Time for a campaign
We take one of the most popular celebrations in Germany as an example: carnival! There is potential on the German translations Karneval, Fasching, Fasnacht and Fastnacht:
| Searches Feb '19 | Searches / Ads reach | |
|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 119.880 | 0,60% |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 23.200 | 0,49% |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 2.820 | 0,15% |
| Bayern | 63.900 | 0,36% |
| Austria | 305.290 | 3,75% |
| Switzerland | 308.100 | 4,68% |
But if you look a little deeper, it gets more complicated. Because different translations are preferred in different federal states (Bundesländer). Below is the number of searches per translation in percentages.
| Karneval | Fasching | Fasnacht | Fastnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 92% | 6% | 1% | 2% |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 43% | 28% | 6% | 23% |
| Bayern | 15% | 77% | 3% | 5% |
| Austria | 1% | 99% | 0% | 0% |
| Switzerland | 1% | 1% | 98% | 1% |
- Bold: the highest % of searches by state/country (horizontal)
- Underlined: the highest % of searches per translation (vertical)
Even more difference in keywords
If you want to run a profitable campaign, you must take into account localization and not miss out on search volume. You cannot avoid taking into account the differences in translation per state and country. Carnival is no exception, just look at the following examples:
Search term: sandwich
| Brötchen | Rundstuck | Schrippe | Semmel | Weckerl | Weggli | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 6600 | 40 | 590 | 1000 | 20 | 20 |
| Hamburg | 880 | 70 | 140 | 170 | 10 | 10 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 390 | 10 | 50 | 50 | 10 | 10 |
| Berlin | 1300 | 30 | 720 | 390 | 10 | 10 |
| Bavaria | 2400 | 30 | 480 | 1900 | 70 | 20 |
| Austria | 1900 | 10 | 390 | 2400 | 590 | 20 |
| Switzerland | 880 | 10 | 110 | 390 | 10 | 880 |
- Bold: the highest number of searches per state/country (horizontal)
- Underlined: the highest number of searches per translation (vertical)
Search term: bag
| Sack | Beutel | Tüte | Stanitzl | Stackerl | Säckel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 1300 | 1000 | 1000 | 40 | 30 | 40 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 90 | 90 | 70 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Brandenburg | 140 | 170 | 110 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 720 | 590 | 590 | 30 | 20 | 90 |
| Bavaria | 880 | 720 | 590 | 90 | 30 | 70 |
| Austria | 480 | 590 | 390 | 1000 | 590 | 70 |
| Switzerland | 480 | 390 | 260 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
- Bold: the highest number of searches per state/country (horizontal)
- Underlined: the highest number of searches per translation (vertical)
But why is the translation Säckel used most often in Baden-Württemberg, but hardly at all in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? That's a difference between northern and southern Germany. Why Sack is most often searched for in Nordrhein-Westfalen but Beutel in Brandenburg is a difference between East and West Germany.
Why so much difference in keywords?
To answer this question we go back to a time well before keywords existed at all. Germany has a rich history in which the makeup of the country has changed tremendously over the years.
It began before 1648: Switzerland
Before Swiss independence was accepted by European states, Swiss cities were an important part of German culture. Thus, standard German (Hochdeutsch) is the official written language in most of the country. The spoken language is Swiss German (Schwyzerdütsch) dialects. Besides language, traditions also overlap between Switzerland and southern Germany. In southern German Baden-Württemberg and northern Swiss Basel, they celebrate carnival with the Schwäbisch-Alemannische Fastnacht.
Between 1648 and 1871: northern and southern Germany
The differences between northern and southern Germany originated in the 19th century. Prussia was seen as the most important state in the north; Austria, Bavaria, Baden and Württemberg were most important in the south. In 1866, the German War broke out, fought between Empire of Austria and Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia won and, with allies, founded the North German Confederation. Austria and the southern German states were excluded.
The North and South only found each other again in the battle against France in 1870. After this victory, the German Empire was born. Meanwhile, the differences between North and South Germany have faded. You encounter them mainly in language (Oberdeutsch versus Mittel- and NiederDeutsch).
Between 1648 and 1871: northern and southern Germany
Between 1648 and 1871, Austria had a great deal of influence on German culture. Although this changed after the German War, the relationship between the two countries remained important. During WWI, Germany and then Austria-Hungary were allies. In 1938, Austria joined Germany and Ostmark became a province of the Third Reich. Austria as we know it today came about in 1945.
The language in Austria is almost the same as German, but Austrian dialects are also spoken. Austria's influence is seen mainly in the southern German states such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Between 1949 and 1990: West and East Germany
Federal Republic of Germany after World War II consisted of West Germany(BRD) and East Germany(GDR), separated by the Berlin Wall from 1961. Democracy prevailed in the BRD. The GDR was communist because of the liberation of the East by the Soviet Union in 1945.
The fall of the Wall in 1989 brought an end to the division. The districts that made up the GDR were dissolved and added to Germany as 5 "neue bundesländer." In 1990, the country was unified into the Germany of today. Yet you can still see the effects of separate life in the economy, politics and religion.
For example, there was freedom of religion in the GDR, but the church was watched by the Stasi. Being a church member was not conducive to your career. That is why the majority of the population in the "neue bundesländer" is still atheist today. The rest of the country is mostly Catholic or Protestant. This explains the lower number of searches on the word Gottesdienst (religion) in East Germany, as you can see below.
| Search brief Feb '18 - Mar '19 | Search Ads range | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | West | 2900 | 0,015% |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | West | 720 | 0,015% |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | East | 140 | 0,008% |
| Brandenburg | East | 210 | 0,007% |
| Baden-Württemberg | West | 2400 | 0,020% |
| Bayern | West | 2900 | 0,016% |
Get in touch
Do you want to run campaigns in Germany on the right German keywords? Our native German SEA marketers are happy to think along with you! Together, we'll get to work targeting the right keywords.
