Selecting an international agency is a tricky task

Online, October 9, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Many marketers who are used to dealing with a single market are unaware of the essential questions they need to ask when appointing an agency to run international campaigns. This can lead to choosing companies who are not fully up to the task in hand and lead to dangerous / costly mistakes - such as using keywords that have simply been translated rather than researched in the target language.

As head of an international search marketing agency, Andy Atkins-Kruger has experienced some of the mistakes made by clients who haven't considered the implications of running international campaigns and in an article on Search Engine Watch, he recommends some essential questions that all organisations should put to their prospective suppliers

The most important things to find out include:

Who will undertake the international work? Whether it be partner agencies, satellite offices or an in-house team, you need to be sure you are aware of all the parties involved, their experience and their communication channels.

Will those working on my account be native speakers of the languages involved?
You need to be sure that native speakers, who have an intuitive knowledge of the language, are working on your projects otherwise accuracy and effectiveness may be compromised

My site will need translating. How will this be done?
Any translated website body content that needs to translated must be SEO-friendly, or at least undergo an SEO review - translations won't include keywords by default

Andy says, "Many organisations assume that if an agency has offices across the world, or a long list of languages on their website that they will be able to easily and effectively manage international search campaigns, however this is not always the case.

"Global search marketing campaigns are naturally complex, due to dealing with multiple time zones, cultures, languages, laws, search engines...the list goes on. So having confidence in the experience and competence of your chosen international agency is essential to ensure your entry into the global online arena is both profitable and painless."

Andy also emphasises the importance of clearly defining the aims and objectives of the international activity internally before even approaching any agencies, as this will help you determine what you need from a vendor and guide the questions that you ask.

About WebCertain
WebCertain is the one stop shop for all international search marketing needs.
Operating from just one location, WebCertain's team of native speakers from around the globe works together to create bespoke multilingual online campaigns for its clients.
Combining local cultural and linguistic knowledge with search marketing expertise leads to accurate, effective, relevant campaigns which are guaranteed to improve online performance.
Clients have the opportunity to pick a one-off service from our a la carte menu such as directory submissions, keyword research, page edits, international hosting and press release distribution or they can opt for the full service option to receive an account managed, comprehensive search marketing service.
From SEO to PPC, Social Media to Usability, Online PR to Web Development, WebCertain offers the full range of online services. In addition to its online services, WebCertain's translation arm, WebCertain Translates, provides professional translations and localisations for both on- and offline projects.
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