Ranking local content against English content

[sjcbayona-41218]

Hi SEOMoz,

If I have a site that has multiple language selection, how would it be possible for my site with localized content to rank higher than the default/English content?

For example, in Google.co.th, my site with English content (http://www.xyz.com/en-us/) ranks higher than the localized content (http://www.xyz.com/th-th/).

How is it possible for me to turn things around and ensure that for local markets like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, China etc the localized content organically ranks higher than the default-English page?

Thanks!

Steve

[RyanKent]

When you say it ranks higher, what exactly are you using for your search term?

If you use an English search term, then yes the English content should rank higher. If the .th domain is Thailand, then the content on the .th section of the site should be in Thai. Try performing a search using Thai and checking the rank. I am willing to bet the Thai content will rank on top. This logic applies to the other countries you list as well.

[sjcbayona-41218]

Makes sense.

Is there a way for me to ensure that even for English queries localized content would be the one ranking on local Google domains?

[RyanKent]

Not in a reasonable way.

Search engines provide results based on matching content to the user's query. If a user searches for a term in English then you would need to provide that term on your page in order to rank for it. You would also need to optimize your page for that term (title, header tags, url, etc). You presumably have already done that for the English version of the site.

If a user makes a search query using an English term, they presumably understand English and are seeking a website written in English. If a result was provided in another language that would be a bad user experience, the page would definitely have a higher bounce rate, and that may cause the rankings to drop.