SEO Tycoon

**TheDon** · 03-08-2010, 07:15 AM

Hi all,
I am planning on having one of my websites to have a default language in Thai to attract the Thai business, I am on the fence with having it English as the default or Thai.
Would I have to do SEO for both languages? I do not know Thai and will have someone translating it for me. Anyone with experience doing SEO in another language?

Also will having the default language in Thai effect the english versions SEO?

**David101** · 03-08-2010, 07:23 AM

you'll have hard time doing SEO on that...try to ask your client to translate it to english and place some translation tool on your site to coupe on those users that can't understand english.

**JackKalis** · 03-08-2010, 07:26 AM

You can write your own native language.But when you SEO in your site you should use the English language because only this language help optimization.

**chrishirst** · 03-08-2010, 07:29 AM

If you serve pages in Thai to every visitor/useragent the English version will probably cease to exist as SE bots have no way to choose which language to see.

Have the default in English and have clickable links to the Thai versions on every page, that will allow bots to index both versions.
PLUS store the selected language in sessions/cookies so that real visitors will see the language THEY selected.

**TheDon** · 03-08-2010, 07:40 AM

Thanks,
I thought it would be better to have it in English, I will still try do the SEO in both languages though, just to see what happens.

**chrishirst** · 03-08-2010, 07:46 AM

BTW
Optimising in languages other than English can be easier, as it is very often less competitive.

Promotion can be a bind though, if you don't read or speak that particular language.

**ThailandForum** · 03-08-2010, 08:09 AM

Looking at your site in your sig Don you might want to start on optimising them in English first before you start on new projects.
Although as Chris says if you do optimise in Thai it is easy to get the traffic as Thais idea of great websites is flash with flash.

**TheDon** · 03-08-2010, 08:14 AM

Yes I will optimize my Thailand website, I also like your forum, much better then that TV runned peice of crap.
I have a few websites to optimize, just have to find the time.

**ThailandForum** · 03-08-2010, 08:19 AM

^Quite amazing how hated a website can be, george must be proud

**kuglermd** · 03-09-2010, 03:38 AM

It is very hard at least for me . I have face similar problem , my client want to rank in Irish and German language . i dont have any idea of those languages.I am confused what should be my focus so that I can win the obstacle .

**chrishirst** · 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuglermd

It is very hard at least for me . I have face similar problem , my client want to rank in Irish and German language . i dont have any idea of those languages.I am confused what should be my focus so that I can win the obstacle .

<offtopic distance="a country mile" >

You do realise that what you are doing is practically FRAUD.

You post using the name of a Orthopedic surgeon based in Florida while you are located in India.

Is it that you think we are too stupid to work it out? Or that you have to lie and deceive to gain more "credibility"!
</offtopic>

**link6** · 03-09-2010, 08:41 AM

Target language surely attract visitors and traffic more from that country. I have experienced that a Russian version is indexed by yandex on the first page, after spend some by advertising google adwords.

**c69** · 03-09-2010, 01:50 PM

Make a site for your clients. Speak their language. If they speak Thai, then site should be in Thai too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrishirst

Optimising in languages other than English can be easier, as it is very often less competitive.

sorry, you might be surprised competing with Russians or Chinese. its much harder that it might look from Britain

also, access to native speaker is a must.

**chrishirst** · 03-09-2010, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c69

sorry, you might be surprised competing with Russians or Chinese. its much harder that it might look from Britain

also, access to native speaker is a must.

Probably not that surprised, thinking about it. For almost any country the native language will be more competitive.

**w3bmaster** · 03-10-2010, 09:08 AM

Ofcourse you need to do seo for each language section

Well usually the most competition is in english the other languages have less competition so it's much easiear usualy to rank in other languages ...

**ian0031** · 03-10-2010, 08:02 PM

It's better to put some translation tool in that site that you are trying to do SEO so that if there is thai visitors that will be more convenient on reading the content of your site in a thai language, it is easy for them to read the contents of your site by simply select the translation tool and convert the language.By default your site should be english because in that way it is more formal and we all know that English is the universal language to all.

**kittyflip** · 05-28-2010, 12:46 AM

any language as long as it is under by google translation you can have this optimize since google can read many language aside from english

**elmerkit** · 05-28-2010, 03:43 AM

Have it translated to English it would be easier plus with thai language you will be limited on the resource of off page

**krishananda** · 05-28-2010, 04:52 AM

I've worked with some non-English sites owners, French, German, Croatia, Ukraine, etc wanted to rank well for their native languages,
If you're just aiming Thai local businesses then don't bother with English, optimize in Thai

You won't expect Thai businesses to search local business by typing English in google right?

Chrishirst and ThailandForum are right, sometimes it's easier to optimize using non-English native languages - less competition

In some countries, businesses build sites and market them through business cards - for the purpose of prestige only - let alone SEO
you can beat them easily with just few link building