International SEO is a crucial strategy that helps businesses effectively reach their target audience in foreign markets, thereby boosting conversion rates and increasing business revenue. To effectively implement this strategy, businesses need to be aware of the elements in the International SEO checklist. In this article, Thao & Co. will provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of this checklist.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization – techniques used to optimize content for search engines. Accordingly, SEO techniques will enhance the visibility and ranking of a website on search engine results pages (SERPs), similarly for apps and software in app stores.
International SEO is also a form of multilingual SEO, using different SEO techniques to improve the visibility and ranking of a website on search engines, or of apps and software in the app stores in various countries and markets worldwide.
Who can benefit from International SEO? International SEO is an effective marketing strategy for websites, applications, games, and software.
The target audiences from different countries and regions worldwide may differ in terms of language, search habits, search engine utilization, and more. International SEO plays a crucial role in enhancing the accessibility of websites, applications, and software within these groups of audiences.
Through this, businesses can actualize their goals of expanding into the international market, boosting conversion rates, and increasing revenue.
Here are some factors to consider when implementing international SEO to maximize its effectiveness.
Thorough keyword research is an essential element in the international SEO checklist.
The target audiences in different countries may have distinct characteristics, such as language, culture, search habits, etc. For successful international SEO, businesses need to pay attention to these factors.
Through researching and developing a keyword glossary, businesses can discover keywords that align with the language, cultural aspects, and search intent of their target audience, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of international SEO.
Content plays an immensely critical role in the success of an SEO campaign. Therefore, when implementing international SEO, this is an essential part that can’t be overlooked. Businesses need to ensure the approachability of their content, including the use of appropriate language, along with localization.
To guarantee the highest compatibility of content with the target audience, businesses can consider collaborating with professional translation service providers.
At Thao & Co., in addition to high-quality translation and content localization services performed by our team of experienced linguists, we also provide professional SEO Keyword Glossary services. SEO Keyword Glossary serves as a reliable reference, ensuring that SEO translation of content uses appropriate keywords and maintains a high level of consistency.
Backlink is also a crucial element in the international SEO checklist. Businesses need to build a backlink system from high-quality websites in the target market to increase their Authority Score and enhance the visibility of their website on local search engines.
Page loading speed affects a website’s traffic on search engines. The same goes for applications and software in app stores.
For instance, when the audience searches for specific content, despite their interest in the article on website A, a slow page loading speed can prompt them to depart and opt for articles on other websites. Therefore, businesses need to optimize page loading speed to maximize international SEO effectiveness and provide the best user experience.
Search engines in some countries may have certain differences; therefore, it’s not possible to implement the same SEO techniques in all markets. For example, in China, the audience often uses Baidu, while in Russia, they use Yandex.
Therefore, to effectively implement international SEO, businesses cannot overlook the research and thorough understanding of local search engines to identify the most appropriate SEO techniques.
Improving user experience is also a way to enhance the effectiveness of international SEO. Besides providing valuable content, businesses need to optimize the user experience when visitors access their website by using appropriate colors and streamlining the navigation interface.
As mentioned in the previous section, the characteristics of the target audience in different countries have significant distinctions. For example, while in China, red is the symbol of fortune, it represents danger in Western countries. Therefore, depending on the specific target audience, businesses need to use the most appropriate colors.
As a result, businesses need to conduct thorough research on the target audience in each market to make the most appropriate decisions.
When implementing international SEO, businesses need to optimize their website structure by localizing components such as:
URL – Uniform Resource Locator is the address that points to a web page or a resource. Examples of localized URLs are Thaonco.com/ko/ (South Korea) or Thaonco.com/vi/trang-chu/ (Vietnam).
TLD – Top-level domain is the part after the final dot in a domain name. Examples of common TLDs are .us (United States), .ca (Canada), .ko (South Korea).
Subdomain is the part before the first dot in a domain name. Examples of common language Subdomains are en. (English), fr. (French), es. (Spanish).
In this case, the URL and Subdomain operate independently like regular websites and share the same name as the main domain. Localizing the URL or subdomain allows businesses to localize content without incurring the additional cost of registering a new domain.
The Hreflang tag is used to help search engines identify which language of a website is being displayed based on the geographical location and language of the target audience. This helps you avoid errors like content duplication and personalize content for a specific language in a particular region.
To ensure the effectiveness of an international SEO strategy, businesses need to pay attention to the following factors:
Deeply understand the target market when aiming to expand into it. In addition to identifying the market’s potential, opportunities for growth, and revenue improvement, businesses need to consider certain factors about the characteristics of the target audience to build an effective international SEO checklist.
Important factors typically include culture and language, commonly used search engines, search habits, etc.
When a business aims to enter a new market with significant language and cultural differences, it’s crucial to find a translation agency to assist with developing a keyword glossary and ensure SEO-friendly translation.
It’s difficult for businesses to gain a deep understanding of a country in a short period; instead, they can consider collaborating with high-quality SEO translation agencies. With a team of native translators highly proficient in various industries, a professional translation agency helps businesses optimize translated content to align with local language and culture.
How can you tell if a translation agency is professional? To gauge the reliability of a translation agency and whether they are a good fit for your product, consider the following criteria:
If you are looking for a transparent translation agency, Thao & Co. can be your trusted partner on the journey of expanding into the international market.
At Thao & Co., we have assisted numerous global corporations and enterprises. Our team of native linguists, highly proficient in various industries, ensures high-quality and precise translations across industries, including medicine, technology, manufacturing, retail and e-commerce, among others.
At Thao & Co., you can discover a wide range of professional translation services tailored to your needs!
At Thao & Co., our transparent and meticulous collaboration process is designed to help you save valuable time and reduce costs. Throughout the entire project, you can conveniently track and manage your progress via our highly secure proprietary Dashboard.
So far, Thao & Co. has discussed important factors in the international SEO checklist that businesses need to ensure when implementing an SEO strategy in foreign markets. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us through our Get a Quote page for prompt support from Thao & Co.!
