In practice, we have repeatedly encountered the promotion of web resources in Western Europe. Separately, you should pay attention to the promotion of sites in Germany. This is a country with a very developed market for SEO services and high competition in search results, but at the same time there’s everything for scaling and growing a business (if you play by the rules).

In this publication, we want to talk about the key features of search engine optimization of Internet resources in Germany, what tools are best to use, what to look for.

How to prepare a website for promotion in Germany

First of all, pay attention to the top-level domain. Residents of Germany prefer to use the local version of the search engine, which is Google.de. Therefore, sites registered in the .de domain zone receive an advantage in ranking.

Don’t forget about the geographical location of the hosting where your site is located. We recommend using the hosting providers of the country in which you want to promote. This allows you to speed up the work of the resource, since the server response time will be minimal.

Another important aspect on which website promotion in Germany depends is content. Most of the population is fluent in English, but the main language of search queries is still German. To create quality content, you need to find an author or editor who is a native speaker.

We’d like to warn you: the option with superficial proofreading of machine translation of texts won’t work. This can greatly harm behavioral factors.

Mentality and some legal aspects

If you plan to enter into business relations with German contractors, for example, turn to the services of translators, German copywriters, website developers, then you need to remember the extreme pedantry of this nation. In order for SEO-promotion of the site in Berlin and in other regions of this country to be successful, you should take care of paying bills and deadlines in advance.

It’s also important to remember to comply with German law, especially regarding the placement of information on the Internet. In particular, the following pages should be presented on German commercial sites:

• Imprint. Here you need to specify the data of the company, as well as place information about the authors of the materials or provide links to the sources from which they’re copied;
• AGB (Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen). This section contains information about the conditions of interaction between the company and customers;
• Datenschutzerklärung. This is the place to communicate about the organization’s security policy.

These and other service sections are important for German users. It’s also a signal for search robots, indicating the reliability of the resource.

Search engine in Germany

Whereas in the early 2000s Germany was still using a mixed bag of different search engines, now Google remains the dominant one. Currently over 90% of all searches in Germany are done through it. Smartphone users in this European country prefer Google more.

Tools for SEO promotion in Germany

For effective SEO in Germany, there’s an almost endless number of free and paid tools. Among them, the following are popular:

• Ahrefs is a tool for true pros. It’s great for keyword research,. It can be used to make a deep analysis of competitors;
• Google Search Console, an absolutely essential tool for every SEO professional. Additionally, you’ll need PageSpeed ​​Insights services, which will help improve the site loading time, and Google Analytics, which will show how users behave on the pages of a web resource;
• Metric Tools. It offers a number of important features for SEO optimization, say, keyword research, ranking tracking, competitor analysis and more;
• OpenLinkProfiler is a free alternative to link research tools. The service shows which backlinks lead to the site, what pages are referred to more often;
• Semrush is a great tool for professionals who need a comprehensive analysis without investing a lot of money. Analysis of rankings, backlinks and competitors isn’t a problem for this service;
• Seorch is one of the most complete free SEO tools out there. It analyzes the site very carefully and clearly shows the opportunities for improvement;
• SEO Review Tools brings together 38 free SEO tools, from a keyword tool, backlink checker and domain authority checker to a content idea generator. Here, you’ll find everything you need in your daily work.

Separately, let’s pay attention to the German-language services on which SEO promotion in Germany is based:

• Sistrix is impressive and it provides a unique set of features. But it’s a rather expensive tool. It’s divided into modules that can be assembled individually;
• Ubersuggest offers free keyword research in the German-speaking region. It allows you highlight alternative key queries;
• Xovi combines many useful features, like keyword analysis, monitoring, on-page optimization and backlink research.

We recommend that you decide in advance which aspects of SEO you want to focus on and start with the free SEO Review Tools, Seorch and Semrush.

The main stages of German sites promotion

The sequence of stages of site promotion in Germany is standard, since the quality of a web resource is evaluated according to the same criteria as in any other country. Let’s take a closer look:

1. Pre-project analysis. It’s necessary to study the niche in which you want to advance (target audience and competitors), as well as conduct a comprehensive audit of the resource. We can help you perform an SEO site audit .
2. Collection of the semantic core and work on the structure. It’s important to include in the SC the maximum of relevant queries of medium and low frequency. This will allow you to get the first organic traffic faster for keywords with low competition.
3. Technical optimization. It includes standard work on setting up indexing, relinking, removing duplicates, increasing download speed, etc.
4. Content creation. It involves writing texts in German both for the site itself and for publications on external sites.
5. Usability improvement serves to improve the user interface based on split tests and analysis of behavioral factors. Particular attention should be paid to the convenience of mobile users.
6. External optimization refers to organic build-up of the external link profile.

Google Business will also be useful, which provides Web users with additional information about the company outside the site. It’ll help with local promotion on geo-dependent queries.

Collection of the Semantic Core (SC)

At this stage, we do everything the same as for other countries. With the help of Kwfinder, Ahrefs and SemRush, we look for the main keywords, paying attention to those for which competitors are successfully ranking.

The formed core must be subtracted, this will require the support of a professional German-speaking native speaker. Any stylistic inaccuracies, mistakes, incorrect designs will play a cruel joke on your subsequent work and become anti-advertising. So treat this stage especially carefully, and then website promotion in Germany will be effective.

Backlinks

Apart from content, another significant problem that SEOs face when when it comes to website promotion in Germany is the acquisition of backlinks. To begin with, here you need to prepare for serious expenses, because the cost of one relevant link can exceed $100. At the same time, there are still such nuances:

• there are very few exchanges with German content on the entire Internet compared to English-speaking or using other European languages;
• most exchanges don’t provide preview listings, so there ‘s a high chance of blindly paying for a link and getting a low return on your investment;
• you have to agree with the onerous terms of the contract, the payment of all possible taxes and fees, etc. Here you rarely do without a tax return.

Our experience suggests that it’s cheaper, more convenient and more profitable to negotiate directly with relevant resources to place a link. You can try to go to corresponding forums or reviews.

And finally, the fact is that the Germans love to read. Quality information is a boon for loyalty and word of mouth. If you work with a native speaker or a good editor, post content on a donor site, forum, or social media, your efforts will be rewarded.

Website advertising in Germany

Regarding the launch of contextual advertising on Google in Germany, there are also some secrets that we want to share with you:

• Use a high-quality semantic core and concentrate your work on low-frequency queries. In conditions of high competition, the stakes for HF keys will be too high, so you can try to reach the target audience through indirect topics and related products;
• Don’t ignore search engine suggestions. Tips are based on the user’s query history, meaning, someone has entered them before;
• You may decide to stop displaying contextual advertising after business hours and on weekends. So you save your budget;
• Adjust bids manually. Analyze the statistics and conversion of each ad. Increase your maximum CPC for effective ads and decrease it for ineffective ones;
• Don’t rely on brand names. A well-optimized site will be shown at the top anyway, so by running ads as well, you’ll pay for a client who has already come to you;
• Track your balance. Contextual advertising services impose penalties on ads with an increased cost per click on ads.

Most importantly, work on conversion and ad relevance. This will reduce the average cost per lead, and the promotion of sites in Germany will achieve its goal. Contact our agency, then SEO-optimization of the site won’t be a problem for you.

Conclusions

For more than 10 years we have been engaged in SEO promotion of our clients ‘ websites and help businessmen from different countries and regions to take a leading position in search. Leave a request and we will be happy to provide you with qualified support in promoting your web resource in Germany.

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