Question: What is the best way to optimize search marketing for international markets?

Answer: As the evolution of the Internet continues, b-to-b marketers are reaching a crossroads in determining what tactics have worked in the past to attract traffic to their sites versus what approaches will work in the future. According to Internet World Stats, two-thirds of global Internet users are non-English speakers. This growing volume of search activity means that marketing opportunities will continue to evolve on both regional and global levels.

So how can b-to-b marketers capitalize on this trend? Is the answer as simple as translating all Web pages to the targeted country's language?

Translation is one component of optimizing for international markets, but it's in no way the end-all answer. A word-for-word translation of a Web site is ambiguous. Instead, Web sites should be translated according to concepts. A simple translation does not take into account cultures, customs and preferences specific to various countries. Additionally, a simple translation loses targeted keywords. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Doing your homework can help event planning for international attendees go more smoothly

As globalization makes the world smaller, more U.S. companies find themselves creating b-to-b events for an international audience. Whether marketing at home or abroad, building an event for a crowd from abroad requires special attention to detail.

Taking an event abroad can be expensive and it is nearly impossible to plan for all the eventual pitfalls. However, doing some legwork in advance can curtail unexpected costs and issues.

"Anytime you're going overseas you have to be aware that things are going to be different," said Carol Krugman, director-client services at experience marketing company George P. Johnson. "You would be amazed at people who believe everywhere in the world everything is the way it is at home. Those are the people that run into tremendous trouble. You have different languages, customs, business practices, different hours of operation, electrical currencies, video standards, even dial tones on telephones. Be aware that everywhere you are going to be working, you must educate yourself." Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

This year's "EE Times Salary Survey," answered by almost 1,600 respondents, reveals that the median salary for EEs in the United States has increased slightly, to $108,800, from last year's $104,300. That compares with European respondents' median of just over $61,000, and that of Japanese engineers, coming in at $65,400. American engineers, with annual compensation nearly 40 percent higher than their closest competitors, have reason to be satisfied with their current lot monetarily, but they have reservations about foreign competition. In the first installment of "The State of the Engineer," back in August, we explored these very immigration issues affecting foreign engineers in the United States.

Here, Part II discusses how salary disparities, competition and globalization weigh on the engineer's mind. It also includes an "online exclusive" that explores further, more intricate aspects of the immigration issue. Read the complete article on EE Times online.