In fundamental terms, international SEO is a complex topic that leaves many brands perplexed. This is despite the fact that it has a relatively simple premise, as it describes any organic search and SEO campaign that is targeted outside of a brand’s native language or country of origin.
It is, therefore, crucial to break down the basic elements of SEO and strive to understand these in detail, before building campaigns that have the optimal chance of success.
So, what are the key elements to international SEO, and how can they help you to drive your venture forward?
Define International SEO And The User Experience
We have already touched on a basic definition for international SEO, but it is important to translate and optimize this for the benefit of your own, unique business. After all, you can utilize skilled service providers such as the Web Marketing Group to handle complexities like translation, optimization as well as website infrastructure, leaving you to determine how international SEO can shape the experience of your global consumers.
[pullquote]It is important to note that not all English-speaking nations are created equal, meaning that there are various cultural and social differences that can refine consumer expectations and the way in which they interact with brands.[/pullquote] As a result of this, it is important to focus your attention as a brand on localized SEO within an international marketplace, as this ensures that you achieve the best possible results while a partner manages the technical and infrastructure elements.
This is similar to the approach that you would adopt when marketing to domestic consumers, as you leverage local SEO to optimize the impact of your proposition in specific regions.
Optimize Your Content For Global Search Engines
When optimizing a domestic website for SEO purposes, you can focus your efforts almost entirely on complying with Google’s algorithms. This is not the case with international SEO, however, as countries across the globe have their own dominant search engines that your site will need to be optimized for if you are to achieve your goals.
These include resources such as Yandex and Baidu, which are the single most popular search engines in Russia and China respectively.
So, not only must you identify the search engines that are synonymous with specific countries and regions, but you must also tailor a strategy to suit each one. There are variable criteria that will impact on your international strategy, for example, some of which exist due to the fact that these search engines have less advanced algorithms.
Understand Language And Dialect Barriers Before Determining Keywords
The deployment of keywords and keyword phrases is an integral part of SEO, whether you market your business at home or abroad. The difference with international SEO is that you must pay attention to potential language barriers and dialect complexities before building out precise keywords, as otherwise, your campaign may fail before it has even begun.
This means outsourcing the translation and optimization of language and keywords to a specialist service provider, rather than using a generic and occasionally inaccurate tool such as Google Translate.
Whether you use a commercial service or hire a native speaker to aid this process is dependent on you (and your budget, of course), so long as they have specialist knowledge of the nation and the dialects that are spoken within various regions.
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