International SEO Services

What Is International SEO?

Increasing organic traffic to a website from different regions and languages is the primary goal of international SEO. You can achieve international search engine rankings by using international SEO services for your website.

How does international SEO work? When does a website need to opt for international SEO services? The answers to your questions are right here.

When is it Necessary To Optimise For International SEO?

Many businesses run locally, some operate on a national level and some businesses have a global target market. The need to optimise your business website for international SEO becomes a must for business owners who target a global audience.

International SEO is obviously not for all businesses. The below questions can help you decide if your business website needs international SEO services:

• Are you targeting different geographical location-based audiences for your products or services or planning to do it in the next few months?
• Do you already have a lot of traffic and leads coming from other countries?
• Are you looking to expand globally?
• Are you hoping to match competitors marketing to a global audience?
• Do you already have a multilingual website, but you have not yet optimised it? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, international SEO can come in handy to help you achieve your goals.

International SEO Strategies

The process of creating international SEO strategies is more challenging than more traditional SEO work. Businesses or services are viewed differently in different locations so there are multiple geographical locations you need to target. 

The following are some of the most important SEO strategies in any international SEO campaigns:

• Identify your target market internationally: You need to identify the countries that you feel are good for your business. To understand whether your business has a demand in the countries you are targeting, you should conduct adequate research.
  
• Keyword research based on the target market: The next step should be to conduct thorough keyword research for individual geographical locations. For particular products or services, every country has a different thought process. As a result, it becomes even more imperative to target the right keywords according to geographical locations.
• Localisation is the first key: Every element on your website should be translated into the local language, including content, images, pop-ups, and videos. Language targeting is an essential component of international SEO. It is easier to reach individuals in different geographical locations when your website is available in multiple languages.
• Building quality backlinks internationally: Backlinks are another component of international SEO strategies. In international SEO, backlinks obtained from just one country and language will not be sufficient. You need to get backlinks from the other targeted language websites too.
• CCTLD domain: There are different options to have your website content displayed in different languages. For ranking in search engines on a global platform, it is best to create a different CCTLD domain. Suppose you have a (.com) website, and one of your target markets is the UK. Having a different domain with (.co.uk) will be the best option. There are options like creating a subdomain or subdirectory on your current domain, too. It is best to create a new CCTLD domain to have the best chance of ranking, though.
• Hreflang: This is used to signal the search engines that the current content on the website uses a particular language. To clarify, search engines don’t consider language-translated content to be duplicated. To make sure the right version of a particular country or language is displayed, this should be done carefully.

Conducting International SEO Keyword Research

Conducting keyword research for international SEO is a key task in the process, but it is quite a different task altogether. In addition to language barriers, there are cultural differences as well.

The keyword research for international SEO differs from the keyword research for regular SEO. 

• The first step is to identify the relevant keywords. Some keywords may have different search volumes in different countries. Before deciding on the relevant keywords, look for the search volume in that particular geographical area, look for the keyword difficulty level and also the search intent, whether you are targeting informational or transactional keywords.
  
• Translating the keywords is the next step in international SEO keyword research. After identifying the relevant keywords, these need to be translated into local languages. This can be accomplished by using a translation tool or manually if there are lesser keywords. Make sure to review the translated keywords, as incorrect translations could turn out to be a blunder otherwise.
• The third step is to localise the keywords that have been translated. It is important to note that some terms are used differently in different countries. For instance, in the UK it is the ‘Property Sector’ and in the US it is ‘Real Estate Market’. You don’t want to target a keyword that is not used in a particular country. Localising those keywords becomes necessary.
• Checking the localised keywords is the last step. The search volume is what determines whether they are popular. It is better to choose a keyword similar to that but with a higher search volume in the country where you are targeting.

How To Implement an International SEO Strategy

Implementing an international SEO strategy is the next step after developing one. The correct implementation is essential to the success of the strategy.

Following the steps above, begin researching international SEO keywords once the target market has been identified. After you have finalised the keyword list, begin creating content around them.

To cater to different languages and countries, localise the website’s images, videos, and content.

Metadata should be updated with appropriate target keywords. Start building quality backlinks from quality websites from CCTLD domains of the countries that you are targeting.

Finally, implement the hreflang tag. Hreflang attributes provide signals to Google that a particular page is using a particular language.

What Is Hreflang Tag And Why Is It Important?

Hreflang tags are used to mark pages with similar content, which are targeted to different language audiences.

Hreflang attributes are important for websites that use the same content in different languages. In this way, search engines can show specific language content when a country-specific search query is made. 

Below is an example of the hreflang code:

<link rel=”alternate” href=”http://abcxyz.com” hreflang=”en-us” />

International SEO Checklist

Before you decide to opt for international SEO services, here is a checklist to help you decide:

• Does your business have products or services to offer globally?
• Are your competitors targeting international markets?
• Do you have an e-commerce website that offers products that are relatable to the international market?
• Do you already have leads coming from different countries organically? (Provided these are in great numbers)

If you wish to grow your business one step further and have decided to go into international markets for your products and services, International SEO is the only way to move forward.

Developing A Perfect International SEO Strategy With Reposition!

If your website needs international SEO services after reviewing the checklist above, Reposition can assist you in developing a winning strategy. For professional help with international SEO, contact Reposition today.