International SEO

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 1!

The Ultimate Guide to International SEO

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 2!

WHAT’S'INSIDE'1.1.'''Why'you'need'International'SEO'

1.2.'''Identifying'your'International'SEO'opportunities'

1.3.'''Establishing'an'SEO'friendly'Website'!

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 3!

1.1. Why&you&need&International&SEO&

Although'you'might'already'be'implementing'a'successful'SEO'strategy'to'improve'your'website’s'organic'search'ranking,'traffic'and'conversions,'you'could'be'missing'new' business' opportunities' by' only' targeting' your' own' country,' or,' if' you' have'multilingual'sites,'only'doing'SEO'for'the'local'version.''''

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Not'only'do'73.2%'of' Internet'users'speak' languages'other' than'English1'but'also,'according'to'the'latest'eMarketer’s'forecast2'“in$2014,$for$the$first$time,$consumers$in$ Asia6Pacific$ will$ spend$ more$ on$ ecommerce$ purchases$ than$ those$ in$ North$America.”$Countries'in'the'AsiaLPacific'region'along'with'Argentina,'Mexico,'Brazil,'Russia,'and'Italy'among'others'will'be'driving'ecommerce'sales'growth'worldwide.''

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To' expand' your' business' and' compete' in' the' global' market,' you' will' need' to'translate' your' website' into' different' languages' and' then' optimize' these' other'versions'for'relevant'organic'search'visibility,'traffic'and'conversions.''

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But' which' international' market' should' you' prioritize?' What’s' the' specific'opportunity' in'your' industry' for' international'search'markets?'What’s' the' level'of'search'competition,'and'what'does'local'consumer'behavior'look'like?'How'do'you'optimize' your' website' to' rank' for' other' languages' in' other' countries’' search'results?''

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In' this' guide' you’ll' learn' the' fundamentals' for' developing' your' own' international'SEO'process.''

1.2. Identifying&your&International&SEO&

opportunities&

A'key'part'of'the'International'SEO'process'is'the'initial'analysis,'as'it'will'drive'the'rest' of' your' tactics' by' allowing' you' to' identify' your' current' international' organic'search'status'as'well'as'the'potential'of'the'international'markets'into'which'you’d'like'to'expand.'''

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm 2 http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Global-B2C-Ecommerce-Sales-Hit-15-Trillion-This-Year-Driven-by-Growth-Emerging-Markets/1010575!

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 4!

As' you' work' through' this' first' section,' don’t' forget' that' the' main' criteria' for'identifying' your' international' reach' are' not' your' own' location' and' language'but'those'of'your'target'audience.''

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1.2.1. &Analyze&your&current&organic&web&traffic&&&search&visibility&Before'anything'else,'you'need'to' identify'and'analyze'your'current' international'traffic' by' answering' the' question:'Which' countries' and' languages' have' brought'more'and'better'organic'search'visibility,'traffic'and'conversions'in'the'last'year?''

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You'can'find'this'information'by'going'to'the'Audience&>&Geo&>&Location'report'in'Google' Analytics' (or' any' other' analytics' tool)' and' apply' the' organic' traffic'segment.'

Then' you' can' drill' down' into' your' languages' report,' in' order' to' identify' which'languages'have'been'bringing'not'only'the'highest'volume'of'traffic,'but'also'the'highest'quality'traffic,'with'the'greatest'number'of'conversions.'''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 5!

Once'you'have'identified'your'top'countries'and'languages,'you'can'analyze'their'traffic'volume'and'quality,' looking'closely'at'their'behavior'and'trends'over'time.'Are'you'seeing'an'increase'or'decrease'in'searches?'Which'content'attracted'these'international'users'and'which'products'did'they'buy?''

If' you' select' additional' dimensions' in' your' report,' such' as' “Landing' Pages,”''you' can' further' analyze' how' well' your' content' is' performing' by' country' and'language''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 6!

After' identifying' your' top' referring' countries' and' languages,' as' well' as' their'trends'over'time,'you'can'use'Google'Webmaster'Tools'to'discover'which'queries'your' international'audience'has'been'using'to'search'for'your'services,'products'or'content.''

With'this' information'in'hand,'you’ll'have'a'better'understanding'of'your'current'international'organic'search'activity.'If'these'numbers'are'still'very'low,'remember'that' they’re' only' your' starting' point' –' you' can' use' this' data' to' prioritize' the'markets' in' which' you’re' already' performing' well' and' develop' a' plan' to' reach'newer'markets'down'the'road.''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 7!

1.2.2. Research&your&potential&International&search&markets&

Once'you'have'determined'your'website’s'current'international'search'status,'it’s'time' to' identify'and'prioritize' the'most' important' international'markets' for'your'business.''

