Is International SEO Easy

As an international web marketer it often appears easier to get good SEO results in a language other than English. Living in France, I notice how easy it can be for French language websites around me to get top search results.

Well, easy may not be the right word.  There appears to be a factor of speed. And it definitely seems to take a lot less effort to get top search engine results for keywords in French than it does to get them in English.

I have also had a few readers comment that a foreign language on their website boosts their overall SEO value. I have not tested this this first hand. But the echos have been steady.  Readers are wondering whether Google has a distinct preference for foreign language content.

This is definitely a trend to watch.  But, let’s have a look at some things we are sure about in international SEO.

Why International SEO Is Easy

Less Competition

• Fewer foreign language websites
• Less foreign language content
• Fewer SEO specialists
• Fewer available SEO tools

How International SEO Can Be More Difficult

Foreign Grammar

• Articles… and their misspellings
• Different article formats… and their misspellings
• Different plural formats… and their misspellings
• Adjective modifiers… and their misspellings
• Common abbreviations… and their misspellings

Different Forms Of Speech

• For the elderly
• For politeness

International SEO Results

For your foreign language keywords, this means that:

• You may find it easier to get in the top search results
• You should find it faster to get in the top search results
• With top results expect fewer search results in a foreign language than in English for the equivalent keyword
• You may need more variants of your keywords… which dilutes your results for one specific keyword even further

The difficulties in getting good international SEO results depend on the language you are targeting.

The success of your keyword results may also be influenced by market differences and finding the keywords that work in the culture you are targeting.

Should You Use International SEO?

This is a business decision.

Are you committed to international business development?

If you are, then foreign language content is probably a good web marketing strategy for you.

Depending on the country and language you are targeting, the ease in which you can get top search results is an added business benefit.

If you compare the investment you need to make to get top search engine results for an English language website, you might find the investment in foreign language content appealing.

You will need to invest in a foreign language website and content.  But this is where good business practices combined with easier SEO results can help you come out ahead of the others.  And more specifically:

• Strategic content creation
• Good SEO practices

You should integrate the challenges with language differences into your international market research strategy.  This is about getting to know your foreign market, how it behaves and how you need to create your online visibility for this particular foreign market.  Whether you gain market exposure with one keyword or a variety of keywords you are still targeting one specific market.

Another important thing to note:

• Good foreign language domain names may be easier to find

Where it is now difficult to find good available domain names in English, there has generally been less competition with foreign language domain names.

Again, different countries are at different levels of web maturity.

This may not be true for every foreign country.  But I am frequently surprised at the web domain names still available in some foreign languages.

More From Cindy

Interested in reading more on my personal opinions and experiences with international web marketing?

CindyKing.biz International Web Marketing

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This is part of the Core Business Guide 3 Design Your International Visibility Be sure to check out the other useful tips to design your international visibility

You should also read the Core Business Guide 4 Build Your International Marketing Strategy Be sure to check out the other elements you need to build your international marketing strategy

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Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer and International Sales Specialist, with over 25 years field experience in international business development. Learn how you can get more international sales