Rashida
As we know, search engine optimization is all about positioning your website to show up for the relevant search terms. If you don’t know, don’t worry! We have plenty of great resources to learn more about SEO and how it works.
By optimizing your website for search engine algorithms, you can help position yourself in front of your target audience. That’s a big reason why over 60% of B2B marketers say that SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other marketing effort.
But which type of SEO do you need?
To answer this question, let’s dive into two key forms of SEO: international vs. national.
What Is National SEO?
National SEO is ideal for businesses that sell all over one country. For example, a clothing retail store that sells online to customers in the U.S. will benefit from national SEO.
Essentially, the goal of national SEO is to get your website to show up in the search results for users all throughout the country. This is important because users typically don’t look past the third search result they come across.
So, if you haven’t optimized your content for national SEO, you could be missing out on significant business. You want shoppers on the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest to all see your store when they search for relevant information.
You wouldn’t want to accidentally limit your business to local SEO searches for a certain city when your goal is to get customers throughout the country.
To gain a national presence, it helps to acquire backlinks from national-level blogs/websites. Incorporate these throughout your website for best results.
In addition, instead of relying on location-based keywords, you would focus on broader keywords.
For example, a Milwaukee-based boutique store may be targeting things like “summer dresses in Milwaukee” or “boutique clothing in Milwaukee.” On the other hand, an online boutique that sells nationally would focus more on just “women’s summer dresses” or “boutique clothing.”
This applies equally to digital products as well. Because they don’t require the shipping of physical goods, online services and products are prime examples of companies that would benefit from a national SEO strategy.
Also, while both keywords are important, you’ll want to find ways of incorporating your broader terms into your web page descriptions, meta descriptions, blogs, and social media content. This will boost your content and aid in discoverability across multiple platforms.
It’s important to note that if you don’t have the SEO and keyword research skills you need, there are services that can help. We’ll touch on this in more detail at the end of this article, but there are experts who can help take your content to the next level.
What Is International SEO?
While national SEO optimizes your site for searches in one country, international SEO is about getting your website to rank in all of the countries and languages you want to target.
As you may guess, businesses that sell globally (or in multiple countries) need to focus on an international SEO strategy. If your online clothing store sells in 10 different countries, then you don’t only want to focus on showing up for searches from American users.
At first, international SEO can seem like a very complicated concept. In reality, it’s just a variation of something you may already know.
At its core, international SEO is a form of geotargeting. However, rather than attract traffic from a certain city or state, you are optimizing it to attract different visitors from different countries.
Signs You Need An International SEO Strategy
How do you know if international SEO is for you? Here are a few key signs:
1. A good portion of website traffic comes from a different country than where you’re located
You can determine this by looking at your website analytics regularly and noting any specific geographical trends.
2. Many visitors speak different languages
If you notice an uptick in translated text in your messages or on your social media posts, you may be reaching a more international audience.
3. You sell your product/services in multiple countries
This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you sell products or services to other countries, you need an international SEO strategy. If you aren’t optimizing your SEO to reach all of your targeted markets in other countries, you are missing out on some serious sales.
Also, sometimes you may be looking to target a certain country. Other times, a certain language. Or you may be targeting both.
For example, if you sell merchandise with sayings in English on it, then the audience in the U.K. is just as important as the one in the U.S. or in Canada. In this case, you would target those who speak “English,” not necessarily a certain country. Other times, you may only want to target the countries you ship to, with language not being important.
There’s no one rule that applies to everyone since each business is different. The most important thing is that you’re paying attention to trends and the data that shows you exactly where your business is coming from.
Keep this in mind as you’re launching new products and services as well. You’ll want to utilize your SEO keyword-researching skills and promote your business with all the right pieces in place.
International SEO Tips
Here are some helpful tips for implementing a strong international SEO strategy:
- Do keyword research for your international SEO plan. Focus on long-tail keywords.
- Consider the different meanings of words in different locations. “Football schedule” in the U.S. means something completely different than “football schedule” in the U.K.
- Leverage language targeting. Consider language targeting based on your goal. Use the “hreflang” tag for site development to indicate the languages on your site. Keep language elements consistent. So, if you direct someone to a Spanish page, it should be all in Spanish.
- Do not automatically direct based on location. You may have English-speaking customers living in other countries. Suggest a language page so users can choose the best language for them.
- Work with a fluent speaker to develop different language pages. Avoid translation software as it is not accurate. The mistakes will be evident to a native speaker.
- Use the popper URL structure for international pages. Create separate pages for international markets. You can then use country code top-level domains, subdomains, or subdirectories to incorporate them into your website.
- Ensure your content/design is culturally relevant and appropriate for your audience. Include the local currency and time zone. You may also need to alter design elements based on different cultures.
- Optimize pages based on strategies from different search engines. People in some other countries may primarily use different search engines (like Baidu in China). Optimize the pages relevant to that audience for their primary search engine.
- Monitor international search trends. Consumer (and search engine) preferences are always changing. Keep an eye out for emerging topics and copywriting trends in your different markets.
SEO Copywriting Services
Quality content is still a crucial part of an international SEO strategy. Well-written, optimized content will help you nail the latest trends in copywriting and increase the efficacy of your strategy.
However, writing compelling copy is also one of the toughest parts of any SEO strategy. Even if you are comfortable with writing, it still takes significant time away from the other core elements of your business. That’s why hiring the best SEO copywriting services is so beneficial.
Content Cucumber is one such company, and we are here to help you get quality content for all of your business needs, including SEO.
When you partner with us, you get a dedicated editor and writer to craft your content. Our team is trained in SEO best practices, and we also follow any guidance that you provide. That partnership is what makes our monthly subscription service so impactful — we’re here for what you need.
Whether you’re looking for copywriting or a full SEO strategy, we have the solution for you. So, let us take care of the writing so you can focus on technical SEO, off-page SEO, and other key business operations.
Our team is dedicated to helping you see results with quality written content. Learn more about our SEO copywriting services and how we can help you. Want to see for yourself? For more information book a demo today!
