This document discusses international SEO strategies. It emphasizes the importance of geo-targeting websites for specific countries or languages to be properly indexed. This involves using country-specific domain extensions (ccTLDs), subdirectories, or webmaster tools settings. It also stresses translating content into other languages and developing links from websites in those languages and countries.

1. International SEO
Lisa Myers, CEO Verve Search
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

2. Who dat?
• 11 years experience in Marketing, 7 in Search & Social
• Speaker at Search Conferences Worldwide (SES, SMX, A4U etc)
• Regular contributor to on and offline publications and author of several SEO Best Practise
Guides including eConsultancy and B2B Marketing
• Heavily involved in the global Search Community, founder of
SEO-chicks.com and co-founder of European search blog StateofSearch
Awards
• “Search Personality of the Year” UK Search Awards 2011 + “Best SEO Campaign” for her
agency Verve Search
• Management Today “35 women under 35” list 2009
• “Best Use of Technology woman under 30”
BlackBerry Woman & Technology Awards (2008)
• “B2B Marketing Newcomer of the Year” (2007)
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

3. International SEO – is it
really that different?
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

4. Musts For International Success
# 1 Geo-targeting
#2 Language
#3 Link Development
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

5. Estimated 8.26 billion web pages
different indexes for different countries, i.e
google.co.uk and google.dk
(or Yahoo...ehm...)
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

6. need to help the engine figure out
what country you are targeting…
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

7. #1 Geo-targeting
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

8. Geo-targeting
Making sure your website is indexed in the right
geographical index. Options:
- ccTLD, Sub domain or Sub Directory
- Using Google webmaster tools
- Using Hreflang Attribute
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

9. + Authority of links
to the domain
- Little/or no
benefits of links to
main domain
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

10. country code TLD
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

11. ccTLDs
Country specific TLDs such as .co.uk .de
and .fr is the best sign you can give the
search engine to which geographical index
you want to be index and ranked in.
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

12. If you have an office (or will have) in the
relevant country and it is a
growing business
ccTLDs are recommended.
Especially if you also have a marketing
budget in those countries (or in house
capabilities).
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

13. Having a marketing department in a country
and still being on a sub folder is a bit like
living home with your parents at 30!
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

14. using subfolder
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

15. When subfolders should be
used
- Budget restrictions & no local marketing
- Sites that will never have local offices
- Initial geo targeting & time restraints
- Informational sites
+ benefit of link authority of entire domain!
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

16. using subdomains
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

17. When Subdomains Should be
Used
• Technically it’s a middle road between
ccTLDs and sub folders but in my opinion
NOT ideal
• Easy to implement and can have separate
hosting BUT don’t benefit in whole of the
link authority on main domain
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

18. webmaster tools
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

19. For non geo specific TLD like:
.com .net .org .info etc…
You can set target country in Webmaster
tools.
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

20. @LisaDMyers #SearchLove

21. BUT don’t restrict yourself. Only to be
used if you definitely DON’T want to
show up in any other indexes
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

22. 25% of sites has wrong
geo targeting settings!
source: John Mueller Google
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

23. Using Multiple Sitemaps
• Create separate sitemaps for different
folders on the same domain i.e: site.com/fr
site.com/de
• Then submit them to webmastertools and
set the geotarget settings
http://goo.gl/qWW1n
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

24. hreflang attribute
The new way of saying “It’s the translated page innit” or
“it’s suppose to be indexed in this country”
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

25. What is it?
• When you have several language versions
of the same pages on the same domain
• The Hreflang attribute is simply a way of
telling the search engine this is a different
language version of a page.
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

26. When to use Href lang
• You translate only the template of your page, such as the
navigation and footer, and keep the main content in a single
language. This is common on pages that feature user-
generated content, like a forum post.
• Your pages have broadly similar content within a single
language, but the content has small regional variations. For
example, English-language in the US, GB, and Ireland.
• Your site content is fully translated. For example, you have
both German and English versions of each page.
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

27. Guides on Hreflang
Google’s guide on hreflang
Can be implemented as a HTML link element in the
header
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="http://www.example.com/en" >
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="http://www.example.com/de" >
(must be implemented within HTML on BOTH URLs)
Or by Implementing Hreflang using sitemaps
(recommended)
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

28. In Sitemap
• You WILL need to set all the alternate versio
in each URL!
• Similar to the canonical attribute you need t
Include the actual URL itself in the alternate
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

29. Tells Google's algorithm to consider all of
these pages as alternate versions of each
other. + let’s them know which pages to
include in each geo specific Google index.
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

30. Tool for creating sitemap
the Mediaflow created this tool to make it
easier:
www.themediaflow.com/resources/tools/href-lang-tool/
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

31. BTW!
The Hreflang attribute will NOT
make your site rank higher!!
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

32. Issues
@LisaDMyers Example stolen from Nichola Stott blogpost (with permission)

33. • If the content is largely similar, Google
doesn’t change the title and meta
information (yes that is a bit stupid)
• So you STILL need to have content that is
unique!!!
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

34. Hreflang + Canonical =
Confused
• In most cases there is NO need to use
these in conjunction with eachother for
geo targeting purposes. If anything it can
lead your site worse off than before.
• Except …..for example:
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

35. Existing .com
+
Hreflang
+
Canonical
Credit: Andy Atkins Kruger
New Australian
New UK Site Site
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

36. #2 language
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

37. Target differently
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

38. Hoe gaat How are Come Hva Faen?
het? you? stai?
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

39. Per l’amor del cielo!
Babbity
Rand, compra i miei
Boopy?
prodotti!
@LisaDMyers
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

40. • If you want traffic from Germany; ihre
Sprache sprechen. Funnily enough the
search engines also believes that a site
that has content in German might also be
targeting Germany.
Simples. End of.
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

41. Don’t use the big BRANDS
as a guide!
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

42. @LisaDMyers #SearchLove

43. @LisaDMyers #SearchLove

44. IP Detection/Redirection
• Several big issues with IP Detection but
mainly the problem that bots usually crawl
from US IP so therefore might never see your
other content.
• Instead maybe use a javascript overlay that
detects IP address and requests users to
select relevant country
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

45. @LisaDMyers #SearchLove

46. Nike website NOWHERE to be found
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

47. Huh?
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

48. Speak Their Language!
Don’t directly translate and for F#%* sake
don’t use Google translate and think that’s it.
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

49. #3 link development
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

50. Having links from other sites in the language
(and ccTLD) that you are wanting to rank in
is HUGELY important.
It’s like a neighbour saying – “yeah they live
there”
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

51. MUSTs
• Native speaking people, that get’s SEO
and most importantly can write WELL!
• A good project management tool
• Great SEO tool (we use SEOmoz &
Linkdex)
• Streamlined reporting on links
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

52. Markets are different
• Link Dev methods that works in Scandinavia
might not work in the UK and vice versa.
• Content however works everywhere, but
make sure it’s relevant for the country (i.e
writing about summer outfits in September in
Norway)
Tip: Scandinavia needs content! Be the first to
do decent content outreach in Scandinavia
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

53. UK vs Norway Competitors
97,000 links 2,000 links
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

54. Raise the profile of content
people
Get your content outreach people also to
blog on clients website = doubles the
chance of getting content placed!
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove

56. Link Development Tips
• Don’t limit yourself to specific subjects
• You can reuse ideas or even translate
articles (the magazine industry do it ALL
the time)
@LisaDMyers #SearchLove