Although search engine optimization (SEO) has received considerable attention from internet marketers, it has yet to make any significant impact on the practice and theory of translation. This is all the more remarkable given the increasing importance of web localization, and the rising profile of web translation in general among theorists, trainers and practitioners. Proceeding from Holz-Mänttäri's influential functional model of translational action and the refinement proposed by Risku and Freihoff, this paper examines the impact of machine translation and translation memory technologies on human translation, exploring the related though very specific challenges that SEO presents for web translators. It proposes adapting the classic model of translational action to integrate search engines in the non-human agent role of analyzer. Presenting examples of SEO procedures applied to translation, it considers the practical implications of SEO for web translators.
