A successful international SEO strategy requires a deep knowledge of your company’s commercial strategy as well as technical SEO knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and excellent data skills. Yet the industry often regards international SEO as just your hreflang setup. In this article, We will distill the complexities of international SEO success into an actionable step-by-step list that will take you from a beginner to an advanced practitioner.
Companies can grow by expanding their products and services, focusing on gaining market penetration, or expanding into new markets. Understanding the underlying goals, whether it is maximizing shareholder value, sustainable growth, or high growth goals, is essential for informing your SEO decisions. What’s best practice for SEO isn’t always what’s best for business. Adapt your strategy to your company’s growth model.
Market prioritization can happen using multiple metrics such as average order value, market size, and market similarity. For example, American companies often prioritize English-speaking countries, followed by large European and Latin American markets. Conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) for each potential market to ensure you invest in areas that align with your company’s strengths and market demand.
When doing international SEO, choose from four possible URL structures:
– Country-code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD): Targets different countries but may dilute site authority (example.co.uk, example.de).
– Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) With Subdirectories: Aggregates authority across domains, is cheaper to maintain, and widely recognizable (example.com/uk/, example.com/de/).
– gTLD With Subdomains: Clear signal to users but may dilute link equity (uk.example.com, de.example.com).
– gTLD With Parameters: Generally advisable to avoid due to technical SEO challenges (example.com?lang=de).
Hreflang tags indicate to search engines the language and geographical targeting of web pages. Ensure that hreflang tags are constructed accurately from existing fields in your CMS or content database to avoid broken implementation. Proper usage involves:
– Include domain and protocol in the URL.
– Use ISO 639-1 language codes for language targeting (e.g., “en” for English, “fr” for French).
– Ensure hreflang tags are reciprocal, pointing back to each corresponding page.
– Regularly audit your hreflang setup to consistently correct and update any errors.
Implement hreflang through your sitemap, HTTP header, or HTML head. Follow best practices:
– Include domain and protocol in the URL.
– Use ISO 639-1 language codes.
– Ensure hreflang tags are reciprocal.
– Regularly audit your hreflang setup.
Focus on translating high-converting topics rather than any topic. Cluster your website’s content by topic and measure performance using SEO tools like Google Analytics. Choose the best-performing topics for translation based on conversion data. For instance, if a product page or blog post has demonstrated success in driving traffic and sales, prioritize these for translation.
Adapt your US content for other English-speaking markets to avoid duplicate content issues. Instruct your translation providers to adapt spellings, local expressions, and update cited statistics with local equivalents. Localization involves not just language translation but also cultural references, idioms, and imagery that resonate with the specific audience.
Create content tailored to the specific needs of priority markets. Work with local linguists to identify market-specific pain points and needs. For instance, a car manufacturer might highlight unique driving regulations or popular local features in different markets. Collaborate with in-country experts to ensure content relevance and accuracy.
Establish processes with other content-producing teams within your organization to handle new, updated, or deleted content. Ensure that changes are synchronized across all international sites to avoid technical issues. Use project management tools and clear communication channels to align content efforts globally.
To succeed in international SEO, businesses must go beyond hreflang setup and develop a strategy that aligns with their commercial goals, technical SEO knowledge, and content localization. Prioritizing markets based on business potential, choosing the right URL structure, and ensuring accurate hreflang implementation are critical first steps. Additionally, translating high-performing content and creating in-market content tailored to local audiences help boost relevance and engagement. By integrating international SEO into your broader marketing efforts, you can increase visibility in target markets, drive traffic, and support global growth goals effectively.
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