The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
February 2008, Volume 7, Issue 2

Why Marketers Need to Differentiate Same Language International Websites

by Rachel Tiley, Client Services Manager, iProspect

George Bernard Shaw once said that “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” Some days I’m inclined to agree.

But as a Brit living in the U.S., I see that there are more than just colloquial differences that separate us. For example, I struggle to put the month first when writing the date; I still say “I’m sorry” when someone else wrongs me; and I’m inherently skeptical of just about everything.

Subtle Differences Affect Web Behavior
Well believe it or not, such subtle cultural, linguistic, and behavioral differences affect Web behavior. Consequently, marketers need to be mindful of them when building websites for multiple countries that share the same mother tongue. Doing so can make the difference between your site being found — or not.

One Good Reason
However, before you dive-in, have a reason for doing so. Specifically, a business reason. It could be anything from addressing legal/regulatory issues, or because you are selling a particular product or service, or because your users have different needs from one country to the next.

Walking the Talk
ING Direct — one of the best known brands in online banking in both the UK and the US — provides us with a great example. They have a website specifically for U.K. customers and another one for U.S. customers.

To start, their business reason for having the two websites should be obvious — the banking rules and regulations vary in each country. But the differences run deeper than that.

While the sites have common branding identities, each speaks to their users in very different ways, including how the content is displayed. For example, the U.S. site is clean, crisp, and simple. The U.K. site has more information and videos to support their message. Each site reflects its country’s language nuances when referring to products or services (e.g. re-mortgaging vs. refinancing).

Due Diligence
If it makes sense for you to have multiple websites for different countries that share the same language, be sure to do your research. Take the time to understand how each country’s users interact with the Web, and identify the subtle differences that separate them. This process is key, and will drive how you differentiate the websites.

Getting Started
As you move forward with your efforts, be sure to:

Optimize for the correct search terms based on how users in each country speak.

Strive to create a site where both content and “look and feel” speak to user nuances, so they will be more likely to convert once they arrive.

Where possible, use country specific domains. This will help the engines understand which version to return in each country specific search engine. If having the country specific domain isn’t possible, provide a country differentiator in the URL.

Use IP address detection to understand which country a user is in, but allow them to decide which version of a site they want to visit. Also be sure to have cross linking to help with selection errors, or to give users access to more than one version of the site.

Differentiate content to not only satisfy users, but to also help the engines understand that it’s not a duplicate site. Remember that while your business reason may be solid, getting penalized by the engines and appealing it can be a lengthy process.

Overall, marketers need to realize that linguistic, cultural, and behavioral differences affect Web behavior. In order to best speak to their users, smart marketers will address those subtle differences when developing same-language international websites.

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The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article: February 2008, Volume 7, Issue 2

Why Marketers Need to Differentiate Same Language International Websites

The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
February 2008, Volume 7, Issue 2