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Use' keywords' tools' like' Google' AdWords' Keyword' Planner,' Semrush' and'keywordtool.io,' which' are'multilingual' and'multiLcountry,' to' identify' the' search'terms'used'by'your'audiences'across' the'globe.'These'tools'can'also'tell'you'the'number' of' times' keywords' are' searched,' so' you' can' verify' the' potential' search'traffic'you'could'attract'by'ranking'in'these'countries.''

With' the' Semrush' Organic' Search' Competitors' Report,' you’ll' also' be' able' to'identify' your' competitors' –' those' websites' already' ranking' for' your' relevant'keywords'–'for'each'of'your'international'markets.'''Although' these' tools' will' help' you' identify' ideas' for' how' to' best' optimize' for'search,'it’s'critical'that'you'are'using'the'right'translation'solution'so'you'correctly'

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 8!

take' into' consideration' the' right' topics,' terms' and' phrases' from' each' specific'country'and'language.'''Besides' the' relevant' keywords' and' search' volume' of' each' international'market,'you' should' also' identify' their' seasonality' with' Google' Trends.' Although' two'countries'might' speak' the' same' language,' their' audience' behavior' and'markets'might'be'very'different.''

'Next'you'can'use'the'Moz'Keyword'Difficulty'Tool'to'verify'your'keywords’'level'of'difficulty,' depending' on' the' authority' and' optimization' of' the' websites' already'ranking'for'them.''

With'all'the'information'you'will'have'gathered'after'following'the'steps'laid'out'in'Part'1'of' this'document,'you’ll'be'able' to'create'a'prioritized' list'of' international'markets'to'consider'for'your'business'expansion.'''Now' what?' Should' you' just' enable' new' languages' on' your' current' website' or'create'brand'new'websites'targeting'each'individual'country'on'your'list?''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 9!

Ideally,' you' should' geoLtarget' each' country,'which'will' allow' you' to' localize' not'just' your' content' but' also' the' overall' user' experience' in' a'much'more' granular'way.'The'English' in' the'U.S..' for'example,' 'differs' from'the'English'spoken' in'the'U.K.'or'Australia,' just'as' the'Spanish' spoken' in'Spain'differs' from' that' spoken' in'various'Latin'American'countries.'While'there'are'feasible'and'costLeffective'ways'to'do'this'right'from'the'start,'for'some'companies'it'might'not'be'so'critical.''

'So,'ask'yourself:'Is'location'a'factor'in'your'business'and'web'operations?'For'news'websites,'webLbased'software'services,'or' technology'blogs,' the'country' location'of'their'users'might'not'be'as'critical'as'for'an'ecommerce'site'or'retailer.'''If'location'is'an'important'factor,'is'there'enough'potential'traffic'to'target'each'of'the' relevant' countries?' To' answer' this' question' you' can' use' the' previously'identified'keyword'search'volume'for'each'of'your'top'country'markets.''

1.3. Establishing&an&SEO&friendly&Website&&

Once' you' have' identified'whether' you’re' going' to' target' languages' or' countries'and'which'you'will'focus'on,'the'next'step'is'to'establish'an'optimized,'crawlable'website' structure' for' each' one' of' them,' allowing' search' engines' and' users' to'effectively'find'your'internationally'optimized'content.''

1.3.1. Selecting the best international website structure Depending' on' whether' you’re' targeting' languages' or' countries,' you’ll' have'different'options'for'enabling'your'international'website'versions:'''

• Language&Targeting&

From' a' web' structure' perspective,' there' are' two' ways' to' organize' and'configure' each' website' language' version' to' target' the' right' language'audience:''

'o Language'targeting'with'subdirectories'

'Enable' the' main' language' in' the' domain' root' and' each' additional'language'as'a'subdirectory.'For'example:''

'! English:'www.yourbrand.com''! Spanish:'www.yourbrand.com/es/'! German:'www.yourbrand.com/de/'! French:'www.yourbrand.com/fr/'

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 10!

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This' is' the' most' commonly' used' option,' because' it’s' easier' for' each'language'version'situated'in'the'subdirectories'to'inherit'the'popularity'of'the'root'domain.'''The'Atlassian'site'is'language'targeting'by'using'subdirectories.''

Using' subdirectories' might' not' be' ideal' if' a' high' volume' of' pages' are'going' to' be' published' and' will' need' to' be' indexed.' In' that' case,'subdomains'are'a'better'alternative.'''''

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o Language'targeting'with'subdomains''

Enable' the' main' language' in' the' www' subdomain' and' each'additional'language'as'a'subdomain.'For'example:'''

! English:'www.yourbrand.com''! Spanish:'es.yourbrand.com'

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 11!

