Localization, Globalization - What's in a word?

I repeat the title: "Localization, Globalization - What's in a word?" Plenty, if you want people to find you on the Web.

If you're a language provider trying to get noticed among search engine results, you know that it's important to choose your words carefully. In my post Top 5 Web searches I outlined several keyword combinations people frequently use to reach this blog and our Web site. Two of the most important terms in our industry deserve some attention.

Globalization/Globalisation. Many vendors use this term, and many of us in the industry apply it to our job titles: "Globalization Consultant," or "Sr. Globalization Manager." There was a time when I used it as a keyword for Web pages, pay-per-click campaigns and even my business card.

I stopped after a while, though. "Globalization" is often associated with rioting by farmers in developing countries, and multinational companies that behave like sovereign states. Yes, I do riot and behave imperiously from time to time, but those are not the services I'm advertising, so the use of that word brought me erroneous visits from people doing research on the World Trade Organization and coffee prices.

If you qualify it with "software globalization" or "Web globalization," the search engine delivers more accurately, but it's still a prickly bit of jargon. Try telling your uncle or somebody you're cold-calling that you're in globalization; they'll think you're talking about leftist politics. The word just gets in the way.

Localization/Localisation. This term is different. As with "globalization," most uncles and persons you cold-call don't know the term; however, it's unlikely that they'll confuse it with something else, because it's unique.

Or so I thought.

I replaced occurrences of "globalization" with "localization" among my keywords and I now receive far fewer mis-visits as a result of search engine results, but I think the mis-visits will increase before long. The English word "localize" means "to fix or assign to a particular place," but it's not a very common term in English. The term is a bit muddy now (because of French), and will get muddier in the future (because of cellular telephony).

Early on, I received queries from France, Italy and Canada using "localisation" in combination with words that suggested "how to locate something" or "where somebody is right now." These people land on my site or blog by mistake; they're trying to find a device for locating merchandise in a warehouse, or want to know how to restrict malaria to a particular region. This is just a case of mistaken (keyword) identity.

With cellular communications, however, come location-based services equipped to help your favorite people (and favorite retailers, it goes without saying) "localize" you. For example:

About Krillion - Krillion is a premier provider of local shopping search information, serving today's ready-to-buy consumers who research products online for purchase from retailers in their area...The powerful combination of our patent-pending Krillion Localization Engine, localized search results covering over 10,000 products in 40,000 U.S. locations, and unique, real-time StockCheck(TM) tool enables consumers to speed their research-to-purchase process and take advantage of in-store pickup services offered by many retailers near them.
(I have no financial interest in Krillion.)

We've all dreamed of the day when businesses would begin to talk more about localization, because we could spend less time educating and more time improving the process. If the term gets muddied, however, we'll spend time explaining which "localization" we offer (language, not global position).