Many companies are squandering valuable market potential by simply translating their keywords 1:1. But with a strategic approach to their international keywords, they could not only rank better in Google but also attract entirely new target groups. Search behavior and competition are different in every country. With keyword research specifically for the German market, you can ensure that you target exactly the right keywords.
A good keyword succinctly summarizes the page it links to. At the same time, it must also meet the needs of potential customers. Search behavior is different in every country.
Search volume isn’t everything—but it is a good indicator in many cases. When your keyword has no search volume in German—meaning that internet users never search for it—your page is not likely to show up in German search results.
The right keywords for your business depend not only on the culture in your new target market but on keyword competition as well. The competitive situation is different in every target market, which needs to be taken into account when selecting keywords.
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Multilingual SEO research takes SEO expertise, cultural competence, and a keen feel for language. Using innovative SEO tools, I analyze the German keyword landscape and align it to your company’s USP and/or products. The result: Rather than floating aimlessly like a message in a bottle, your marketing message can steer itself directly to your target group—and beyond.
1. Determine user intention
The first step in keyword research is to understand the goal behind the users’ search queries. Are they searching with informational, navigational, or transactional intent?
2. Competitive analysis
In this step, I analyze who the most important competitors are and which search terms they are ranking for. This helps identify opportunities and challenges in the competitive landscape.
3. Research keyword candidates
Starting with seed words, I research the best keywords for your brand. For this process, I use different sources and tools to gather a wide range of possible search terms. Then I check them methodically to find out which phrases German consumers use for their searches.
4. Sort by relevance and search volume
I prioritize keywords based on their relevance and search volume. The level of competition for a given keyword can also play a role here. Prioritizing the keywords helps me determine which ones will have the greatest impact on your marketing efforts.
5. Create a topic cluster and keyword mapping
I take the keywords I collected and split them up into topic clusters. In keyword mapping, each page on a website is assigned specific primary and secondary keywords. Ideally, all important keywords will be included, meaning that all facets of a topic are covered.
How to choose the right keyword and why search intent is more important than search volume.
In multilingual keyword research, the keywords for each language or target market are researched separately. Each country has different search trends, and the phrases that consumers use to search could vary drastically. That’s why it’s essential to carry out keyword research for each individual market and to understand which terms each target group uses to search for specific topics or products. This process is key to the success of any international SEO strategy.
Keywords are the terms that people type into a search engine to find information, products, or answers to their questions. They help search engines like Google understand which websites should be shown for which search queries. The right keywords are critical to helping your website rank higher in the search results, where your target group can find you.
The short answer is no. Keywords are more than just phrases related to a particular topic. A good keyword is a term that users actually type into an online search engine.
Search terms can vary from country to country. Here’s an example. The English phrase “ringing in the ear” has three possible translations in German: klingeln im ohr (the literal translation), pfeifen im ohr (a variation on the literal translation), and ohrensausen (the colloquial term for this phenomenon). The search volume for the German terms varies drastically: only 480 people search for klingeln im ohr every month, while 6,600 people search for ohrensausen.
But language differences aren’t the only reason that people use different terms to search for the same topic. Cultural differences have an effect, too. That’s why keywords can’t just be translated. It takes country-specific research for them to do their jobs correctly.
Seed words, or seed keywords, are the starting point of any keyword research project. These are generally short, very general terms related to a specific topic. SEO specialists use seed words to get familiar with a topic and discover the keywords that will actually be used in the website.