In today’s globalized economy, a professional business is virtually required to have an online presence. In the 21st century, the internet has become a core component of successful businesses on a level that far exceeds its initial purpose as a tool for information sharing and communication. Globalization has caused companies to expand their visibility across borders both within and outside of their own country. As a result of this expansion, localizing your website for foreign markets becomes increasingly important as it relates to those potential customers who do not speak or understand your primary language. International SEO can be defined as optimizing your site for search engines in any other country besides where it was initially developed. It is more often than not based primarily on English-speaking countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada.
International SEO is important because it allows companies to reach new, foreign markets with their products and services. This is highly effective for businesses looking to expand their customer base. Localizing your site not only allows you to broaden your horizons but also gives you the opportunity to provide users all over the world with information on your product or service that may be more specific than what they would find domestically. For example, if a company wanted to sell food products in Italy, then their website would need to include some Italian translations of certain words and phrases as well as any other relevant content that pertains specifically to food in Italy (such as ingredients). However, international SEO can be extremely beneficial for companies that are already heavily established in their own country. By having an online presence, you can show your commitment to potential customers who do not speak your native language and may feel more comfortable making purchases through the internet rather than over the phone or in person.
The steps involved with internationalizing your website for search engines include translating any text content on-page for relevant foreign markets, implementing target specific keywords, utilizing metadata localization tags, using geographically relevant domain names, creating versions of your website in different languages if necessary, and re-evaluating your current analytics data to ensure that it reflects any changes made to the site. The process should be implemented carefully so as not to lose sight of existing optimization strategies that were successful within your home country while simultaneously attempting to attract a different audience.
The process of translating text content is crucial because it allows search engines to understand what content on the page means. Although having relevant keywords in your foreign language is an important part of international SEO.
There are three different types of internationalization that must be considered when optimizing your site for foreign markets: linguistic, functional, and marketing localization. Linguistic localization refers to the translation of text content on your website into the appropriate language for an intended market. Functional localization is all about making adjustments to how your website functions in order to meet norms and expectations specific to the targeted region. Marketing localization includes any geographical references such as URLs or contact information—all three types together with makeup what we call international SEO.
