Spanish is the official language in 19 countries. It is one of the most widely spoken languages and is the third most used language on the internet. For many people, the default audience is the United States. Studies show that the Hispanic population in the United States is soaring and is on course to becoming 30% of the country’s population by 2050. So how do you take advantage of this audience?

The first step is to create a website if you don’t already have one. You can access reviews on Opinion Espana to help you choose the best internet and hosting plan providers. Bluehost is one of the biggest hosting providers around.

But if you already have a website, you should be thinking of optimization for your Spanish-speaking audience. This article will look at how you can achieve that.

1.  Know Your Spanish

It is one thing to know Spanish, but it is another to understand the differences between Spanish words as you move from region to region. The Spanish word fresa, for instance, means strawberry. However, if your target audience is Argentina, you need to be more specific and use the more appropriate word, frutilla.

That way, you can maximize the audience and convert more sales. Specificity is essential in keywords. It is insufficient to just translate. Machine Translators are good tools, but they are infamous for not appreciating context.

2.  Know Your Target Audience

It is pointless to aim if you can’t see the bullseye. The gold is in the details. With adequate information, you can easily capture your target audience. Here are some sample questions you should ask to help with your decision:

i. What search engines do your target audience use?

ii. What kind of content do they consume?

iii. What kind of products do they search for?

iv. How readily do they make online purchases?

Here is an additional tip: a study has shown that Hispanic people in the United States use social media more than any other defined group. Studies also show that over 90% of Hispanic people prefer Google over other search engines.

3. Know Your SEO

Again, don’t translate everything like a robot. Your thoroughly researched English keywords will fall flat if you translate them for a Spanish audience. Instead of translation, try transcreation. This is the art of recreating an expression in another language while maintaining its flair. Otherwise, find out the specific terms your audience searches for.

You can also give yourself a boost if you lock in a local domain extension for your site. Instead of  “.com”, try “.es” for Spain. Search engines favor localized domains.

4. Keep it Consistent

If on-page elements like metadata and ALT tags are in Spanish, then try to keep off-page elements like link-building in Spanish. You will earn the trust of your audience if you speak their language. Language creates a sense of familiarity. In all, you should aim for authenticity and simplicity. The Spanish market is big, and you should not ignore it.