A recent news item caught my eye – ” Kerela Tourism’s global consumer travel site had been selected for the best site for the prestigious award ‘PATA Gold Award 2010′. That’s a great achievement for a state management site, where the emphasis has always been on information assembly and classification rather than on usability and user sensibilities. A quick glance at the Kerela Tourism site justifies the prestigious award.

I felt compelled to bring the site to your notice – So, i divided into 2 easy parts for a viewer like me who has a million other things in queue….

Part1….Striking elements:

[1] Clean, Text-less persona – uplifting

[2] Captivating graphics

[3] Multi-lingual viewing option

[4] Unambiguous message for the visitor

Part2….Striking elements:

[1] Service / Information: Targeted & graphic-based services segments

[2] Colors utilized on the site symbolize the theme of the website

[3] User-friendly text

[4] Predominance of white space throughout

[5] Relevance of the graphics and text in all the segments

In order to maximize visibility, translations and local language considerations must be taken into account along with SEO. Local language keywords must be well researched for volume and relevance together with translations targeting local markets. These local language keywords and other language specific words must be properly embedded in the web page code and properly displayed on the page. Registration of the web-site on local search engines should be done and local links must be identified and secured as well. A local address might also be useful, and in some cases essential.

Certain principles are common, and constant to a search, no matter where we put them. Some tactics may become specific for certain search engines, but traditional SEO within the U.S. translates well into the international scene. The landscape and players may be foreign, but the games don’t change.

The Google Spin

The fact is that Google inside America, with a 58 percent market share, is extremely capable of influencing how and why we optimize. In reality Google is also able to set guidelines that other search engines may follow.

Now, imagine this scenario, without the Google? Will it not be essential that we understand the intricacies involved in the way other search engines operate.

Local Contact

Similarly, foreign search engines like Baidu have a 60 percent market share in China, Yandex inside Russia is equally strong. Le moteur in French, 123Bin of Germany, and more from so many other nations all do well in their specific regions. Google and Yahoo are only able to follow them, or are far behind.

Our optimization strategies therefore need to change when we are doing this for a client in Japan. What works for Google need not necessarily fit for Baidu, or Yandex.

Especially in off-page SEO we need to understand the specific requirements of the region and the regional search engines. Apart from on-page content, titles and meta-tags understanding the ranking processes and procedures of specific search engines – and things unique to the region would not only be helpful, but also essentially required.