Internationalization is becoming the focus for many B2B companies. Which criteria apply to international SEO strategies?
Internationalization is becoming the focus for many B2B companies. Which criteria apply to international SEO strategies? The internationalization of their own web presence is becoming increasingly important for many companies in the B2B sector. In particular, companies that are already relatively successful in their own country are increasingly focusing on other international markets. This also increases the importance of international search engine optimization - “International SEO” for short. Because: If a company wants to set up its website internationally, it has to be found in the relevant search engines. The first step, both in national and international search engine optimization, is to develop a strategy. This is particularly important in an international context, as it extends over the entire SEO process.
The analysis for the right domain strategy
The choice of the domain strategy is one of the central strategic decisions in the context of the international SEO strategy. A basic distinction is made between 3 types of domain strategy. Hybrid domain strategies are often necessary, depending on the company structures, the registered domains and the responsibilities in the respective countries.
Top-level domains:
Country-specific top-level domains, so-called “ccTLDs” (country code top-level domains), are geographically oriented in contrast to generic top-level domains. A “ccTLD” can look like this, for example: www.domain.ch or www.domain.de. The so-called “IDN ccTLDs” (internationalized country-code top-level domain) is an extension and can consist of different characters.
Subdomain:
In addition to language variants, information pages or city pages can also be marked with the subdomain. For example: de.domain.com or fr.domain.com.
Language directory:
A language directory after the top-level domain indicates the country and language of a website in the URL. For example: www.domain.com/de. The URL of a website from Germany in French could look like this: www.domain.com/de-fr.
The market shares of the search engine and user behavior
In addition to deciding on a strategy, there is another fundamental component of international SEO: the search engine. Which search engine is used most frequently in which country and which features does this search engine have? In international SEO, the strategy is always designed in relation to the respective individual search engine. In the B2B area, the search engine can be of great importance for gaining new customers. The visibility of company websites can be increased in a targeted manner via search engine ranking.
The country-specific content
A detailed analysis should also take place before the content is created, for example using a keyword analysis. The content should always be individually tailored to the target group, the market and the product in the respective country. In particular, the user behavior within the keyword analysis can provide an initial clue about a country. There are decisive country-specific differences in user behavior.
For example, people in Japan primarily search for products by brand, with other countries prioritizing their search on product price. Therefore, the cooperation between the SEO department and the editor is important in order to be able to control the content creation process efficiently and in a targeted manner. When creating the content, it should also be semantically optimized for the country and not just translated. Particular attention should be paid to individual dialects and the focus on keywords when creating the content. For example, the flight attendant is called “flight attendant” in the UK and the term “steward” is used in the US.
The communication and branding strategy
For a targeted communication and branding strategy, it is first important to analyze the target group in the respective country. Working out so-called personas helps to identify the individual requirements of the respective country. In addition, cultural requirements in certain countries must be taken into account. The design, the currency and the payment method as well as the color and image concept for the website can be different for each country. While a pig is also seen as a lucky charm in Germany, for example, it can have a negative meaning in another country (e.g. in Turkey).
The design and the user experience
A bright red or a simple pastel shade? A company website should also be adapted to a country in terms of design. While strong and bright colors are popular in China, Germans prefer a simple design with inconspicuous colors. The user experience on an international level is also country-specific. This is particularly evident from the click rates in the search results.
Various factors are fundamental to a successful international SEO strategy. The domain strategy, the quality and SEO focus of the content and the technical requirements must be taken into account. In addition, the complexity of international search engine optimization always depends on the number of markets and countries.
The objectives of the international SEO strategy should therefore always be defined on a country-specific basis. An important key to the success of national and international search engine optimization remains unchanged: a high implementation speed through lean processes is essential. This requires know-how in the company and a high level of experience and technical competence from all those involved in the process.
Contact Details
Company : Delante
Emial: [email protected]
Delante Media sp. z o.o. sp.k. Retoryka 1 31-108 Cracow Poland
Source: Story.KISSPR.com
Release ID: 16247