SEO in Australia. E-Commerce in the Country of Aussies

Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world. It’s also one of the seven continents and an island at the same time. It’s definitely a highly developed and multicultural place. Thus, the requirements of society are also at a high level. Thanks to it, you can get the information about what kind of consumers Australians are, what they expect in everyday life or what they demand when it comes to products they purchase and the items they search for on the Internet. Let’s begin with some basic statistics. According to data from 2017, Australia is inhabited by 24,641,662 people occupying an area of over 7,741,220 square kilometers so it’s quite densely populated. However, for us the most important and interesting data concern Internet users. Australia can proudly announce that as many as 92% of its inhabitants are active Internet users, whereas in the USA the number is only 78%. Starting from the most important issue - although English is the official language of Australia, the situation isn’t so obvious and simple as there exists a separate variety called Australian English. It consists mainly of British English but there are also some loanwords from American English or various Aboriginal languages. This is a decisive factor when it comes to SEO activities because by knowing some of the Australian words or coinages you can easily show off while selecting appropriate keywords which are the basis of successful SEO.

SEO vs. Australian English

Before matching keywords to particular pages, it’s worth to familiarize yourself with the most common words in Australia. The most famous ones whose etymology dates back to the Aboriginal Times are kangaroo or boomerang. You should realize that despite the fact that Australian English strongly relies on the British variety of the Shakespearean language, numerous American words can also be found there. Instances of such words include: tap instead of faucet or truck instead of lorry. Spelling exceptions, meaning program instead of programme, harbor instead of harbour or Australian Labor, not Labour, Party are also important.

Pay attention to diminutives

Diminutives are another meaningful factor and Australians simply love them. The most popular ones are: arvo (afternoon), bizzo (business), doco (documentary), evo (evening), journo (journalist), servo (service station/gas station), Aussie (Australian), barbie (barbeque), bikkie (biscuit), brekkie (breakfast), chokkie (chocolate), Chrissie (Christmas), exy (expensive), kindie (kindergarten), lippy (lipstick), oldies (parents), possie (position), prezzie (present), sunnies (sunglasses), vedgie (vegetable), nana (banana) and roo (kangaroo). Now it’s time for a few typical Australian words which aren’t used in other varieties of English, yet may be vital when it comes to SEO for online stores:

• barrack (for sb) – cheer;
• daks – trousers, pants;
• dinkum – genuine, true;
• lolly – sweet, candy;
• Oz – Australia;
• snag – sausage.

To a huge extent SEO is based on content and content, in turn, can be published on social media, blogs or the websites. You’ve to remember to work regularly and create valuable content preferably every day or if it’s impossible at least 3-4 times a week. Don’t forget to optimize your website for the set keywords well in advance. Prices are another decisive factor. How much does SEO cost in Australia? Well, this is simply a combination of IT and marketing, therefore many IT companies offer basic SEO services. The monthly subscription will cost as much as $99. However, remember that these are only basics. In order to achieve much better results, it’s necessary to invest more and expand your SEO activities. Then the prices can reach even $250-400, moreover, the effectiveness of the campaign will be greater if you link it to Google Ads. SEO is a long-term process in every country and its effects are visible only after a few months. Australia isn’t an exception here. Therefore, you shouldn’t be disheartened if your business doesn’t start making money hand over fist right after implementing an SEO campaign.

Australian e-commerce

Aussies are very fond of their local products and companies. They proudly emphasize it and eagerly use the services and goods manufactured by other Australians. On the other end of the spectrum, they like new and innovative products and that’s where foreign companies can enter the market and show their potential. Australians are rather a conscious and eco-friendly society caring for the environment and willing to purchase organic, healthy products.

What do Australians buy online?

