International SEO Best Practices 2021

The main purpose of international SEO is to tell search engines what geographical areas you want to target when particular search queries are typed. A number of methods can be used to do that.

Top-level country domains and language parameters are the two main ways to put your international SEO to work. How different optimization methods can be used to leverage international SEO?

This article explains some latest methods of search engine optimization for targeting specific international markets. Continue reading if you want to take your SEO to a global level.

 

Why Invest In International SEO

Some websites only host visitors from a specific geographic area whereas some websites have traffic from various countries. You should make use of international SEO if your website hosts visitors from different other countries. Targeting different languages and cultures through search engine optimization will boost your brand’s recognition and sales.

This concept may seem strange to you but global businesses have been using it to increase their traffic or sales. You can check it when you browse the websites of multinational organizations. One of the main reasons behind targeting this way is to give your visitors a personalized experience. International targeting is similar to geotargeting.

It is worth discussing some methods of local search engine optimization. You can use some local SEO techniques as well to rank higher in search engines for specific keywords. Let’s have a look at some effective best practices for international SEO.

 

Best Practices For International SEO

There are many ways to do international search engine optimization. THE website URL structure is the main player in this regard. Language targeting is another important factor.

For a detailed account, you can read a detailed article on this topic. Some of the most useful methods have been discussed below:

URL Structures For International Sites

With the right URL structure, you can obtain various local and international targeting results. If you have an international website, you must have a good URL structure. ccTLD is an important concept that can help you win better search engine rankings. This concept will help you with regards to Google search engine rankings. You can also have a country-specific subdomain that does win specific people.

Target A Language In Your Website Pages

Nothing is more important in international targeting than language. Different geographical locations tend to have a different language and you can use that language to give your visitor a personalized experience. You can write website pages in a language your target area people speak. For example, you can create content in Arabic when targeting Middle-Eastern people.

Localize Your Content To Target Specific Language/Culture

Language and culture are the two important determinants of a society. There is a concept known as ‘localization’. It refers to personalizing written content for specific language terminologies and cultural traits. You can have the attention of your target audience if you manage to touch important points of their native language and culture, they associate themselves.

Other Local SEO Signals To Take Care For Better International Targeting

There are different other techniques that can also help with regard to your international targeting. Here are four more signs that give green signals to search engines for international visibility:

  • Local IP: Host your website on a local IP.
  • Local Content: Creating and publishing local content.
  • Local Link Building: Effective link building from local resources.
  • Local Search Engine Rankings: Try to rank on local search engines, for example, Yandex (in Russia and more countries) and Baidu (in China).

 

Last Word About International Targeting

You have read how international search engine optimization methods can be used to get higher rankings in different countries.

In the end, we can say that businesses should use the above-mentioned methods to grow the outreach of their products and services.

Think about using a ‘ccTLD’ if you are targeting a specific country. A ‘ccTLD’ probably is not the best choice if you are focusing on language targeting only.

If you want to increase the offer of your products, services, or content to other nations, you can use international SEO.

I wish you have learned a lot after reading my post. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you want to share your thoughts about this post.

I wish you all the best with your international targeting and business growth goals.