Introduction

Having a website in another language is no longer enough. The key is for users around the world to find you, and for the translation work to translate into real visibility in each country. In our article on multilingual SEO, we explained why translation alone is not enough. Now AI has come into play, as well as the way your customers search for and find you. This makes SEO localization a priority for every global B2B company.

What is SEO localization?

SEO localization is the process of adapting the content, keywords, and structure of a website to rank in search engines (and AI responses) for a specific country or language. It’s not just about translating the text, but also about tailoring it to how people actually search in that market. We don’t just translate keywords; we have to fine-tune them and adjust each version to make it truly effective.

What sets SEO translation apart from SEO localization?

SEO translation takes content that already works in one language and translates it into another, trying to preserve the keywords and the structure. It can be a good starting point, but it is based on a questionable premise: that shoppers in another market search for the same thing, using the same words.

SEO localization starts from a different question: What is this shopper looking for, using which terms, and in what context? This leads to decisions that a translation does not make:

• Keywords are researched anew in the target market, rather than being translated.
• Examples, references, units, regulations and use cases are adapted to the country.
• Titles, meta descriptions, and URLs are written with local searches in mind.
• Decisions are made as to whether certain pages should be created, removed, or reorganized for that market.

In short, SEO translation is a linguistic task. SEO localization is a market strategy that requires linguistic work to adapt keywords to a new text.

SEO localization vs. Multilingual SEO: Are they the same thing?

A simple way to look at it: A website can have multilingual SEO (translated, well structured, with the correct language tags) and still be designed for the source market, not the target market. SEO localization is the step that adapts this website to each market so that it is relevant to its buyers.

How to adapt keywords to another country or market

This is where SEO localization plays a big part in the outcome. Literally translating a keyword usually leads to a term that no one searches for. A more reliable process would be as follows:

1. Start with the intent, not the word. Define what the buyer wants and find out how they express it in that market.
2. Research using data from the country. Start from the volumes and trends of the target market, and check Search Console if you already have traffic there. We cover the tools and the general keyword research method in our multilingual SEO guide; what matters here is that the data comes from the country, not just the language.
3. Check out the local results. Search for your terms in the target country and analyze who ranks, how they communicate, and what vocabulary they use.
4. Take regional variants into account. The same language can use different terms depending on the country, and in B2B these differences often affect technical terminology, standards and regulations.
5. Validate with native speakers from each market. Sales teams, distributors, and native linguists know what words customers use in a particular sector.
6. Create new content when necessary. An analysis of GEO and localization recommends creating content based on research into local queries, not on translating content and topics from English.

Appear in AI Overviews, AI Mode and other assistants

When we search on Google, an “AI-generated overview” of our search appears at the very top.

This answer helps users, who can also click on the “AI Mode” option in the menu to continue searching for information with the help of AI.

The difference between AI Mode (or the AI-generated overview) and Gemini is that Google’s AI Mode is a layer integrated into the web search engine to synthesize current information, while Gemini is its independent conversational assistant, like ChatGPT or Claude, focused on maintaining a conversation, working with documents, or conducting more complex research.

To appear in Google’s AI-generated overview or AI mode, we can use the same basic Google SEO recommendations as for Google Search in general. The recommendation would be to create useful, reliable content targeted at your audience, wherever they are. AI cites what is well written, well structured, and well aligned across channels. Try to always use the same tone everywhere (on your website, in your YouTube videos, on your LinkedIn page, etc.).

Beyond Google

Google dominates most markets, but this is not the case everywhere. In China, Baidu remains the leading search engine, Yandex is the leader in Russia, and in South Korea, Naver shares the top spot with Google.

The exact figures vary widely depending on the source and the year, so check the latest data for the country you’re interested in before making a decision (for example, using https://statcounter.com/). In these markets, SEO for Google does not work in exactly the same way as it does for other search engines, so a different strategy is needed for each search engine.

How to measure it

You can use Google Analytics and other methods of analyzing results to measure goals. Just as we do with the results from general search engines, we can do the same with AI results. According to Google, “when users click on search results pages with AI-generated views, these clicks are of higher quality, which means that users are more likely to spend more time on your website.”

Conclusion

SEO localization is the sum of several aspects: quality content created and localized with human judgment, an error-free technical foundation, and a consistent presence where your customers search for information.

Would you like to know the current status of your company’s SEO localization in each market? Write to us at info@localizationlab.com. We’ll be happy to help you.