International SEO: know your target markets

It’s not a common goal for all businesses to have their website internationalized. Likewise, it is not necessary for everyone to have a website that is accessible outside of Germany. Sometimes, it’s even more important to use local search engine optimization. This is true for the carpenter, the local shop, and so on. While some companies may be limited to their local area or region, others are open to working across borders. To improve your visibility, you can target international markets. However, you will soon notice the limits of your International link building strategy if you only apply it to all clients. Because search engine optimization differs for each country, this is why you will quickly notice that your limits are exceedingly high.

Let’s take a look at the key points to consider when trying to expand your SEO reach internationally.

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International SEO: Know your target markets

Foreign markets can be complicated. So, analyze your target market on a regular basis in order to ensure that your website is always tailored to your country. This will help you optimize your global SEO efforts.

1. Which search engine is the most popular in your country?

Google is the most popular search engine in Europe. This search engine is used in many countries, even outside Europe. However, there are exceptions to the rule. In the Czech Republic, the search engine seznam.cz competes with Google. The situation in most parts of the globe is very similar. Google is the most well-known search engine and holds the largest market share across many countries. However, there are exceptions.

Russia depends on Yandex
China’s largest market share is held by 360 Search and Baidu.
It’s interesting to know that Baidu has collaborated with Bing. All English results from the search engine are imported into Bing and not by Google.
Japan and North America use Yahoo and Bing, in addition to Google.
Google is the dominant player in most other markets, which is why it is so powerful.

2. What are the intentions, and how do they search for information in the country?

This isn’t just about the terms used by different countries for the same word. Instead, pay attention to these things:

Keyword searches for longtail, short-tail and mid-tail keywords
Refer to regional or global search results
Search intent implicit or explicit
Semantic connection.

Optimizing your website for each country you are interested in will make your international expansion much easier.

3. Which cultural or religious influences do you see?

Different religions are a reason to be cautious. Prejudice and stigmata can have a devastating effect on people all around the globe. Be familiar with the customs and practices of your target countries to help you grow internationally. First, be aware of what you display in graphics and pictures. Your approach to your target audience can vary from one country to the next. Some countries may be more comfortable with nudity than others. Some formulations can be challenging. It is not always easy to please everyone in one country, let alone different ones. It is important to discuss with native speakers what taboo subjects are and what to pay special attention to.

4. What is the buying behavior of the target population in the country?

With the help of a target-group analysis, there are many points you should pay attention to:

Are consumers more likely to shop on their computers, mobile phones, or stationery?
How high is the purchasing power of potential clients, and what is the average income?
What are the top spending habits?
What factors influence buying decisions?
What is the openness of the target group to artificial Intelligence, robots, and other technological innovations?

These points will help you to get to know your target audience. This is how you will create relevance for your service or product portfolio.

5. Which language is spoken in the country you wish to expand?

You can certainly get almost anywhere with English. However, English is not always the best method of communication. English is only the third most commonly used mother tongue. Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese are the first and second most widely spoken mother tongues. Although English is the second most spoken language in the world, around a billion people can speak it as an additional language. However, internationalization will help you to collaborate globally. You can make starting in a foreign country easier by speaking their native language.All these tasks and more are very time consuming. Also, they require quite a budget. That is why hiring an international SEO agency can save you time and money.

David Prior

David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.