Much like in the difficult market of Japan, you're going to need a lot of patience to get Germany to really work. Hopefully, these tips will gradually get you at least in front of a bridge to cross. 
For the purpose of this article, we'll look at a good German site that sells coffee beans to consumers. 
Tip 1: Focus on the Long Tail


Tip 2: Think Quality
As with any product in Germany, quality is the most important trait. Above all, Germans will seek out quality over price. 
When developing your site, focusing on price can actually hinder your ability to convince your audience that there's a level of quality around your product or service. A lower price in many cases causes questions about quality levels. 
Provide high quality imagery and quality rich descriptions as much as possible. Other items that show quality, such as quality ratings or awards, also help build this level of necessary credibility. 

Tip 3: Content Rich and Descriptive
Many English sites utilize the "less is more" theory. Sites in North America might have a clean page, a captivating headline, and a few bullets as a descriptor, and it may do reasonably well. 
However, the opposite is true in Germany. Clean looks are fine, but offering as much information and being as highly descriptive as possible will not only gain a benefit in usability, it will benefit in search optimization as well. 
Tip 4: Be German
I've never met a German who wasn't proud of who they are, where they come from, and what they have accomplished. Like the Japanese, to win them over, you need to establish trust. The only way to really establish trust with a German is to be German (or as close to being German as possible). 
Start by setting up German hosting and having a German top-level domain (TLD). It's also important to show clarity of your location and provide as many methods of contact possible in terms of phone numbers and e-mail addresses. 
Tip 5: Search has a Long Way to Go
The art of good, white hat search engine optimization (SEO) has been adopted a little slower in Germany in comparison to other countries. So on the positive side, your ability to execute campaigns by following the rules will get you long-term benefits. 
On the negative side, because a lot of black hat SEO practices are deployed over there, you may find your competitors getting pretty ruthless. The mentality is that search optimization is more manipulation than it is an art or a science. Stick to your guns, compete with them on quality and content, have a little patience, and eventually you'll find that it's one of the best markets in Europe. 
In part two next month: more in-depth insight into the German market, as well as some top strategies recommended by pro-German search specialists. Stay tuned. 
When I was little, I was diagnosed with a minor form of dyslexia and every now and then I catch myself doing something backwards. Such is the case with my German search marketing tips -- I started with the strategic in part one, covering issues such as focusing on the long tail, being content rich and descriptive in your copy, and being local. 
Had my subconscious dyslexia not kicked in, I would've started with this article, which focuses mainly on the market and general search optimization tips. 
In any case, the German market is an extremely tough market to crack. If you're just getting started in international search, you might want to start in easier countries. 
Tip 6: Knowing your German Market
German search optimizer Michael Pauls of SEOMaxx provides some interesting statistics on the German market. 
There are roughly 4 billion searches a month in Germany:
  • 37 percent of the searches are one-word queries 
  • 32 percent are two words 
  • 25 percent are three to four words 
This point justifies the fact that concentrating on long tail keywords in Germany will bring you the best results, and also illustrates that search terms continue to get more detailed and descriptive. 
Another interesting statistic is what Germans typically look for online. Some of the top search topics are: 
  • Local search and entertainment (50 percent) 
  • Society, computers, electronic (45 percent) 
  • Travel (33 percent) 
Google is the prominent search engine of choice, with about 90 percent market share. However, there are still some big portals, such as www.gmx.de and www.web.de as well as other search engines such as tOnline (powered by Google) and Yahoo. As far as social networks go, Facebook has many users in the market and is growing fast. However, the hugely popular German student-based social network StudiVZ still has Facebook beat with about 40 percent more users. 
Credit cards aren't used that much in Germany. Most prefer to use direct debit (Bankeinzugsverfahren) to avoid owing anybody anything. 
Tip 7: German Mobile
Only 5.4 percent (up from 3.4 percent in 2008) of Germans use mobile Internet and search daily, generating a measly 60 million searches yearly. 
"Mobile search is taking off everywhere," according to Andy Atkins-Krüger of WebCertain."Germany is not one of the top performers -- not even in the top 10." 
Who knows what it will take to grow the German mobile search market. Perhaps a German made and manufactured mobile device provided by the Deutsche telecom giant, T-Mobile? 
Tip 8: German SEO Tactics
German search tactics are generally the same as they are everywhere else. Try getting German hosting and a German ccTLD for best results. 
Copy must be very descriptive and being local is truly the best way to gain the German hearts and minds. These guys trust their manufactured goods and services more than they do any other country, much like Japan. 
SEO is highly competitive in many ways. One such way is link building. Although paid link practices aren't uncommon, persuading a webmaster to link from their page to yours is uncommon and very difficult. 
Germans like to own their site and even link exchanges. Interesting content may not be enough. 
Your best bet: create a site that the German users love and will likely link to by choice. The other alternative is to find relevant German directories, as well as online PR. 
Tip 9: The German Language
The language spoken and written in Germany is known as "Hochdeutsch," or "High German." You wouldn't normally search in any particular dialect, unless of course you were trying to target the Swiss Germans with your site (a practice I don't recommend). 
Keep in mind that broken compounds and misspellings are common. For example, in (Espresso Beans) "espressobohnen" could be written as a broken compound such as "espresso bohnen" or (Coffee) "kaffee" misspelled "Kaffe." 
Summary
Targeting the German market isn't easy, but it can be done. Remember that the Germans are similar to the Japanese in that they like their own products and services, they trust their own level of quality, and have more appreciation for what is local rather than what is abroad. If you can succeed in this market, you'll find it is one of the most lucrative and important European markets.

Джерело: http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2049019/top-tips-search-engine-marketing-germany-part