Using SEO to Expand Your Web Traffic from Local to International Audiences

Updated on July 2nd, 2018 by Quertime Writer in Web Development

The first question you probably ask when concerning SEO is usually, what is it? Well the initials stand for Search Engine Optimization, and it means exactly what it says. You use SEO strategies to make your website appear in online search engines more frequently and on the top of the search page with your keywords. It may sound a little complicated, but it really isn’t.

When you use a search engine you are using a keyword or words to find the most relevant content that applies to you. This is the search engines job, and it can be pretty difficult sifting through billions of web pages worldwide to find you the most relevant article. To make this job easier, search engines use complex algorithms with data collected from every webpage around the world to create relevant search results.
(Image Source: Portlandseomarketing.com)

What Data is Included in SEO?

If you want more traffic to your website, then you want your website to be at the top of the page in search engine results. To do this your website has to have all the necessary data available for these algorithms so your website has a better chance at appearing in a search. This is what SEO is.

One of the primary pieces of data that is being used in these algorithms is words. If you are hosting a political blog but don’t have the word politics, you will probably get overlooked. Search engines not only look at words displayed on the page. When you’re building your website there are page titles in the code. Make sure these titles also reference your site’s content in some way.

Other points of data that a site includes are things like links between websites that go to your website, what the word is that is using the link, or what kind of website is linking to your age. There are a lot of factors that that search engines take into account that aren’t available to the public, but these are the major ones that we know about.

Entering into Your Local SEO Markets

Now if you want your business to appear in search engines then your primary goal is local SEO. Local SEO is just like regular SEO, except search results in your local area will show your site more often than if someone on the other side of the world was searching for it.

Search engines also take into account the location of the person searching. So if you want to use Local SEO then you should focus on using keywords that reference the town you live in. If you live in New York City and are a carpenter, then you want to reference that in as many places as possible and use the worlds close to each other. “Looking for a carpenter in New York City? Look no further!” The name of your location and type of website are the 2 biggest keywords that should be focused on for a successful SEO website.

Using Unique Keywords

SEO websites need to be unique in order to get lots of traffic fast. If your keywords are in high demand and common, then it’s much more difficult to compete for top search engine results. This is where niche site learn to succeed. If you find a successful niche keyword that is a frequent search request but has no significant result, then you should try to include these words in your site in some way. Websites about video games are way too common, especially since every gamer is tech savvy and sticks to sites that are familiar to them. Forestry in central Washington is, however, probably not that common of a website, but many people still search with those keywords.

Once your Local website is SEO ready then you should begin monitoring it with some type of analytics software. Continue building on your website and hopefully people will start visiting and linking to it. Analytics keep track of how people get to your site and how long they usually stay. Also begin using your keywords in search engines to see how far back your website is in the results. Write down how long it takes to improve. If your website stays where it is for a month then it’s probably a good idea to consider editing some of your content.

Social Media Can Improve Your Page Rankings

Social media websites are the wave of the future in promotion. It gives your fans and other visitors to your website a way to discuss your website and exposes you to a much wider audience. It’s also a good way to get links that reference your website and build your page rankings. Consider all types of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Enter into Nationwide and Global Searches

Once Your website is up and receiving a decent amount of traffic you will consider expanding your SEO operation. Your site may be the highest result in your local search engine, but people a thousand miles away might not even see it on the first page. This is when you have to use SEO to generalize you website. Don’t worry about local search results since the top search is still your website.

Expanding your website with a more international approach is difficult. You might be able to get your website to appear in English speaking places, but foreign languages might never have heard of you. The keywords and search engines being used is just an entirely different thing. Luckily there are some methods that can help improve your international SEO.

One common method is using interesting pictures. If your website is primarily a photo sharing site then a funny picture might be shown in France. You don’t need to have French words, but the people still link the picture back to your website, helping you anyway.

Expanding into the international market can be difficult and risky. I would suggest only using SEO with English websites since there are already plenty of people globally who speak it. These are the basics of building your website from scratch with SEO, but the only way to learn all the finer details is to try it for yourself. There you still find out what works and what doesn’t. Just remember to start out small with local SEO before expanding into the big leagues with international SEO. Good Luck!

Author: Sunny Popali

Sunny Popali is SEO Director at Tempocreative.com, TempoCreative servicing Inbound Marketing in Arizona from more than 10 years & many big brands has benefited from Tempo & Team for digital & Internet marketing needs.