If your goal is reaching an international audience and taking your business abroad, SEO may be a helpful and effective solution. But what should you consider to make the process maximally successful? It’s quite essential to know how it works and to prepare a solid plan. So, what should you do to make your company known worldwide? Let’s give it a look.
Thorough research and analysis
First, you need to start with an in-depth research concerning your foreign audience. Is your website visible in any foreign countries and does it get any traffic? If the answer is yes, check what keywords it’s visible on and what’s the conversion rate. You can use Geo records from Google analytics. If the organic search visibility is relatively high on some markets, you can focus on them in particular. If the number of searches is minimal, it’s a signal that the web positioning process may require more effort and time, but is still doable.
The most relevant keywords
Check if the keywords your website’s already visible on match the products and services you’re willing to offer. Then, think about other, most relevant phrases and analyze them with a professional SEO tool. It may happen that the keywords you think are valid, may be completely useless because your target audience doesn’t type them in the search engine while searching for a product you sell. A list of carefully chosen keywords is key when it comes to effective SEO strategy.
Content understood in a target language
Remember that if you want to target a certain country, you need to translate your website to the language used in this specific area. And you just have to forget about putting all of your content through Google Translate. Use a professional translation service and make sure that the keywords you’ve chosen are inserted in the text. The content should be error free and understandable for your target audience.
Focusing not only on Google
Check if the country you want to reach uses mainly Google or if it prefers other search engines. An example of the country that doesn’t prioritize Google is Russia – 56% of the market is held by Yandex. Another example is China which blocked Google under its internet censorship policy and uses Baidu in as much as 60-77%.
Local linkbuilding strategy
Linkbuilding is an essential part of every SEO strategy regardless of a country. But be aware of the fact that it may not be easy to get valuable links in foreign regions and you’ll need a person who knows both the language and the market well. It may be helpful to create some interesting content and publish it on some influential pages as well as use social media channels to make connections with local influencers. It takes time, effort and probably more money than usual, but it can be managed.
Hire an SEO agency
Yes, it all sounds a bit scary and may not be as easy as you thought. That’s why the most effective way is to hire a SEO agency that has already had some experience with the country you want to deal with.
