SEO Copywriting for a Global International Market

?Do they speak English in Australia??
- Anonymous, United States?

Believe it or not, I was asked this question during my year of student exchange in the United States.

My response:

?Yes, but you?ll have to learn it first.?

Australian English is quite different from American English in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling and grammar. George Bernard Shaw said it best? ?Two nations separated by a common language?. I openly recall Americans being confused and amused all at once by my Aussie charm. It wasn?t until I had lived here for little over a year and worked in the SEO copywriting field, did I truly realize just how much of a difference there is between the two dialects. Australian spelling is actually somewhat similar to British spelling due to our historical ties with Britain.

Thankfully, technology has made it easier for Australians to pursue a career in the SEO copywriting field in the United States. A hint for all you aspiring Australian copywriters that dare to venture to the United States; the set language, spelling and grammar check features on Microsoft Word are going to be your best buddies. They are sure to have you writing like an American in no time.

If you?re interested in learning more about the dichotomies between Australian and American copy, below are just four of the differences that come to mind.

FYI: This gave my spell check a seizure!

A Love Affair with ?u?

Australian English believes in the preservation of the letter ?u?. Although there is no real justifiable reason, we prefer to retain the letter ?u? in certain copy such as honour, favour, colour and labour. On the other hand, Americans prefer to omit the letter ?u? to read as honor, favor, color and labor.

?re? over ?er?

The look of certain words in Australian copy can come across as sophisticated?perhaps because of our historical ties to the Queen of Great Britain. Don?t be fooled. Aussies are far from classy. We simply fancy the ending ?re? over ?er?. Take, for instance, the words theatre, centre and kilometre. On the other hand, Americans prefer the ending ?er? to read as theater, center and kilometer.

Exile the ?z?

In Australian English, the ?ise? ending is used in copy such as organise, realise and jeopardise. On the other hand, Americans prefer the ending ?ize? to read as organize, realize and jeopardize. As an SEO copywriter, one phrase I definitely need to know how to spell correctly is search engine optimization. Fun fact: I was actually about to submit my application for the SEO copywriter job opening at Optimum7 with the word optimisation on the cover letter. Lucky for me, my significant other is American and was able to pick up on it before I hit the submit button.

?t? over ?ed?

Another fun fact: During the daunting process of job hunting, my partner was kind enough to review my resume for me. ?Learnt? Oh that is so country!? No offense to all you countrysiders out there. Little did we know, Australian English opts for ?t? over ?ed? to form learnt and dreamt while American English prefers the ending ?ed? to read learned and dreamed.

Why is this Important for SEO Copywriters?

Once the Internet was born, the space-time continuum collapsed and globalization pierced the foundation of our being. People from all corners of the world were now able to facilitate exchanges in real time. This led to the emergence of an online global market. As an SEO copywriter, it?s important to be aware of the subtle differences within the English language. Why? Let?s face it. Nothing in life is for certain. One day you may be expected to write for an English speaking audience in a different country?and I?m living proof of it.

While it?s true that the variations in the English language become even more of a consideration if your clients are global, it?s also important to keep in mind that even if your clients are local, your client?s clients may be scattered throughout the globe. If that?s the case, which English do you use in your web copy? It may seem like an insignificant matter, but some readers can be very picky. You?ll just have to be ruthless and distinguish which of your client?s English speaking audiences delivers the greatest revenue, and cater to them. After all, at the end of the day, business is all about profit.

If your client or your client?s clients are international, it would be a wise idea to first approach your client to clarify which variety of English they are more comfortable reading. If you fail to do this, it may not resonate with the target audience, and may even be inconsistent with their preexisting material. Don?t waste your time on local colloquialism or slang either as it runs the risk of turning your readers off from the content. It?s also a great idea to provide conversions as inches, miles, pounds, gallons and Fahrenheit mean nothing to someone who has grown up with centimetres, kilometres, kilograms, litres and Celsius. Lastly, be careful of the date format. Date your articles and correspondence with your clients using the correct format. In the United States, the correct format is MM/DD/YYYY. In Australia, the correct format is DD/MM/YYYY.

If you can provide prospective clients with a genuine understanding of the nuances of the English language, you?re more likely to secure them as a paying client. After all, words are our income. Make sure you sit down and discuss the specifics of which spelling and grammar you?ll use for what project.

The Implications for Search Engine Optimization

Let?s recap. So far we?ve dissected the different shades and tones of Australian and American English. We?ve also discussed the importance for SEO copywriting and pleasing target audiences.

So, what about the search engines? SEO copywriting isn?t just about pleasing your target audience; it?s also about pleasing the search engines, right? So what do you do when half of your audience are searching for honour, theatre, organistion? and learnt while the other half of your audience are searching for honor, theater, organization and learned?

You not only have to worry about how different traffic reacts to your copy but also what implications does this have for what kind of traffic you attract, and from where? If you?re a multinational, the simple answer would be to create localized domains for Australia and America and optimize for both. Unfortunately, that?s when all the duplicate content issues arise. Google may penalize you for having duplicate content, and this of course, will harm your search engine rankings.

Stay tuned for more information on how to handle this delicate situation?

Want to learn more about Australian English? Here are some fun links. ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuRrp83jCuQ
http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html

Source: http://www.optimum7.com/internet-marketing/copywriting/seo-copywriting-for-a-global-market.html

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