SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of improving the ranking of a website on search engines. The higher the ranking, the more likely people are to find it.
SEO is essential for all websites, but it is significant for international websites because you often compete with larger websites from other countries.
5 Important considerations before you start optimizing for international markets
International websites need to do a few specific things to optimize their SEO.
First, you must ensure that your website is in the correct language for your target market. It will be difficult for potential customers to find them if it is not.
Second, you must ensure that their website is hosted in the correct country. This step is essential because search engines will prefer websites hosted in the same region as the searcher.
Third, you need to use the correct keyword research tools. Several keyword research tools are available, but not all of them work well for international websites. The best ones are Google AdWords Keyword Planner and SEMrush.
Fourth, you must create high-quality content relevant to your target market. This content should be keyword rich and informative. You should also update it regularly to let your audience expect new content now and then.
Fifth, you need to build links from other websites. The links should be from, or to, websites that are relevant to your target market.
By following these strategies, international websites can improve their SEO and rank higher on search engines. This will help them to reach more potential customers and increase their sales.
Options for structuring international websites for SEO
There are a few different options for structuring international websites for SEO.
The first option is to have one website for each country. This option is the most common and usually the easiest to set up. However, it can be challenging to maintain and expensive if you have to pay for hosting in each country.
The second option is to have only one website for all the countries you target. This option can be cheaper and easier to maintain but more challenging to set up.
The third option is to have a separate website for each language you target. This option can be more expensive, but it can be easier to set up and maintain.
The fourth option is to have a website in one language and then use translation services to translate it into the other languages you are targeting. This option can be cheaper than having a separate website for each language, but it can be more challenging to set up and maintain.
Which option you choose will depend on your budget, your resources, and your target market.
How to do keyword research for international SEO
When you’re expanding your reach to different countries, it’s essential to do keyword research that will target these new markets. Here are a few tips:
1. Utilize keyword research tools – There are many great tools out there that can help you with your international keyword research. Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Wordtracker are two popular options.
2. Consider different language variations – When you’re targeting new markets, consider different language variations. For instance, if you’re targeting the Spanish market, you’ll want to research keywords in both Spanish and English.
3. Focus on local keywords – In addition to general keywords, be sure to focus on keywords specific to the country or region you’re targeting. For instance, if you’re targeting the French market, you’ll want to research French-specific keywords.
4. Use negative keywords – When doing international keyword research, be sure to use negative keywords as well. This will help you filter out any irrelevant results.
5. Monitor your progress – Once you’ve implemented your international keyword research, monitor your progress and make changes as needed. You can track your rankings in different countries and traffic and conversions. This will help you ensure you get the most out of your efforts.
Following these tips ensures that you’re doing the proper keyword research for your international SEO efforts. Doing so will help you reach your target markets and achieve success.
Technical signals for international SEO
When optimizing a website for international search, there are vital technical considerations to keep in mind. Here are some of the most important:
1. Use hreflang tags
The hreflang tag is an HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page to show users based on their language and location.
For example, if someone in France searches for a term in French, Google will serve them the French version of that page. But if someone in Germany searches for the same word, you’ll see the German version of the page.
The hreflang tag looks like this:
The “x” in the tag is replaced with the ISO 639-1 code for the language of the page. For example, “fr” for French or “de” for German.
You can use the hreflang tag to specify multiple language versions of a single page. Google recommends using it whenever you have duplicate content in different languages on your site.
Set your preferred domain
When optimizing a website for international search, you’ll need to set a preferred domain in Google Search Console.
A preferred domain is the version of your website that you want Google to index and rank in search results. For example, if you have a website with a “www” and non-www version, you’ll need to specify which one you prefer.
To set a preferred domain:
1. Go to https://search.google.com/search-console.
2. Click the website you want to set a preferred domain for.
3. Click the gear icon in the right-hand corner and select Site Settings from the drop-down menu.
4. In the Preferred domain section, select the domain you want to use as your preferred domain.
5. Click Save.
Use country-specific top-level domains.
If you’re targeting multiple countries with your website, you can use country-specific top-level domains (ccTLDs).
A ccTLD is a domain that’s specific to a particular country. For example, “.uk” for the United Kingdom or “.de” for Germany.
Using a ccTLD can be an excellent way to show search engines that your website is relevant to users in a specific country. It can also help you rank higher in search results for that country.
Geo-targeting for international SEO
When you have a website meant to reach an international audience, one of the most important things you can do is ensure that your site is appropriately geo-targeted.
Geo-targeting means ensuring your site appears in search results in the countries you want to reach. Here are a few tips for doing this:
1. Use ccTLDs or subdirectories to target specific countries
2. Optimize your site for the local search engines in each country
3. Translate your site into the local language
4. Use local hosting
5. Promote your site in local directories and through social media
6. Monitor your international traffic with Google Analytics
By following these tips, you can ensure that your site is appropriately geo-targeted and reaching the audience you want.
Local listings optimization (also known as local SEO)
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to attract more business from relevant local searches.
Local SEO is achieved through a variety of techniques, including adding your business information and location to a local directory and review sites, creating geo-targeted content, and building citations.
Local SEO is an integral part of any digital marketing strategy for businesses with a physical location.
While local SEO is similar to (and sometimes overlaps with) traditional SEO, there are a few key differences. The most obvious difference is that local SEO is focused on optimizing local searches, whereas traditional SEO is focused on ranking for more general, non-localized keywords.
Another key difference is that local SEO is typically more reliant on citation building, which is creating listings for your business on local directories and review sites.
If you have an international website that targets multiple countries or regions, you need to take a slightly different approach to SEO.
Like local SEO, international SEO involves adding your business information and location to a directory or review site. The main difference is that you must be careful only to use directories and review sites relevant to the countries or regions you’re targeting.
Another difference is that you need to be aware of the popular search engines in different countries or regions.
Google is the most popular search engine worldwide, but other search engines are more prevalent in certain countries or regions, such as Yandex in Russia and Baidu in China.
International link building
International link building is also crucial for international SEO. When you build links from other websites to yours, it’s essential to make sure those links come from websites relevant to the countries or regions you’re targeting.
For example, if you have a website that targets the United States, you would want most of your links to come from websites in the United States. The same is true for other countries or regions.
The exception to this rule is if you have a website that targets multiple countries or regions. In that case, you would want to build links from websites based on all the countries or regions you’re targeting.
Final Thoughts
International SEO is a complex topic, but it’s essential to understand the basics if you want your website to reach an international audience. Some of what we learned are below:
1. Use ccTLDs or subdirectories to target specific countries
2. Optimize your site for the local search engines in each country
3. Translate your site into the local language
4. Use local hosting
5. Promote your site in local directories and through social media
6. Monitor your international traffic with Google Analytics
Following the tips in this article, you can ensure that your website is adequately optimized for international search engines and directories.
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