How SEO Rankings Can Help You Expand Internationally

At UpFire SEO, we’re proud to provide national SEO services that can grow your search rankings and lead to more sales. We put your business needs first and research which solutions work best for you. Our team uses data-backed measures that evolve as search engine rules and trends change.

Whether you seek to create content or want better off-page SEO plans, our People-First tactics can grow your presence online. You’re likely wondering how these SEO strategies can help you as you look to expand your brand to other countries.

Here are four ways that SEO rankings can help you expand on an international level:

1.) Determine the Best Areas To Target

Before any international SEO campaigns can start, we must choose our target market and audience. Once you pick a target market, you can then zoom in on that market’s subsets. They contain consumers who are most likely to buy your goods.

For example, if you sell sports jerseys and cowboy hats, you’ll want to target areas where that apparel is popular. For your cowboy hats, you can target Mexican country music lovers in Chihuahua who need rodeo gear. Guadalajara is a great place to target LA Galaxy Chicharito jerseys since the soccer star is from there.

Tailoring your decisions around specific aspects of your target market will grow your online footprint and lead to business growth.

2.) Perform Country-specific Keyword Research

Whether you seek national SEO services or want to expand your online presence abroad, keyword research will play a significant role. You may feel that you understand your consumers’ search intentions, but some phrases may be less common than others. What may work for you here in the United States may not work in other countries.

Doing local keyword research will help you gain insights that serve you well for each country. If you’re an e-Commerce brand that wants to sell swimsuits to New Zealanders, focus on targeting togs keywords. “Togs” is the New Zealand lingo for “swimsuits.”

Keeping slang and regional phrases in mind helps you stay ahead in attracting the right people to your site.

3.) Select the Best Website Domain Structure

Your site’s domain structure can help visitors find your content faster. When targeting consumers from a specific country, having the best domain strategy can make a difference.

Here are some domain structures you can use to help enhance your SEO efforts abroad:

Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLD)

ccTLDs are two letters at the end of domains that represent certain countries. Here are some samples of ccTLD sites that can boost your SEO game:

• mycookies.us
• mycookies.mx
• mycookies.ca

.us stands for the United States, .mx is for Mexico, and .ca represents Canada. You can create a ccTLD site for every country where your business offers goods or services. ccTLD sites can go a long way in growing your international SEO presence and attracting more site visitors.

ccTLD Or Generic TLD (gTLD) With Subdomains

You can put together site subdomains that let you combine the perks of both ccTLDs and gTLDs. gTLDs have three or more characters that the IANA supports. A gTLD can include .com or .gov. When you merge a gTLD with a ccTLD, you’ll get to have a country code for your site.

Here is an example of a link that falls under this category: mx.mycookies.com.

ccTLD with a gTLD can help you gain relevant traffic and grow your rankings over time.

ccTLDs or gTLDs That Have Subdirectories

Domain structures like ccTLDs or gTLDs with subdirectories can bring you unique benefits. They give you the option to change a country code’s location. An example of this domain type is mycookies.com/mx. You can gain the best flexibility with a ccTLD or gTLD to meet your needs.

As you decide on the best domain structure for your site, find out what Google favors in your target countries. Weighing your options can help you reach the people you want as customers and grow your search rankings.

4.) Build Top-quality Local Links

Link building can help build your site’s authority abroad, similar to when you seek national SEO services. The best way to boost your local search rankings is to source links from credible and relevant local directories. For instance, if you’re a hotel chain wanting to open a location in Madrid, links from their travel platforms would be your best option.

Here are some other ways you can boost your SEO efforts abroad with link building:

• Build up connections with local influencers via social media.
• Engage in guest posting on credible sites within your target country while collaborating with the site owners.
• Use a translator or local source who knows your target country’s language and way of life.

As you grow your brand in your target country, you’ll stand to reap the rewards of having top-quality backlinks.

Choose National SEO Services

At UpFire SEO, we strive to help your brand grow and thrive with People-Based national SEO services. We know that SEO campaigns require time and effort to provide you with the best results.

Contact us today and let us help your business grow at home and abroad. Our team at UpFire will help put together international SEO plans that attract your audience and increase your sales.