How-To Localize and Personalize Your Website

January 9, 2009

We’ve already discussed how social networking is become more and more important for the success of a website. Going into 2009, how will maintaining rank on search engines change? How will you be able to keep up?

If you’re to believe some experts, then you need to start focusing on localization and personalization. It’s not enough to just dominate keyword phrases, and rank. Slowly, you can start to see search engines adapt more and more to people’s location and preferences. For example, if you have a website selling video games and someone types phrases into Google about video games perhaps the top hits will be local gaming stores in their area.

Also, search engines are become more personable. They’re adapting to users and providing more results based on history and preference. A prime example is the ‘promoting’, and ‘demoting’ feature on Google. If people are becoming engaged in your site, then features like this will provide more repeat visits than before.

The most important question you should be asking is, ‘How Do I Take Advantage Of This Change?’

Taking advantage of localizing can be a tricky endeavor. Depending on the content of your site, it can be easy to localize or not. If you own a site about outdoor activities. Then you can write about local events, or setup a network partnership with a local park.

Personalizing is a bit easier, and no matter your content should always be on top of you priorities. There’s numerous ways to make your site personal, and engaging to the user. Having some form of communication between you and the users, and the users with each other is a must. You don’t want to be a one stop website. There has to be a reason for your viewers to keep returning to your site. If they have a place to engage with others on a topic, then that’s instant return right there.

There’s traditional ways to personalize; setting up a blog, creating a forum. If you really want to get creative then allow your members to provide the content. Allow of user-generated reviews of products, have guest authors. People love to feel important, and if you can make them feel like a part of your website then you hit two birds with one stone. Content being generated, and garnering good feelings from your users.