Common International SEO Mistakes You Should Be Aware Of
Having any old International digital marketing agency is not enough these days. With so many agencies on the market, and more of them claiming to be the best, it’s natural to see that you’re not getting the results you need.
Avoid this, with our list of common International SEO pitfalls to keep an eye out for.
- They Think the US Runs the World
To be truly international, you need to consider things other than America and do market research into which regions are a good fit for your business and its specific goals. you might find this is just America and Canada for now, and that’s less work, but it may be nuanced English-speaking countries such as Australia or New Zealand and this takes a little more work still, or it could be Japan and Germany, which takes a lot more work and time to complete successfully.
- They Only Target Google
Companies with US or Westernised campaigns are often used to dealing with just Google, but there are other search engines out there in the market. For example, in China Baidu is the leader. In Russia it’s Yandex, in South Korea it’s Naver. If you want to tap into these markets, the local search engine is what you should be aiming towards.
- Using The Wrong Keywords
When you try to tap into a market you need to research keywords all over again, you cannot simply translate existing keywords. This is because people use language differently in each region of the world, so you should adhere to this to be found in their local search engine searches.
- Translating All the Content
Automated translation doesn’t work with International SEO, it doesn’t read naturally and will not bring in an audience. Instead, hire a local translator from the region and make sure they include local slang and nuances. It’s more work upfront but worth it!
If you don’t do this, your content may even be flagged by Google as duplicate content and will likely go unread by locals who have other, well-catered content they can read instead.
- Not Thinking About Local Legalities
When cutting corners, one thing that is ignored is local laws and regulations that exist for the creation of websites, marketing materials, and products and services launched in the country. If your marketing agency isn’t aware of this and you try to sell an American cream in Australia, for example, and it comes out that an ingredient is harmful to local wildlife, you may get a fine or jail time.
- Not Investing In Local Content
When it comes to both website content and blog posts, guest posts, and social media, you should invest in local content writers. You may not need to add them to your in-house team, but having someone on hand for when you need them can be the difference between the locals from that region connecting to the content, or just skimming over it and going for something written by a local, who they will feel more connected to.
This is especially vital if you expect to use link building as part of your SEO, as you are trying to increase your visibility, tapping into the local market with local writers is non-negotiable (if you want your link campaign to succeed).
If you want to ditch your underwhelming SEO provider and choose someone who gives you all the details including a step-by-step SEO guide, you should choose Perfect Link Building and their expert-led International SEO
Also Read: Does ACT Tutoring Actually Help? Yes!