International SEOOptimizing for Websites with Locations Across the World
Agenda
• Overview of International SEO• Choosing a Domain• Hosting• On-Page Optimization• Off-Page Optimization• Resources
Overview
International SEO aims to improve organic search visibility for websites that are targeting multiple countries.
This includes important things like:• Choosing the proper ccTLD (country code top level domain)
• Hosting• On-page and off-page optimization strategies
Overview
Choosing a Domain
Choosing a Domain
An important part of an international SEO strategy is choosing the top level domain based on your target country.
IANA - The institution that runs TLDs (Top-Level Domains) and deals with the assignment of IP addresses, ranges, ports, and related attributes.
Hosting
Hosting
Website Speed
– Your server’s proximity to your visitors affects its
speed
Local Search Engine Visibility
– Hosting your client’s site on a local IP can help
improve your visibility in that country’s search
engines.
On-Page Optimization
On-Page Optimization
• Hreflang Tag• XML Sitemap
On-Page Optimization
Hreflang tags may not help you increase traffic; instead, the goal of using them is to serve the right
content to the right users.
Hreflang Tag
*Note: Google uses the hreflang tag, while Bing uses language meta tags.
On-Page Optimization
XML Sitemap
Create a sitemap listing out the alternative versions of each web page in the languages you have available.
On-Page Optimization
Off-Page Optimization
Off-Page Optimization
Link Building
The Value of a link is based on…• Popularity• Content Quality of the Site• Anchor Text• Number of Domains Linking
Off-Page Optimization
Off-Page Optimization
Ways to Build Country-Specific Links
• Local Directories
– Add your clients’ business to directories used in the
target country
Off-Page Optimization
Ways to Build Country-Specific Links
• Links from Local News Outlets & Bloggers
– Pay attention to citations of your business from local
newspapers and anyone sharing news or comments
about your clients’ products or services.
Resources
RESOURCES
Helpful Websites:IANA www.internetassignednumbersauthority.org/MOZ – Intl Learning Content Learning > International SEOMOZ – Intl SEO Checklist Intl SEO ChecklistGoogle WMThttps://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/189077?hl=en
RESOURCESInternational SEO Thought Leaders:
Ann F. Kennedy - @annekennedy
Michael Kahn – Performics
Bill Hunt – @billhunt
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