It’s no doubt that in this digital age we live in, search engine optimization is the bone and flesh of internet marketing. It involves a wide range of tactics and strategies, but all of them are aimed at one main thing… improving a site’s visibility on search results! Well, to those who know a bit about SEO services, it’s all about improving a site’s performance or ranking in the SERPs to improve visibility and traffic to the site. This is based on the fact that when an internet user performs a search on Google, they are more likely to click on the first few results that are generated.
But assuming you know all that, you probably know that when performing SEO, you can either target a local audience or a global audience. Speaking of a global audience, this is where international SEO comes in. As anyone would think, ranking high in Google results for international search only means one thing – the competition is stiffer, so it takes more work. However, it all depends on your strategies. Is your business targeting a global audience? Here are a few expert tips you can use to improve your international strategy.
Work With the Right Digital Marketing Agency
Before we go any further, the best way to leverage SEO is to hire an experienced agency. Remember, international SEO is sometimes reliant on local SEO, to begin with. If your business is located in a highly competitive market like Singapore, you will want to choose the best digital marketing agency in that area. First, the experience provider of SEO services in Singapore will know what it takes to help your business conquer the local market. They will then develop a strategy that will help your business serve a global audience by improving its visibility and link building on international searches. The best part is that with an experienced agency, both local and international SEO can occur simultaneously or concurrently.
Determine What Already Works
Research is key, and sometimes reinforcing your strengths is the best option. Start by doing some research on the SEO strategies that are working currently, and then dig deeper to get more concrete information on how you can make it better for your business. For instance, what keywords are drawing more conversations? What is the most common language in the search?
When it comes to research, tools like Google Search Console, SEMRush, and Google Analytics are a few among the many that will help you identify top rating markets and languages. With these, you can also understand the trends and behaviors of your target global audience.
Many companies are now using the white label reporting dashboard. It is a powerful tool that allows you to create reports with analytical data of your choice and modify them to meet your needs. The dashboard also allows you to track the performance of your international campaigns and campaigns in other countries from one easy-to-use interface.
Choose a Market and Language Strategy
The language barrier has for long been a limiting factor in business, but not anymore. When it comes to SEO, focus on your strengths more, but do not forget your weaknesses. Your strongholds may require less in terms of time and investment to strategize and implement. Focus on areas where you see growth and opportunity. With technology and the whole world accessing the internet, you should not limit your business to a particular geographic area. Spread your wings.
Also, you may want to familiarize yourself with widely spoken languages like English, French, German, and Spanish. This can help create traffic on your page. Depending on the kind of business you are running, its products, and services, you can target specific countries. But then again, this means that you will have to use their native languages. If you focus on France, you will only reach French speakers and miss out on clients in other countries who may be interested in your business.
Do not limit your audience by using a specific language on your website. That will only reduce the traffic. Instead, offer an option where there is a menu for languages, so the visitor can settle for what suits them best.
Keep Your Keyword Research International
For you to improve your market, you have to know each market potential. That is the first step towards winning. Secondly, what keywords are being used to search for your products, brand, and services online? What are the market metrics, and what is your current ranking? Leading search engines like Naver, Google, Bing, Baidu, and Yandex can help you identify your pool of words. There are also many tools you can use for KW research.
For instance, SimilarWeb is a tool used to show websites with the highest jam in specific geographical areas. SEMrush supports up to 25 languages. These two are not bad engines, but they have some limitations. Instead, you can use in-country exerts. They will help you identify keywords based on local search trends. After identifying the keywords, tools like Authority Lab and Advanced Web Ranking will help you benchmark your visibility so that your competitors cannot be able to scale your business progress.
Monitor Your Content
There is stiff competition in the online business world, and for you to stay relevant, you have to be on toes. Let us take an example with the iPhone. There has been notable growth in the apple phone series, and every new launch comes with crazy features. For phone companies like Samsung and Huawei to stay relevant, they have to up their game. A client could get a Samsung phone with the same features as the iPhone 11 max but at a lower price. If you are wondering why; relevance is the answer!
Over time, keywords change, and it is essential if you updated your content regularly. When you update to the current keywords, you are likely to be in the game. Most importantly, making changes is one thing, and submitting your website for indexing is another. Indexing allows your changes to be captured and updated.
Reflect Culture in Your Design
As a business, you can’t afford to choose your clients based on factors like culture, race, and color. Instead, you can adjust your business to suit your client’s needs. That means that to get clients from different backgrounds, you should design your site accordingly and learn to diversify so you can meet their cultural needs.
When designing your website, you may want to research countries and understand their perception of different colors. That will make your website more favorable to your audiences as they scroll through without feeling offended. You may also want to format your site accordingly, use local language (where it is needed), and include a time zone for specific regions.
Clearly, a lot goes into international SEO than most people think. It especially becomes more important when your business starts to grow and expand. Hopefully, the few tips above can help bring a positive change as far as your global SEO strategy is concerned.
