Taking your business internationally is a massive step; it’s terrifying and electrifying at once. With the big potential for new audiences, it’s time to get your website and content ready for people in multiple countries, speaking multiple languages. That’s where a digital media strategy that provides multilingual website SEO services comes in…
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What is international SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) boosts your search rankings, so when target audiences search for a service or product, your website is the first to pop up. Unlike geo-targeting (which targets based on a city or state), international SEO goes broader and finds customers by country or language.
When discovering international audiences, your multilingual SEO services specialist starts by learning:
A) Countries you’re targeting and B) Languages your new audience speaks
From there, it’s a process of researching and discovering what words and phrases they’re searching for, so you can speak their SEO language through highly tailored content.
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“Google now seeing 3.5 billion searches per day, your URL is that vital first impression.”
It started with www.
Your ccTLD (Country Code Top-Level Domain), (whether you’re .com, .com.au, .com.nz) tells the consumer where you’re located and what to expect from visiting your site. With Google now seeing 3.5 billion searches per day, your URL is that vital first impression. If you’re an international company, you’ll likely choose .com as a well-known and trusted domain. If you’re a national business, using the local domain extension lets Google know your country of origin. This increases the likelihood of you ranking in local search results.
An international SEO agency, like True, checks your URL structure and how it’s distinguished between countries and languages. Then, when consumers enter your website, we’ll ensure the language, currency and timezones show they’ve found the place to be — your business.
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What the hreflang?
Yes, we’re still speaking English. Hreflang tagging (language targeting) is the next step in delivering content to your audience in their language.
Annotations are added to your web address to specify which language you’re targeting.
For example, link rel=”alternate” href=http://truesyd.com.au/ hreflang=”en-gb” will deliver your website in British English, whereas link rel=”alternate” href=http://truesyd.com.au/ hreflang=”en-au” is made for an Australian audience. The key is the “en-gb” vs “en-au” addition to the web address. Why is this important?
Multilingual website SEO means content that’s personal, easy to read and avoids the nightmare of Google translating every other word. Your audience is more likely to engage with your page, hang around to learn more, and build trust in you— with an international SEO agency by your side — that means a higher conversion rate.
A big part of search ranking comes down to domain authority — how legit the search engine thinks you are. If you have the same blog or article in different languages, Google confuses this with duplicate content, which can impact page ranking and list you as a potential spammer. Hreflanging (our new favourite made-up term) limits the risk of being penalised for repeat content across global sights.
It's all in the wording.
You might speak English, but is that British English, Australian English, American English or another variation? Rather than speaking with an umbrella language, your multilingual SEO service considers how we speak and considers cultural dialects. Are you taking out the “trash” or the “rubbish”? Walking on the “sidewalk” or the “footpath”?
A recent study conducted by True found the following:
Tips for Multilingual website SEO success.
- Don’t use basic online translator tools. You’re better than that.
- Don’t assume language by origin. It’s a multi-cultural world out there.
- Be true to your tone of voice. It’s easy to get caught up in the translations and forget your authentic voice
- Get granular. Taking time to research your target audience’s search behaviours will help with critical exposure during global marketing.
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Your international SEO agency.
There’s literally a world of potential customers out there. With True as your international SEO agency, you’ll be hitting the top of the search ranking and ready to take on new clients near and far. Get in touch to learn more about our capabilities to help your business on a global scale.
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