Now it’s time to analyze the online sales in order to be able to better understand the expectations of the Australian customers. Below you can see the chart presenting the number of people buying online in the previous years. As you’ve probably noticed, the number of Internet purchases increases year by year. [caption id="attachment_7116" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Source: https://www.asendia.nl/application/files/3215/1688/2350/Australia_Ecommerce_Country_Report_2017_light_002.pdf[/caption] It should be noted that product categories such as fashion and media are becoming more and more popular - this is a huge opportunity for new and aspiring business owners. [caption id="attachment_7117" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Source: https://www.asendia.nl/application/files/3215/1688/2350/Australia_Ecommerce_Country_Report_2017_light_002.pdf[/caption] When taking into consideration website construction and its optimization it’s very important to analyze which devices are most frequently used to finalize the purchase. In 2017, sales via laptops were at the top of the ranking, desktop computers were second and mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets were the third most commonly used medium for finalizing online transactions. [caption id="attachment_7118" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Source: https://www.asendia.nl/application/files/3215/1688/2350/Australia_Ecommerce_Country_Report_2017_light_002.pdf[/caption] When you finally decide to introduce your shop to the Australian market, try to find out what influences purchasing decisions. According to research, free delivery is the most appealing asset for Aussies. Remember about it to attract many customers. [caption id="attachment_7119" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Source: https://www.asendia.nl/application/files/3215/1688/2350/Australia_Ecommerce_Country_Report_2017_light_002.pdf[/caption]

What else matters in Australian SEO?

In Australia there is no room for unfair SEO activities. Catalogues, particularly the local ones are used very frequently. Interestingly, the section with “recommended links” can be found on almost every website in Oz and this is where you can exchange links with other websites. Due to the fact that the Australian market is rather small, creating links doesn’t have to be wholesale and very dynamic in order to be effective. In the country of kangaroos the great emphasis is put on content marketing. Of course, social media dominate in this category and as you can see from the statistics in the chart below, the most popular social media platforms are: [caption id="attachment_7120" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Source: https://www.asendia.nl/application/files/3215/1688/2350/Australia_Ecommerce_Country_Report_2017_light_002.pdf[/caption] Our next source draws attention to the current changes, it’s mainly about the increasing popularity of Pinterest. [caption id="attachment_7121" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Source: http://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/australia[/caption] Time zones are a key issue that should be taken into account when creating and publishing your content. We can distinguish three time zones in Australia: Australian Eastern Standard Time, Australian Central Standard Time and Australian Western Standard Time. However, there’s no need to worry - detailed information concerning every time zone in Australia can be found on the Internet, for example here: Australia - current local time.

The Australian market

Australia is a country with a huge territory. This in turn means that the distances between cities are rather considerable and road trains, lorries that can tow up to 12 trailers, are very useful in transporting goods on the island. On the other hand, you should also take into account that although Australia is a separate continent, it’s located relatively closely to other mainlands. Consequently, transferring products to and from the island is somewhat more complicated and can be more time-consuming. Bear it in mind while thinking about entering the Australian market. Obviously, before introducing your products to Aussies, you should thoroughly analyze your decision in terms of the demand for the product itself or the possibilities of reaching potential customers. Be aware of the fact that the local market is entirely different from the market in your homeland and Australian customers may search for products in a slightly distinct way. Recommendations are crucial in Australia and you can witness it while reading catalogues of very wealthy and well-developed regional companies, where potential customers can find opinions about a given business, product or service. Australians put great emphasis on the honesty of their trading partners so when trying to sell your goods on the local market, remember about the significance of the recommendations. Australian customs and fiscal regulations also vary from those in other countries so don’t ignore this aspect as it may cause you a lot of trouble. The next step concerns your website. Avoid duplicate content when trying to extend your site with a new language version and run international SEO services. This is a perfect example where hreflang tags come in handy and of course you can read more about them in our article: Foreign Market Entry Success. On the other hand, if you decide to create a new website strictly for the Australian market, you won’t be able to buy a .au domain unless you apply for Australian Business Number (ABN) issued by the local government.