If you are operating an international website that deals with different cultures, languages, and countries then it is highly important to know about International SEO. This article deals with some of the best tips for international SEO which will help improve your site’s ranking in international search engines, social media sites, and other major search engines.
Search engine optimization is a very big factor for a website’s success on the internet. For an international site, search engines become extremely important as they bring recognition from outside countries. A website may have been operating successfully but if it is not recognized by major search engines of other countries then it will fall short of the expectations.
You can start your International SEO with Google or other international search engines. There are several factors to be considered for an international website, including domain name extensions, links management, link building campaigns, and many others.
Given below are some of the best international SEO tips that will help gain more traction for your website internationally.
Social Media
Make good use of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. These sites are important for any international website because they help gain recognition for your site in major search engines. Much like general SEO campaigns, international links should be used to promote the website internationally.
Importance Of Relevant Username
If you are not able to maintain an account on these social media sites for promoting your site then at least try to register the important usernames. For instance, if your website is www.youtube.com then the best usernames with good SEO value will be youtube international or international YouTubers, or something similar. You can also use social media sites like Reddit to promote your site in various subreddits around the world.
Link Building Campaigns
If you are not able to gain enough traction with your website in major search engines then you must start link-building campaigns. Begin with the most important countries and move on to other countries gradually. Always select sites with a high page rank for international SEO links, especially if you are focusing only on the US market.
Strategy For Home Country
You need to have a very robust presence in your home country’s Google SERPs. If your home country’s site is not well positioned on the Google SERPs then you won’t be able to gain much traction from other countries’ SERPs as well. So, make sure that your website has a good presence on the first page of popular search engines like Google or Yahoo.
Importance Of Using Tools
You can also use services like SEMrush or Alexa to check the ranking of your site in other countries. Make an excel sheet and track your rankings at least for the first few months. If you can rank high on searches like “your country keyword” + “international keyword(s)” then it is likely that you will be getting traffic from other countries for related international keywords.
Google Adwords
Use Google Adwords in International SEO services. This is extremely important if you are not able to get enough traction from the US search engines. International keywords perform better when using promotional services like Adwords because they provide valuable information about your site’s marketability in other countries’ search engines. You can also use a combination of organic and promotional strategies for International SEO.
Mobile Responsiveness
Optimize your website for mobile devices if you want to do well in international search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing. This is important because more than 80 percent of the total searches are done through mobile phones, so your site must work on all kinds of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets. Keep in mind that mobile optimization is different from responsive design, so make sure to choose the right website development company for this purpose.
Multi-Lingual Approach
If your website is not dubbed in various dialects of other countries then you must start dubbing it immediately. This will help you get more traction in foreign search engines where the primary language isn’t English or your language. You can also hire some freelancers on ODesk or Fiverr for dubbing your site in some of the most popular dialects around the world.
Content Translation
If you are targeting a particular country, then at least try to translate the content and major pages of your website into that country’s official language. This way, not only will you attract search engines but also will be able to get more targeted traffic. It is also a good idea to include your geographical location in your site’s description or add a link to your geographic information page if the website has such a feature.
Different Search Engines
If you want to gain some traction from other countries’ search engines then you must create an international web directory. This is one of the simplest and best approaches to increase your site’s presence in different search engines. You can use an online service like BOTW to create an international web directory for free without any hassles.
Country-Specific Media
Create country-specific videos for all popular video-sharing sites around the world including YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc. You can hire some professional video editors on ODesk or Fiverr for this purpose. These videos will help you increase your online presence especially in foreign countries where YouTube is more popular than the traditional search engines.
ccTLD
If your primary target is to enter into a certain country then try to use that country’s top-level domain (.COM.BR, the UK, IN, etc.) while registering your site’s domain name. It will help you gain some additional exposure in that country’s search engines.
Multiple Social Media Sites
Submit your website to different country-specific social media websites including Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. If you are targeting a particular country then make sure to submit your website to social media websites like Facebook and Twitter where people of that country are active.
Long-Tail Keywords
Consider using long-tail keywords while optimizing your site for international search engines. Long-tail keywords are better than generic ones because they target a particular location or region in most cases, so just consider this trick before writing the content for your web pages.
Right Hosting Service
Choose the right hosting service for your site that is currently registered in foreign countries to get exposure in those search engines. You can choose some of the most popular shared or reseller hosting services like Dreamhost, Hostgator, Bluehost, and Namecheap which allow you to register international domains under one account.
Consider Search Engines Other Than Google
You should submit your website’s sitemap to search engines including Google, Yahoo, and Bing. This will make it easier for the search bots to crawl your site. If you are using any third-party tool or software then make sure to add this feature to it.
Option For Social Shares On Website
Try adding some of the most popular international websites on your sitemap like YouTube, Wikipedia, and Twitter.
Active And Interactive Social Profiles
Make your social media profiles active and interesting because many people look for companies’ Facebook and Twitter pages to check their reputation online. So just try to keep those profiles as interesting as possible so that people can follow you without any problem.
Country-Specific Press Release
Try creating country-specific press releases and submitting them to different online press release websites such as PRLog and Even if you are not targeting a particular country for your site then it is always a good idea to create those press releases because they can help you rank your website on the first page of major search engines including Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Local Directories
If your audience lives in a specific geographic region or nearby then you should try submitting your website to local directories including Yellowpages.com, Yelp, and Superpages because these websites generally create separate categories for all nearby locations with related business details. You can also find some high PR local directories on Easy APlus.
International Search Engines
Submit your site to different international search engines including Baidu, Yandex, and Naver. There are some effective search engine submission tools and software available on the internet which can help you submit your website to different international search engines.
Link Building On Renowned Sites
Try building links from other websites that are already ranking high in foreign countries. If you do not know how to find such links then just try using free online link directories like Bondoo and Bizzuka.
SEO Plugins
Try using some of the best international SEO plugins that are available for WordPress to improve your site’s ranking on major search engines including Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Just add those plugins to your site and let them do their job.
Conclusion
In short, you should not target a particular country while performing international search engine optimization. Because that can turn into a nightmare for you. But you can still get great results by focusing on one or more of the above-mentioned tricks. According to your ease and comfort level. So just give international SEO a try. And improve your site’s ranking on major search engines including Google, Yahoo, and Bing with different strategies.