! German:'de.yourbrand.com'! French:'fr.yourbrand.com'

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Although'this'is'the'best'option'if'you'need'to'publish'and'index'a'high' volume' of' pages' for' each' of' your' language' versions,' more'linkLbuilding' efforts' will' be' required' to' grow' your' websites’'popularity,' because' the' subdomains' will' no' longer' be' able' to'inherit'the'popularity'of'your'main'site.'

'Wordpress.com'is'language'targeting'by'using'subdomains.''

• By&Country&Targeting&

In this case, you are organizing and configuring each web country version to target the right audience, which can be done in three different ways from a website structure perspective:

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 12!

o Country targeting with ccTLDs By enabling each country’s web version under its own ccTLD. For example:

! U.S.A in English: www.yourbrand.com ! U.S.A in Spanish: www.yourbrand.com/es/ ! Spain: www.yourbrand.es ! Mexico: www.yourbrand.com.mx ! Germany: www.yourbrand.de

This is the best alternative for country targeting since ccTLDs are directly geo-targeted to their relevant country. Again, it’s important to note that, as each ccTLD is an independent domain, they will require more efforts to grow their popularity, since they cannot easily inherit it from each other. Tripadvisor is country targeting by using ccTLDs.

o Country targeting with subdirectories

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 13!

Enable the main country in the domain root of a generic domain (such as .com, .net, .org, etc.) and each additional country as a subdirectory. For example:

! U.S.A in English: www.yourbrand.com ! U.S.A in Spanish: www.yourbrand.com/es/ ! Spain: www.yourbrand.com/es-es/ ! Mexico: www.yourbrand.com.com/es-mx/ ! Germany: www.yourbrand.com/de-de/

With this approach, your website is not automatically geo-targeted as ccTLDs are, and will need additional efforts to be geolocalized. However, each subdirectory will inherit the popularity of the root domain' and' will' help' to' consolidate' each'other’s'authority,'as'they'will'all'be'under'the'same'domain.'''EA'is'country'targeting'by'using'subdirectories.''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 14!

o Country'targeting'with'subdomains'''Enable'the'main'country'in'the'domain'root'of'a'generic'domain'(such'as'.com,'.net,'.org,'etc.)'and'each'additional'country'as'a'subdomain.'For'example:''

'! U.S.A'in'English:'www.yourbrand.com'! U.S.A'in'Spanish:'es.yourbrand.com'! Spain:'esLes.yourbrand.com'! Mexico:'esLmx.yourbrand.com'! Germany:'deLde.yourbrand.com'

Using' subdomains' won’t' provide' the' automatic' geolocation' like'ccTLDs,'and'each'country'version'will'need'to'independently'grow'its'popularity'as'each'of'its'subdomains'are'seen'as'independent'entities,'but' they’re' better' than' subdirectories' for' publishing' and' indexing' a'large'number'of'pages'in'each'country'version.'''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 15!

'The'Beats' by'Dr.'Dre'website' is' an' example'of' country' targeting'by'using'subdomains.''

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As'you'can'see,'all' the'alternatives'have'pros'and'cons,'but' it’s' important' that'you' choose' one' of' them,' as' they' all' will' offer' a' crawlable' international' web'structure'for'each'one'of'your'versions.''

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What'we'do'not'recommend'is'using'URL'parameters'for'your'international'web'versions,'or'showing'the'different'versions'through'the'same'URLs'using'scripts.'''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 16!

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Although'it'might'require'more'initial'work'to'set'independent'web'structures'for'each' language' or' country,' your' international'websites'will' be' easier' to'manage,'target,'optimize'and'track'in'the'longLterm.''

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1.3.2. Optimizing&your&international&website&structure&

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Once' you' have' selected' and' established' a' language' or' country' targeted' web'structure'for'each'one'of'your'international'versions,'the'next'step'is'to'optimize'them'so'it’s'easier'for'search'engines'to'identify'their'relevance.''

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o Optimize' your' web' content' and' user' experience' for' your' target'language'

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After' having' correctly' established' your' international' web' structure,'you'must'make'not'only'your'content'but'the'overall'web'experience'relevant'to'your'new'international'audiences'–'making'sure'they'are'translated'to'the'proper' languages,'using'the'relevant'keywords'you'identified' in' the' previous' research' phase.' Use' the' optimized'keywords'in'your:'

! Titles'! Meta'Descriptions'! URLs''! Menu'&'navigation'elements'! Headings'! Images'ALT'descriptions'! Page'content'

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o Link'between'your'international'web'versions'

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It’s' recommended'that'you' link' to'and' from'your'different' language'or'country'website'versions'so'search'engines'can'discover'them'and'users'can'switch'between'them.''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 18!

o Suggest'the'relevant'international'version'to'your'visitors'

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You' can' detect' the' location' and' language' of' your' visitors' by'identifying' their' IP'and' their'browser' language.' If' they'are'visiting'a'language' or' country' version' that' is' not' relevant' for' them' –' for'example,'a'visitor'accessing'the'Mexican'version'of'your'website'from'Spain' –' you' can' suggest' the' correct' site' in' a' nonLintrusive' way,' as'Amazon'does.'

