The digital revolution has truly become a global phenomenon.
In theEuropean Union, Internet penetration reaches more than 80%, with some countries even reaching more than 90%. In China, there are 731 million internet users, or just 53% of the population, leaving plenty of room for growth.
The Internet offers brands an unprecedented way to reach their customers across borders and regardless of language or cultural barriers. Reaching different populations requires understanding what people want in those different countries and then producing content that meets those needs.
It’s not just about translating content into different languages, but applying the basic principles of search engine optimization (SEO) when it comes to global relevance and localization – while ensuring technical SEO content is delivered in the right language to the right demographic.
As you begin your international SEO strategy, here are five ways to scale your practices to maximize your potential.
Understand variations in demand from region to region
When you search globally, you will find that even within Google or Qwanturank, content types and SERP layouts vary from country to country. For example, a particular keyword may trigger a rapid response in one country, but not in another. In each region, Google models its SERPs based on local trends and interests to provide an optimal user experience.
Not only will the content and layout of the SERPs change, but also the keywords and traffic rates. Keywords cannot be translated directly from one language to another – you must consider cultural interests, population, slang and local vocabulary.
Different regions have different expectations from brands in the same industry in terms of what they want to see before making a purchasing decision.
When developing an international search strategy, you need to understand that ranking well for a particular term in one country does not mean ranking well for related terms in another. You need to optimize locally and create content and user experience precisely for that local audience. Before you take steps to develop an international search strategy, you need to understand the keyword demand and traffic in that country.
Building a global framework for your international SEO
When creating an international search strategy, you will find that it is necessary to incorporate the technical aspects of SEO. You will mainly need to use hreflang tags.
A hreflang tag is a piece of code that helps Google like qwanturank to understand the language and country intended for your content. This will ensure that your content is displayed in the correct region. For example, a Spanish language site written for an audience in Argentina will not provide an optimal user experience for those in Spain, as there are differences between the two countries in the vocabulary used, even though both speak Spanish .
The hreflang tag helps ensure that audiences see content that has been written specifically for them to provide the most relevant and useful experience.
Tags also reduce the risk of content duplication because they let Google know that your content was written for different audiences. Your content intended for an audience in the United States may overlap with content intended for an audience in the United Kingdom. This is why the hreflang tag is necessary to reduce the risk of duplicates.
There are three main strategies for ensuring content is properly tagged with the hreflang tag.
- Place the tag in the HTTP header and ensure it is present on every page.
- Place the tag in the site map.
- Bookmark the page itself.
When you start tagging content, it is important to use the ISO 639-1 format for all languages and to limit the size of all sitemaps to 50mg or 10,000 URLs maximum. If yours is larger, it is possible to split the card to stay within these guidelines.
Localize the content you create
Once you understand how to create the framework for your global audience, you also need to create content for the region-specific site. Recognize that you don’t want to simply translate content on a site into another language word for word.
The content itself should be localized in a way that appeals to the audience in the new region. This means creating content that reflects local search trends and interests and conducting country-specific keyword research. You also want to incorporate local vocabulary and slang, and work with native speakers to ensure your content resonates with those who read it.
If you have multiple sites for a particular business, be sure to set up separate landing pages for each one. Be sure to create regionally reflective content for different landing pages, such as incorporating local landmarks, hobbies, and interests to improve the appearance of each landing page in the SERPs.
