The 5 Best Practices for International Search Engine Optimization (SEO)


International SEO - It is not easy to master international SEO. Here are five tips to help you set up your website for global success.

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Here is a guide to help you choose the best SEO course in Surat based on the recommendations below.

Best Practices in International SEO

It is not easy to master international SEO. Here are five tips to help you set up your website for global success.

1. Let Users Choose the Website Version

Google recommends explicitly that you do not use IP address analysis when serving users the localized version. It's because IP address analysis is not a reliable method to identify your users.

Moreover, these automatic redirects can prevent the crawler bot from indexing page variations correctly. Google crawls pages using U.S.-based IP addresses, so it may not be able to access content that is targeted to other regions.

Instead of redirecting the user, suggest that they change to another version of a page based on where their location is detected. To make it easier to access and find, place the language and region menu in the header.

2. Avoid Common Hreflang Attribute Mistakes

You should always use hreflang in the following ways:

  • Use absolute URLs for alternate links in the href attribute (e.g., https://website.com/fr instead of //website.com.fr or /fr).
  • Each localized page should include a list of all the languages with the hreflang tag (otherwise the tags won't be seen).
  • If you have more than one language page with a geographical focus (e.g. fr-fr, for French-speaking users in France, and fr-be, for French-speaking users in Belgium), add a catchall link to the language.
  • For unmatched languages, use hreflang="x-default" in the hreflang to define a fallback value.

3. Use a Content Delivery Network

You must make sure that your pages load quickly for your new audience segment, as page loading speed is part of Core Web vitals. If your website is located in the U.S., but you plan to launch it in Germany, the data will take longer to reach a German user than if the server was in the U.S.

You can host your localized version of your website separately from the main version if you select a ccTLD. You can host it on a German server (but will have to pay extra hosting fees).

Alternatively, you can leverage a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN provider has many servers located in different locations that host your website. The CDN will identify the closest server to the user and direct the request there. Your pages will load quickly for users around the globe.

4. Localize Everything

The first step is to translate and adapt the on-page text. Localization is important.

  • Metadata;
  • Currency (if applicable);
  • Images including image text, metadata, and other information;
  • Time zone mentions;
  • Please provide your phone number (if applicable);
  • Please include your address (if applicable)

If you don't pay attention to these components, it may confuse your visitors (if the time zone is incorrect). If you have unexpected text in another language, it could give the impression that the owner of the website didn't bother to localize everything.

Google's algorithms may be confused by such differences, as it determines the language of the page on its own.

5. Avoid Internal Link Mistakes

Check your internal links in a particular language or region of the site. Are all the links leading to the correct version of the pages?

Users in Mexico could land on a U.S.-only page by clicking on a link from your Mexican version. This link may confuse Google's crawler robot, resulting in a poor user experience.

What if Your Website Doesn't Have That Many Links?

You'll have to create more content that is localized. While you wait, don't launch this version of the website: its lack of internal linking is an indication that it's still not ready.

The Key Takeaways

To reach a global audience, you must first analyze each target market, and then repeat all of the steps that are common in search engine optimization, such as competitor analysis, keyword mapping, and content marketing.

Are you concerned about missing anything? Check out this international SEO checklist. 

  • Identify the target area(s);
  • Select your targeting approach (language targeting/geotargeting/hybrid);
  • Keyword research and mapping is a good idea.
  • Select the correct domain structure when creating new pages.
  • Create the hreflang statement in the Each page
  • Localize existing content;
  • Create links to your new market.

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