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You'should'also'always' take' the'user' to' the'specific'page' they'were'looking'for,'but'in'the'right'country'or'language'version.''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 19!

For' example,' if' your' visitors'were' looking' to' access' the' “About'Us” page,' you' should' take' them' to' the' specific' “About'Us”' page' of' the'country' or' language' you' are' suggesting' for' them.' In' other' words,'don’t'divert'them'to'your'website’s'homepage'to'suggest'a'change'in'language'or'country'version.'

o Use' hreflang' annotations' to' specify' each' of' your' international' web'versions'country'or'language'targeting''

'Hreflang' annotations' are' used' by' search' engines' like' Google' &'Yandex'to'identify'web'pages’'language'and'country'targeting.''

The' usage' of' hreflang' annotations' avoids' language' and' country'misalignment'issues'in'search'engines'results.'

These' tags' not' only' specify' the' language' and,' alternatively,' the'country'targeting'of'each'page,'but'also'refer'to'other'languages'and'country'versions'that'are'available.''

They'should'be'included'in'the'header'area'of'your'web'pages’'HTML,'in' the' HTTP' header,' or' in' the' XML' sitemaps' as' specified' here' by'Google.''

You'can'use'this'tool'to'facilitate'the'generation'of'the'hreflang'tags'

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 20!

or'this'other'tool,'which'will'include'them'in'the'XML'sitemaps.'''

Use'the'International'Targeting'Report'in'Google'Webmaster'Tools'to'see'if'there'are'any'errors'in'your'hreflang'annotations.''''

o Use'HTML'“lang”'and'“contentLlanguage”'meta'tags'

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Besides'hreflang'annotations,'we'also'recommended'using'the'HTML'“lang”'attribute'and'the'“contentLlanguage”'tag.'These'attributes'are'still' taken' into' consideration' to' establish' your' pages' country' and'language'targeting'by'search'engines'like'Bing,'as'detailed'here.''

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The Ultimate Guide to International SEO 21!

o GeoLtarget' your' subdirectories' or' subdomains' if' you’re' country'targeting'and'not'using'ccTLDs'

If' you' have' chosen' to' use' subdirectories' or' subdomains' to' country'target,' then' you' can' geolocate' each' one' of' them' to' their' relevant'country'by'using'the'correct'option'in'Google'Webmaster'Tools,'Bing'Webmaster'Tools,'or'Yandex'Webmaster'Tools.''

o Use'the'appropriate'character'encoding'

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You'should'specify'the'character'encoding'in'your'pages'as'described'here,' in' addition' to' using' UTFL8,' to' effectively' display' nonLASCII'characters.''

1.3.3. Monitoring&your&international&search&results&

After' you' have' launched' and' optimized' your' international' web' versions,' you'should'continue'monitoring'your'search'results'for'each'country'and'language.''

'There' are' two' ways' to' check' your' ranking' for' your' targeted' international'keywords:'''1. Use'tools'such'as'I'Search'From,'Search'Latte'or'impersonal.me'that'allow'you'

to'manually' verify' your' international' results' (or' search' by' using' proxies' that'allow'you'to'select'your'location,'such'as'HMA'or'ProxyBonanza).'

2. Use'rank'checkers'that'support'international'results,'such'as'AuthorityLabs'or'Advanced'Web'Ranking.''''

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By' doing' this' you' can' not' only' verify' how' you’re' ranking' against' your'competitors' in' your' international' markets,' but' also' identify' trends' in' these'results,' such' as' the' type' of' pages' that' are' ranked' and' how' well' they’re'optimized.''

You'should'also'keep'an'eye'on'your'organic'search'traffic'via'Google'Analytics,'making' sure' that' each' of' your' international' web' versions' are' attracting' and'converting'traffic'as'expected.'''

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Although there’s plenty more you can do when it comes to growing your business’s popularity in highly competitive international markets, by following these basic steps you’ll have effectively set up a good baseline for your international SEO. '

About Smartling Smartling is the leader in translation management and delivery solutions, helping globally minded, technology-driven companies eliminate the inefficiencies of manually managing translation processes, tools, and vendors. Enterprises and fast-growing companies use Smartling’s multi-tenant cloud platform to create, manage, and deliver their translated content. Smartling services innovative customers like GoPro, HubSpot, Optimizely, Pinterest, Spotify, SurveyMonkey, and Zuora.

To learn more about Smartling and how we can support your global SEO strategy, contact us.

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To learn how Smartling can help you launch SEO-compatible international websites, contact us: