What is 'International' SEO?

15th Dec. 2015

Most small and medium businesses across the UK are aware of the importance of good SEO, but many are restricting their opportunities for expanding into international markets by focusing exclusively upon UK-based search terms, keywords, and British colloquialisms. By doing this, many potential audiences are being alienated  something that’s avoidable through the adoption of international SEO techniques.

Using ‘International Language’

The most simple method of incorporating international SEO is to use ‘international language’ as a way of not disuniting consumers. However, a question we need to ask is whether this technique is effective and whether it will benefit the business.

English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, which means that an English language website could reach audiences all across the world. However, mild variations in English between these countries can be a significant factor is alienating an audience. Readers from the UK, for example, may be put off by a blog talking about ‘sidewalks’, ‘diapers’, or ‘fries’, while an American audience may be deterred from reading further by mention of ‘crisps’, ‘jumpers’, or ‘loo’.

While we can overcome this through use of ‘international language’ and ‘international SEO’, what we’re doing here is simply not alienating our audience - we’re not actively engaging with them.

Optimising Local Pages for Target Audiences

Although English is a widely spoken language, consider that the first language of 73 percent of web users is a language other than English. While optimising local webpages for target audiences is a more involved process, it can produce bigger benefits through growing consumer engagement.

Incorporating international SEO should always start with research. Use analytics tools to determine which countries and languages are already providing traffic, and research other markets that you’d be interested in expanding into. It’s about researching different keyword variations - ‘pizza takeout’ in the USA, and ‘pizza takeaway’ in the UK, for example - and it’s about looking at purchasing habits of different regions. Would you market umbrellas to desert regions?

It’s not enough to simply translate an existing English webpage into a different language. To engage with consumers and potential consumers through international SEO, it’s important to optimise these pages for the local audience. Colloquialisms, where relevant, should be used, and culture, religion, views, and aesthetics (eg. local beauty standards) should always be taken into account.

Does International SEO Work?

UK-based soil preservation experts Tensar International expanded into worldwide markets by creating localised webpages optimised with keywords determined by common local search terms. The results were impressive - search engine rankings were boosted across all markets, while traffic also increased (the Russian version of the site saw a 125 percent increase in traffic, while the Polish site saw 52 percent increase).

Incorporating international SEO is all about marketing and promoting businesses to a worldwide audience, and about engaging with these audiences. Ultimately, international SEO should encourage audiences to think of a foreign brand in the same way they would a local brand.