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Google Chrome Auto-translation Can Help SEO

Google's Chrome browser will soon be able to automatically translate websites into several languages, a change than can prove significant for companies using organic search and search engine optimization to improve site traffic.

UK-based marketing specialist Sam Tilson says the move can help businesses harness the potential of foreign markets, especially fast-growing ones like China and Japan. Much of today's search engine marketing efforts is geared towards English-speaking audiences.

With the new Chrome system, when a user visits a website whose language is different from his or her default setting, a prompt will pop up from the browser asking the user if they want the site converted.

The new feature will start with a limited range of languages, starting with commonly spoken ones such as Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese. More are expected to be added as the browser increases in popularity and undergoes further development.

According to Google, this tool can help make online information more "universally accessible." This can come in handy in an age where the Internet as a medium is blurring cultural borders and creating a more globalized playing field.

Tilson points out, however, that e-commerce sites may have to decide whether or not foreign traffic can boost their profits. Online stores that do not ship internationally, for example, may not benefit much from opening their sites to overseas users.

English speakers are currently the leading market on the Internet, with 478 million people using it as their main online medium. Chinese comes in second with 384 million speakers online, followed by Spanish with 137 million.