expertSEM

In last week’s Roundup, I included a blurb about Google Suggest using American English spelling for British English searches. I thought I would expound on this issue and offer some tips for dealing with these variations in your SEM campaigns.

Due to the ever-evolving nature of the English language and because it wasn’t standardized until long after a great number of texts were inconsistently written, American and British English have slight spelling variations. (I’m currently reading a fabulous book, Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling by David Wolman, about the long and winding road that has lead to the current state of English. If you’re a fellow language enthusiast, I suggest you pick it up.) This has been a major headache for editors and teachers for some time. And now SEM pros are starting to feel the dull throb.

The most common spelling variations are found below:

* I feel that this spelling variation is not so clearly divided between the countries. I have always used the –ogue ending for these words—for whatever reason, that was how I learned them. I believe that I see the –og ending much less often; however, that could just be my brain reading it that way or I simply read a great deal of British Literature.

Apparently, the optimization/optimization issue on Google.co.uk last week was only temporary (at post time, Google UK’s SERP showed mostly the “s” variant). Most likely it was Google tweaking algorithms and making the usual updates. However, a post on Web Toastie found a correlation between search volume for these spelling variations and the SERP change. Volume for “search engine optimization” began to dip in late 2009 as “search engine optimization” grew. In their continual effort to cater to searchers exactly, Google most likely began to show more results for the “z” spelling variation.

How can you accommodate these variations in SEM campaigns?

Before making any changes to your SEM campaigns, you first must decide if there is a need. Do you market specifically to the United Kingdom? Do you have a great deal of customers in these countries? You can determine this in a number of ways. Naturally, you should already know if you vend directly to the United Kingdom. You should look at analytics data and PPC keywords to determine the rest. Look at the spelling variations and note which version generates the most traffic and which one gets the most conversions. If you are an American company, but learn that the British spellings are converting better, you need to make some changes.

PPC Changes

Keywords are simple—just add both spellings to your list and monitor performance. Ad copy could be more difficult. As the American company that finds out British spellings convert better, which version should you use in ad copy? This is a decision that may require the input from some higher-ups. The great thing about PPC, though, is that you can test both spellings in ad copy and make changes on the fly. If you realize you made the wrong decision, no need to fret—just pause the ad and it’s almost like it never happened! Almost.

SEO Changes

SEO will take a little more research and consideration. Relying on analytics and PPC data, you must determine the highest volume, most converting keywords. If the British spelling has more traffic and converts better, you should start optimizing your site and link building with that version.

If your domain contains one of these alternate spellings, consider registering both versions and simply 301ing the lesser-used version. This way you own both versions, allowing you to capture direct traffic and leaving room for future changes, if necessary.

The main point to take away from this is true to just about every aspect of marketing, and really life in general—know your audience. Determine whom exactly your audience is, learn what they want and need and then cater to them as best you can.