jani Penttinen, founder of multilingual community Xiha about how he has developed a platform to facilitate multilingual communications and the role it can play in helping organisations to develop their  international visibility.

Jani will be speaking at the International Search Summit Munich on April 4th.

For those who don’t know, can you tell us a bit about Xiha?

Xiha is a three year old technology startup focused on solving issues around languages and translation and providing speakers of different languages ways to communicate with each other. We operate our own social network www.xihalife.com, and at the start of 2011 we started selling the platform as a service to other businesses under the brand PremiumFanPage. With PFP, we provide a service where a business can operate their website in a number of languages without extra effort

All content, from static text to blogs and Twitter feeds, is translated by human professionals in near real time, so a customer in Japan will see a fully Japanese website while someone in America might be looking at an English language website. We also embed Google Translate to all content, so it is easy to communicate with visitors. This is based on what we have been doing with the Xiha community for the past three years now, and we are very happy to be able to provide the same tools for everyone.

Why did you decide develop the site?

I was living in China at the time, and there was no website that worked in Chinese and English and provided ways to mingle with the locals. I couldn’t use the local websites as they were in Chinese and the locals didn’t want to use the foreign websites, which were all in English. My wife, who is Chinese, had the same problem as she was interested in learning more about other countries. She had the idea of a community where everyone could use their own language for browsing but still make friends in other countries, so together we started building the site and later started a company around it.

You’ve created a large global community. What has it taught you about the way users from different countries/cultures interact online? What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned?

First of all, people from different cultural backgrounds certainly behave different way in the online community. Members from the Nordic countries are quiet and kind of shy, while Asians are not afraid to talk to anyone and ask for help to improve their English. People from Latin America and southern Europe are very talkative and colourful.

For the most part, the Xiha community works really well. People are there because they are interested in other cultures, so they’re quite tolerant of the differences in behaviour. I’ve also noticed that people are really OK with broken language, so nobody needs to be afraid to write even if they don’t know the language very well. And as we provide the machine translation for all of the content, so we often see lively discussions where everyone is writing in their own language!

It’s been a pleasant surprise to notice that people can interact even if there is no common language. Machine translation is not perfect, but then again it’s usually a better option than not being able to communicate at all. Google is also doing an excellent job improving the quality of translations all the time. We get most of our traffic from international searches, from outside of the English speaking world, mostly because we have a large website with a lot of public content in dozens of languages. We’ve learned this to be a competitive edge – the market is way less saturated when you go outside of the English speaking countries, and the smaller the language group, the better we perform.

In your opinion, how can organisations leverage social sites like Xiha to engage with customers and boost brand awareness?

The tools we provide, both in the Xiha community and as a platform, help organizations speak with the customer despite the language barriers. The Xiha community is quite unique because it is so widely spread – one million people in over 200 countries, with no country representing over 5% of the total!

Quite often a company only has customer service in one or two languages, while they may have customers around the world. As I said before, people from different cultural backgrounds behave differently so it is very important to get a direct contact with the customers in different markets. Even if you have local sales offices, the headquarters should keep some level of contact with the customers to better understand the needs. A lot of companies already have a Facebook fan page, which is a good idea, but they are completely missing out on other languages.

At the International Search Summit, you will be talking about the role multilingual SEO played in growing Xiha around the world. If you could give just one tip to marketers running international search campaigns, what would it be?

Work with real humans, native speakers, when coming up with keywords, search phrases and content. Never attempt to shortcut by using a machine translator. It works well with human to human interactions but it will fail with search engines, for a number of reasons.

And finally, why should people attend the International Search Summit?

It has never been more important to focus on international markets. There is so much new research coming out, and the market is exploding rapidly. Performing well in this space can be a real competitive edge for any startup.
The International Search Summit is a conference series focusing exclusively on international and multilingual search and social media topics.  In 2011 the event is being held alongside the Search Marketing Expo conference (SMX) in San Jose, Munich, London, Seattle and New York.

For more details on speakers, sessions and registration visit www.internationalsearchsummit.com

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I’d hazard a guess that at least 99% of people reading this post will have a LinkedIn profile and I’d put money on the likelihood that your connections will not be limited to people in your own organisation, your [...]]]> I’d hazard a guess that at least 99% of people reading this post will have a LinkedIn profile and I’d put money on the likelihood that your connections will not be limited to people in your own organisation, your own city or even your own country.

With over 90 million users across 200 countries, LinkedIn has not only become an integral part of working life, but also a huge opportunity for marketers to reach a relevant, targeted audience anywhere in the world.

Here, we talk to Konstantin Guericke, one of LinkedIn’s co-founders to ask him how the business network became an international success and how organisations can leverage its global reach.

Konstantin, LinkedIn has transcended language/culture and become a truly global network – how has it achieved that, and what has made it so successful?

We have done some things in the product that go above and beyond typical localization, but it is also a testament to the fact that world is flat. More and more professionals have international business contacts, so as they connect their network into LinkedIn to access people and information more effectively, they automatically spread and strengthen LinkedIn in countries across the globe.

Our global leadership role is also a result of that fact that trust and relationships are key for effective business across cultures. I think in many places, trust is even more important than in the US: Middle East, Japan, China, etc…

When you first started in 2003, did you ever envisage it being such a success?

We consciously worked on a very large opportunity and sought the right investment partners to support us in that, but we were also acutely aware of at least half a dozen major reasons why LinkedIn might never take off.

As VP of Marketing, you played a major role in the international growth of LinkedIn. What were the major challenges you faced?

As we spent no money on advertising, our focus was on supporting our members as they spread the word, helping our users get the most out of LinkedIn and PR. One of the challenges we faced was that we were quickly copied in other countries, did not have localized versions right away and it took time for us to build up the network in other countries.  So local competitors  thrived for a while, but because the world is so interconnected, there is a huge incentive for professionals to have access to investors, experts, partners, etc. outside of their home country.

LinkedIn’s huge membership level, along with its global reach makes it an appealing channel for marketers targeting a global audience. How can organisations use it effectively as a marketing tool?

For global reach, I would highlight advertising, polls, groups and company pages. These four work best if used in a coordinated fashion and integrated into your website and other online marketing programs. All except advertising are free, and companies can get going with advertising via DirectAds for as little as $10 per day. For groups, for example, you can set up sub-groups in languages other than English, where people can provide feedback on your product and initiatives or discuss a topic related to your market.

For B2B segments with high average selling prices, targeted searches are usually the best way to identify the most promising customers and partners, and while InMail is an excellent option, in many cases it’s hard to beat getting a warm introduction from someone your prospect already knows and trusts.

Finally, why should people attend the International Search Summit?

Having lived, worked and studied not only in the US, but also in Europe and Asia, I think it is important to remember that most significant corporations derive over 50% of their revenue from outside of the US. Companies succeed when they adapt not only to the local culture, but also market conditions. It is a challenge to be global and local at the same time, but there are many examples of how US companies have succeeded, so you can learn a lot from both failures and successes.

Konstantin will be speaking at the International Search Summit in San Jose on March 11th. The Summit is a one day event, being held alongside SMX West.  Early Bird registration is still open.

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The sixth International Search Summit London has been and gone. And it was a very international event, with over half of the speakers coming from non-English speaking countries, and only 3 speakers from the UK.

As is now customary at [...]]]> The sixth International Search Summit London has been and gone. And it was a very international event, with over half of the speakers coming from non-English speaking countries, and only 3 speakers from the UK.

As is now customary at International Search Summit events, the delegates voted at the end of the day for their favourite speaker of the day,  who receives the Medallion Speaker award, and this time the vote went to Inway Ni, VP of Chinese gaming site 4399.com.

4399.com is one of the most popular sites in China, with over 100 million users and 30 million unique visitors each day and Inway explained how the site has become so successful and gave his key tips for anyone attempting to target a Chinese audience online.

Delegates had a further insight into the Chinese market when Cui Min from Baidu spoke about the products and services offered by the country’s leading search engine and helped delegates understand the opportunities available to them.

There were also lively sessions on social media, in particular Facebook, from Massimo Burgio and Mary Weintraub, an introduction to the Semantic Web from Professor Martin Hepp and case studies from The British Council and Autodesk on how they manage SEO across global websites.

