International search engine optimisation (SEO) is growing in importance so it is unfortunate that many companies don’t take it as seriously as they should. In fact, many will ask for “cheap” or “easy” options when they consult with online marketing professionals. They know that building an international presence is essential but don’t seem willing to invest in these initiatives.

When you decide to go for International Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), it is important to be sure. Going half-way and then stopping will just be a waste of time, money, and effort. Even at the beginning, be clear on what you want you achieve. There are a lot of challenges associated with SEO, more so if you want to take your website global. Little things can go a long way and small mistakes can become a big problem. The consideration in an international SEO strategy can be divided into three categories including domains, hosting, and content.

Begin with Domain Selection

Unless you want to concentrate all your efforts on the main website by using sub-domains, the only other viable option is to register a variety of top-level domains with the country extension. These domains are the ones that end with .co.uk for the United Kingdom, .ca for Canada, or .au for Australia. This looks pretty straightforward at first glance, but there are actually some countries that require you to have a physical address before they let you obtain the country-specific domain. Once you get these extensions though, it can bring a variety of benefits. This helps in International Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The search engines, for instance, give priority to local websites. Just take the example of Expedia. Its main website is Expedia.com and has thousands of backlinks. But in Canada, Expedia.ca will rank higher than Expedia.com for the simple reason that it is “local”.

Choose Web Hosting Wisely

Before, it was enough to have a fast, reliable, and secure web host. But it seems that the pressure of today’s business environment pushes companies to demand more. Aside from the characteristics above, it seems that the web hosting solution must be located in the right area as well. The host locations of websites are included in the algorithm of Google. This makes it imperative for website owners to locate providers in their local area (when they’re targeting the domestic market) and in international web hosts (for operations in other countries).

Gaining Customer Trust with Content

Finally, after the fundamentals have been established, it is time to create the content for the target audience. Of course, the original text you have must be translated into different languages. But go beyond that. Whenever appropriate, use videos, audios, and other file that can get your message across to a larger pool of audience. It doesn’t stop there. The strategies you implement on your main site should be used in these pages as well. That means creating appropriate web content with keywords, link building, and utilising other strategies.