Search engine optimization tactics have no end. You should always update your information, to stay at the top of search results.
In this article you are going to know, what is International SEO? When to use it? And how to optimize it?
What is International SEO?
It is not enough to promote your products and services only in your country. You can drive massive traffic to your website; only if you know how to create different versions of your website with different languages.
International SEO is; the process of optimizing your website, so that people from different countries can find your content, and at the same time; search engines can define which countries and languages you are targeting.
International SEO best practices
It is okay if you still own a small business to skip the International SEO. Maybe it is too early to get through it.
But if you are sure about this step, keep the good work, especially it is still recommended anyway.
To make your website go internationally; you should follow the following steps:
1- Find the countries you are already reaching:
This step will show you from where exactly you should start, and if you don’t know how to find countries you are reaching; you can apply the next steps:
- Go to Google Analytics.
- Click audience.
- A menu will drop down, choose Geo.
- Two options will appear; Language and Location. It is recommended to view both.
2- Language and content:
The question now is: why do you need to add a language option?
Well, you may own a travel agency; so you need to add language options to your website; so your website users can switch to their native language, to understand your offers.
Another example is Facebook. Facebook is offering the same product all over the world, so it has language options.
So can you display different content with every different language?
Yes; you still have the option to display different content to different countries without worrying.
Some websites are selling products like books or watches.
Not everyone can buy the product from every country. You may be able to buy the product from the USA, but it’s not available in stores in Canada.
In this case the website can show completely different content, though the language is the same.
How to set up Language and content SEO?
Here is how to set up language:
- Use Human translation; you can hire a translator into the targeted language, to make your website looks professional, and avoid machine translation like Google Translate.
- Create a sitemap; it helps the search engine find your content easily. You can also use tools like Google XML Sitemaps if you use a WordPress website.
3- URL Structures:
URL Structure is one of the most important steps. Use the code top-level domain such as: (.ca, .co.uk), or subdomains like (es.website.com). You also can use subdirectories such as: (de/ es/).
4- Keyword Research:
Keywords Research is always an important part to optimize your website, locally and internationally.
Keywords help you reach the target audience easily and drive more leads.
5- Culture:
You need to set everything to suit the culture of the target country, like currency and time zone; this will help your users get a good user experience.
