If you are reading this, there is a strong likelihood you are targeting or looking to target international markets. Below, we discuss five reasons international SEO is crucial for your business and vital in delivering an optimal experience for the audience you are targeting.
Competitor advantage and market penetration
Using an international SEO strategy can improve your visibility in global searches, and specifically, regions you are targeting. Improved visibility should, in turn, generate more international traffic to your website and more international contract wins for your business.
Targeting international audiences and delivering relevant experiences in your marketing can give you a real competitive advantage. If your competitors provide substandard experiences and fail to tap into international audiences, you will likely outrank them in search results. Appearing higher in search rankings will attract more international visitors and ultimately allow you to take a higher share of the potential market, thus growing your business quicker.
Increase in international sales
With communication being a key aspect in B2B purchases, describing your company in multiple languages will simplify the buying process for your international customer. Speaking to relevant buyers in context and using the correct language can enhance your sales conversion rates. A recent Can’t Read, Won’t Buy report conducted by CSA research in 2021 identified:
- 72% of customers are more likely to purchase products in their native language
- 82% are less likely to purchase goods if the information is not available in their language
No comprendo SEO
Search Engine algorithms are engineered to identify and deliver the most relevant and accessible results for each user. What does this mean for your content? To provide the most appropriate content search engines will either identify the language of a search or identify a language from the area a search is made. The likelihood is content created in the relevant native language is more likely to rank higher and engage the user.
We would also suggest using a native langue speaker when translating content or proof checking translated content.
NEVER MACHINE TRANSLATE. Translations converted using computers or phones often have inconsistencies, grammatical errors or will contain context issues. Having issues in your content can result in penalisation or a reduced ranking of your content.
Better customer experience and a more positive view of your business
It is astounding how quickly people can form a decision on your business based on their first contact with you. Your website or marketing material is enough to enable users to make such decisions. Better and more accurate information will lead to a better user experience. It is possible customers from other countries are visiting your website, but are they receiving an optimal experience?
Displaying information in the correct language is vital, but consideration should also be given to other aspects, including currency, local dial phone numbers and a lesser extent postal addresses. These things can give reassurances you are active in the relevant international market. If an Italian visits a website and sees a product pricing in £ and a UK telephone number, they may well opt to find a business closer to home.
Better efficiency
You may feel an international SEO strategy can be a costly exercise with a hefty bill depending on the number of languages or locations you are looking to target. But this shouldn’t deter you. Be specific and be selective, targeting only those markets offering the most value to you in the first instance. Tools such as Google Analytics can help, but understanding the search queries coming from other countries relevant to your products or services can also help and will give you a broader idea of the potential in relevant countries. Book a demo with us to learn more about the volume of search terms relevant to your business from European countries
The thought of conducting an international SEO strategy may be daunting and potentially costly. You don’t speak the native language in your target markets, but you still intend to follow best SEO practices by conducting market research, customer research, competitor research and keyword analysis. You also want to purchase new domains for the relevant languages and reproduce all your content in each target language.
Well, help is at hand. Marketplaces, such as Europages, Europe's leading B2B Marketplace, offer features enabling marketing and conversation with wider international audiences in different languages. You can have your content and keywords translated by native language speakers, present them in front of 4 million buyers and take advantage of the powerful optimisation Europages has built. Learn how your business can benefit from this service.
