How to improve your international SEO

I got a question from the folks at bookitlive about how to get more international traffic. They were getting some sales from the US and other countries, and wanted to know how to grow that part of their business. The first thing I’d suggest, like with all SEO projects, is to do some research.

If you’re looking to branch out and get some international sales, start by going to the Google Search Console and look for the phrases you’re already ranking for in the countries you’re aiming at.

Go to Search Analytics and look for Clicks, Impressions and Position. This will give you a list of keywords for your site. Find a few phrases that are making a lot of impressions but few clicks. These are the ones you want to optimise for.

Look at your site itself to see if there’s anything you can do to optimise it. Clean up your SEO before making any other changes. Once you’ve done this, have a go at ranking higher on those phrases that are ranking well in your international target country. If you have a blog, write posts using your keywords.

After setting up the basics, try to get some connections with your target country. Ask for links from previous clients. Set up a Google My Business page, if you’ve got an office in that country.

Also, check out your international targeting. If you have a .com or .net site, you can target your site toward your home country, which makes sense when you’re beginning your business. It does make it a bit more difficult once you start to grow. If you’re looking to truly go global, you can change that to no preference, but be wary of how that might affect your local rankings.

For more information, visit the StewArt website.

Jim Stewart is a leading expert in search engine optimisation. His business StewArt Media has worked with clients including Mars, M2 and the City of Melbourne.