The power of user intent: can NMT really fool Google’s SEO algorithms?

Locaria’s International SEO team have weighed in on this latest update.

There are several reasons Google’s algorithm won’t be hugely affected by this. Though it’s true that it’s possible to rank with auto-translated content, the competition would have to be quite low. Equally, if content is a major part of a website, translated duplicate content won’t necessarily be an effective way of keeping people’s attention. If the bounce rate increases as a result, then that’s a sign the site doesn’t provide enough quality content or information to hold the interest of its users.

This is without going into the fact that NMT duplicated content is also totally unsustainable, since there are so many variables when it comes to Google rankings. Even well-established websites can use low-quality content and still rank well.

Local competitors drafting web content in their local language will still produce better quality content that resonates more effectively with both search engines and customers, so international brands need quality local content in order to compete with in-market competitors even if other international brands are resorting to automated solutions.

SEOs often don’t know what users actually want when they search. Therefore, when optimising for certain keywords with high search volumes, be sure to think about user intent, too. In reality, user intent is what truly drives SEO strategy and campaigns, more so than keyword research. Unfortunately, it is none too often forgotten in favour of keyword rankings, leads, or sales. All this despite its importance extending to affect further metrics such as bounce, clickthrough rate, and web traffic.

Google’s ability to recognise user intent via search will no doubt continue to improve, as well as its ability to rank pages that deliver the most relevant content for its users.

Whilst the way Google’s ranking algorithm actually works remains an elusive mystery, most speculations come from experience. What we do know is that pinpointing the intention behind a search is the key to unlocking not only more tailored and unique keyword suggestions, but also better content that provides better value to users in the long-run. Quality is something that can’t be faked, and a human touch is often what sets a good translation apart from a great one.

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