If you want to learn more about some of the topics covered at the Summit, Louis Venter blogposts at State of Search cover many of the sessions from the day.

The International Search Summit is now done for 2010, but will back for events across North America and Europe in 2011 – so watch this space for updates on speakers, sessions and locations!

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China’s leading search engine Baidu will be joining Russian market leader Yandex and Middle Eastern search engine Ayna at the International Search Summit London on 28th October.

Senior Product Manager for Baidu, Min Cui, will be speaking on the Chinese [...]]]> China’s leading search engine Baidu will be joining Russian market leader Yandex and Middle Eastern search engine Ayna at the International Search Summit London on 28th October.

Senior Product Manager for Baidu, Min Cui, will be speaking on the Chinese search market and giving delegates insights into how marketers can use Baidu to reach a Chinese audience.

Min Cui manages the Product team that looks after the Phoenix Nest Platform, Baidu’s own ad management and ad serving system.

China, Russia and The Middle East are 3 of the fastest growing global internet markets, and a recent study has shown that web users in China and The Middle East spend more time online than in any other markets.

All three search engines will be presenting at the event, as well as participating in a Q & A session.

Also speaking at the Summit is Inway Ni, the VP of 4399.com – the largest gaming site in China. He will be discussing how he has achieved such success with his website and giving tips and advice on effective SEO and SEM strategies for the Chinese market.

The Summit will also feature case studies from global organisations Autodesk and The British Council, and sessions from leading global search experts including Mikkel deMib Svendsen, Marty Weintraub and Massimo Burgio.

Tickets for the Summit are still available.

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The Middle East is one of the major growth regions for the internet, and a study released this week revealed that web users in the region spend more time online than many of their Western counterparts. Here, Omar Khaled, [...]]]> The Middle East is one of the major growth regions for the internet, and a study released this week revealed that web users in the region spend more time online than many of their Western counterparts. Here, Omar Khaled, Partner Relations Manager for Arabic search engine Ayna, talks about how search is evolving in the region and the opportunities available to both local and international markets.

Omar, tell us about Ayna

Ayna is an established company headquartered in USA with branches in UAE, Egypt, and Lebanon. Our core business is offering local answers and solutions to Internet users in the Middle East & North African (MENA) region. Ayna started in 1997 by bringing the first Arabic Search Engine set to the convenience of Arab users all over the region. Today, Ayna has a wide range of online services and up-to-date technologies, thus reaching the widest user segment in our region. To check our services, please go to http://ayna.com/index.en.html

What is the search market like in The Middle East at the moment?

The search market is witnessing impressive developments in our region. Last year, search advertising was up by double-figures  from the year before. Analysts predicted that it is expected to grab a bigger share of the internet advertising market within the coming four years.  Search Advertising has now become an affordable, measurable, and traceable tool of promotion. We believe our market is a fertile market, and is bound to witness noticeable growth within the coming years.

What are the opportunities for marketers targeting users in the region?

Internet in our region retains a substantial audience. Latest studies have shown that the MENA internet users spend more time online than watching TV throughout the day. The studies have also showed that the internet usage in our region remains at its peak all day long compared to other media. This indicates that the internet has become the number one media consumed by users during the day, thus opening new opportunities for marketers to target users in the region. In addition, some countries in this region are continuing to heavily invest in the Information & Communication Infrastructure as part of the strategies to develop local economies and increase the number of web users.

Does the Arabic language pose any challenges in search campaigns?

Arabic  is the seventh most popular language on the web, with more than 344 million Arabic users worldwide. Such figures show that the Arabic language is a key factor in the success of a local search campaign targeting locals that intend and prefer to have their search experience in their native language. Case studies have shown that local audiences respond more to advertisements in their local language, which have local relevance. This is certainly the case in The Middle East and North Africa.

If you could give one tip to organisations embarking on Arabic campaigns, what would it be?

“Localize Yourself!” If you want to target locals, you have to have a well-set local campaign. During our session in the International Search Summit, we will be giving some tips and tricks on how to target locals and create successful Arabic campaigns.

Hear Omar speak at the International Search Summit on 28th October in London. Tickets are still available.

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