International-CoverIf you have done any international traveling or simply had a conversation with people from different places, you know English is spoken around the world, but not necessarily the same way.

A ‘trunk’ in America is a ‘boot’ abroad

These variations in dialect effect online search as well. People will naturally use different phrases to search for things based on culture, location and dialect.

So. if you want to sell your products to customers scattered across the globe, you need to factor these differences into your content marketing and develop an international SEO strategy.

Who are you around the world?

Do you know if your goods and services live under different monikers internationally? Not sure? Start by looking at industry indexes such as Thomas.net to find your competitors (especially those who are located internationally) and see how they describe themselves.

Here’s a great graphical example of how search terms are interpreted internationally and the different ways a search gets distilled into multiple, regional results:

international-seo

via Moz Blog

Use AdWords to Speak the language

If you want to be visible in all these markets, you need to speak like a native, using the appropriate common words and phrases in your writing. The Google Adwords tool can help you research keyword volumes in different countries.

You need a Google account to get started. Once you have an account, log in to Adwords.google.com. Select the ‘Tools’ option and then “Get search volume for a list of keywords.” Input terms you want to research then select the geographical areas and submit:

international seo adwords

How do you rank internationally?

Did you know there are different versions of Google around the world? Each one has its own set of searchers, its own keyword ranking algorithm, and each is biased towards URLs ending in country-specific suffixes (i.e. .uk, .ca, .mx). So once you have your key terms, it’s time to see where you stand.

Here are a few of the international Google tools you might want to use to test your rankings and also look at how your competitors are performing:

Don’t just rehash what you’ve already written

You need to create new pages or blog posts for different regions of the world if you want to rank globally. It will help if you have someone from that region check what you have written to be sure you are using slang or regional phrases the right way.

If you want to reach a broader international audience, you need to literally speak their language. Do not use a translation program to get the job done. If you want to sound like a native, you need to speak like one. This is where you need to turn to a professional translation firm like Alpha Omega Translations. They’ll make sure your content reads naturally in your target languages and help you publish translated pieces without a hitch.

When you translate your content into different languages in addition to writing new content for international dialects, read Google’s guidelines for optimizing your international links first.

The internet has certainly shrunk the world but plenty of differences between cultures still exist. Keep those in mind and you’re likely to find customers everywhere.

Now that you’ve decided to target different people around the world with new content, you need to put it all together in a plan. Download our content calendar guide and template today:

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