Entering a new territory is tough, let alone an unfamiliar one. The same goes for businesses looking to set foot in a foreign market. As such, international search engine optimization (SEO) is your golden ticket to reaching a global audience.
It’s no secret that SEO can be incredibly rewarding. Do it right, and you’ll catapult your website to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), banking a steady stream of organic traffic.
But despite its lucrative benefits, not many businesses invest in SEO internet marketing services. So, in this blog, we’ll help you learn more about international SEO, including:
• What Is International SEO?
• International SEO vs. Local SEO
• Determining Which Search Engine Optimization Approach Is for You
• Why Invest in International SEO
• International SEO Strategy: How To Reach a Global Audience
• International SEO Best Practices
• A Little About ‘Hreflang’
So first, what is international SEO, and how does it differ from local SEO?
What Is International SEO?
International SEO, sometimes referred to as global SEO, focuses on optimizing your website for different countries and languages, which can be done by creating localized versions of your website, translating your content and targeting the right keywords. If you want to reach a global audience through organic search, you must have a solid international SEO strategy in place.
International SEO vs. Local SEO
Unlike global SEO, local SEO is the process of optimizing a website or brand for search results in a single geographic area. Such an approach to SEO is essential for companies that want to make themselves known and attract customers in their locale.
Meanwhile, international or global SEO calls for global localization strategies, such as language targeting of multiple regions. Some of the search engine optimization factors that differentiate these two are the following:
• Target audience
• Keywords
• Content
• Backlinks (link building services)
Determining Which Search Engine Optimization Approach Is for You
If you’re still unsure which approach to SEO is right for you, ask yourself questions an international SEO consultant would ask, such as:
Who am I trying to reach? If you are trying to reach people all over the world, then international targeting is the way to go. However, if you are only interested in targeting people in a specific geographic area, go for local SEO instead.
What am I hoping to achieve? International SEO may be a good option if you are hoping to increase brand awareness or generate leads from other regions. But local SEO is the better option if you want to attract customers to your physical location.
Where is my website traffic mostly coming from? Suppose you see a substantial portion of your website traffic coming from outside your home country. In that case, international SEO content writing services will enable you to convert more of them.
What are my competitors doing? If your competitors are optimizing their websites for international SEO, then you may need to do the same to stay competitive.
Considering the need for international SEO services in language targeting, keep in mind that international targeting can be more expensive than local SEO.
Why Invest in International SEO
But despite being more costly, implementing global localization strategies is a surefire way for your brand to set foot in a new market.
Here are more benefits of international SEO services:
Increased website traffic. By optimizing your website for international markets, you can attract more visitors from different countries. Increased traffic means leads and sales.
Improved brand reputation. When your website ranks for relevant keywords internationally, it contributes to your brand reputation. Credibility can make it more likely that people will do business with you.
Lowered marketing costs in the long run. While international SEO services are expensive, you’ll eventually reap the reward of saving more on marketing costs. Consistency and patience are fundamental.
Managed competition. The competition for keywords in international markets is often lower than in the United States or other major markets. So you have a better chance of ranking in search results.
International SEO Strategy: How To Reach a Global Audience
Here’s a strategy many international SEO consultants swear by on how to reach a global audience:
1. Choose Your Target Countries
Not all countries are created equal when it comes to SEO. Some countries have a larger online population, while others have a higher search volume for your target keywords. This is where international targeting comes into play. It is important to choose your target countries carefully so that you can focus your efforts on those that are most likely to generate results.
2. Localize Your Website
This means translating your content into the languages of your target countries and adjusting your website’s design and content to appeal to local audiences. You should also use hreflang tags to help search engines understand which language version of your website is targeted for each country.
3. Use Relevant Keywords
Keywords are everything in SEO. When optimizing your website for international SEO, it is essential to use keywords relevant to your target countries. You can use keyword research tools to help you identify the right keywords or employ an SEO content writing services expert.
4. Build Backlinks From Websites in Your Target Countries
Backlinks are one of the most important factors for ranking in search engines. By building backlinks from websites in your target countries, you can improve your chances of ranking high in search results for those countries. To guarantee your pitches yield results, consider partnering with a link building services expert.
5. Track Your Results
It is important to track your results so that you can see what is working and what is not. You can use Google Analytics to track your website traffic and see where your traffic is coming from.
International SEO Best Practices
To help you further, here are a few more tips (some are just reiterations of what we mentioned above):
Create separate websites or subdomains for each language. Doing so gives you more control over the localization of your content and makes it easier for search engines to index your website.
Use local currency and date formats on your website. This will make your website more user-friendly for visitors from different countries.
Optimize your website for mobile devices. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to search the web, so it’s important to ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices.
Use a ‘hreflang’ tag. The ‘hreflang’ attribute tells search engines which language and geographic version of a webpage to show users. It is one of the most popular international SEO best practices. Let’s briefly go over it.
A Little About ‘Hreflang’
Hreflang is an HTML attribute that indicates a webpage’s language and geographical targeting. This helps search engines serve users the most relevant page version based on their location and language preferences.
Hreflang tags are used in the <head> section of a webpage, and they have the following format:
<link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”x” href=”https://www.example.com/en-us/” />
The ‘hreflang’ attribute takes two values: the language and region codes. The language code is a two-letter code that identifies the language of the page, such as en for English or fr for French. The region code is a two-letter code that identifies the region where the page is targeted, such as ‘us’ for the United States or ‘ca’ for Canada.
For example, the ‘hreflang’ tag above indicates that the page is available in English and is targeted to the United States.
If you have multiple versions of a page in different languages, you should use ‘hreflang’ tags to tell search engines which version to show users. This element of language targeting improves your website’s ranking in search results for different languages and regions.
Thrive’s Global Localization Strategies Experts: Attract High-Intent International Traffic
International SEO is not for everyone, but it is highly lucrative for those who can benefit from it. Worthwhile as it is, businesses would do best if they partner with SEO internet marketing services experts to guarantee results.
Thrive is here to help you develop a results-driven international SEO strategy for your business. We also specialize in search engine marketing (SEM) to drive results you want with paid ads.
Talk to one of Thrive’s international SEO consultants — reach a global audience!
