Understanding Local and International SEO 

The internet is a new battleground for companies as they make their presence felt on the world wide web. Successful large, medium, and small enterprises are increasingly focusing on their website as a crucial element of their business. Most of these companies function in a specific geographic location. So how does a website target the right customer from the right area? This is where Search Engine Optimization–SEO–comes into play.

SEO forms the foundation of every website. It is the process of enhancing a site’s visibility to internet users who search for the products or topics a commercial website sells, offers, or discusses. SEO can increase the amount of traffic to your website and enhance your monetization strategy. As your site’s visibility grows, the possibility of making better sales and attracting more site visitors. 

Investing in the SEO of your website can give you great returns in terms of visibility, sales, and revenue. However, it is essential to decide whether you wish to opt for a local or an international approach.

Local and international SEO are two distinct types that target different geographical ranges in search of potential customers for your company. Local SEO concentrates on creating an online presence in a limited geographic area, whereas international SEO is instrumental in establishing your brand worldwide.

Selecting the proper type of SEO might be confusing at first, but once you understand local and international SEO, you will be better able to figure out what’s best for your venture.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO refers to the procedure of website optimization for generating leads and brand awareness in local searches. Local SEO focuses on establishing keyword placement in the specific location where the business operates, thereby offering results that are most relevant to users. For example, a couple searching for a daycare facility in Southern California will not benefit from a list of top daycares in Atlanta. With the help of local SEO, the user can instead get a list of top facilities specific to their area.

Local SEO can be considered a subset of the SEO process. It uses geographically targeted strategies to enhance your business’s visibility on Google, Bing, and other search engines. According to this article from Digital Authority Partners, the search engine finds the keywords and offers search results that are compatible with the searched phrase. In the previous example, if the couple searches terms like “best daycare southern California,” thanks to local SEO, they will get articles and websites that are relevant to their search.

Local SEO helps achieve these targeted results by focusing on location-centric elements such as reviews, Google places, directories, and local listings to build your company’s brand within your region. This type of SEO is mainly used by small and medium businesses that are dedicated to a particular city or region and wish to target customers in that specific area. To appear in search results based on both your services and your location, the keywords in your site content must be optimized for the target location. With this optimization, you can dramatically enhance the chances of your website ranking higher in search results.

What is International SEO?

As the name suggests, international SEO targets customers from across the globe. It uses global search engines to connect customers and brands internationally. Market giants like Nike and Lay’s use international SEO to offer their merchandise and services worldwide.

Many companies are not limited by physical proximity as they search for their customer base and target audience. They look for global recognition and search engine hits. An international SEO campaign gains topical placement for specific keywords regardless of location. These campaigns push deeper into local markets and expand global presence.

International SEO uses language tags, geo-targeting, and other localization signals to deliver relevant website content to users worldwide. This type of tagging helps Google and similar search engines match the website content with the language, country, and sector of the search query. If the user’s search and the website’s keywords are compatible, the website appears in the search results.

Global optimization takes more effort because the user base differs from one location to another. A website that performs well in the United Kingdom might not do as well in Canada, making careful and thoughtful international SEO important.

International SEO or Local SEO, which one’s the right choice?

International SEO uses targeted keywords to attract global traffic. For a company trying to create appeal amongst customers all over the world, international SEO is perfect. There are numerous benefits to this SEO format, including better global sales.  However, as you venture globally, you will face stiff competition from local websites since international SEO focuses more on generic keywords and relies on them to drive traffic to the site.

Local SEO, on the other hand, limits the level of competition by focusing on a specific geographic region. It offers a brand the chance to strengthen its hold in a limited area. The brand can attract traffic from a focused region while becoming expert in its competition, consumer base, and market.

Find out what works best for your venture and structure your website SEO along those lines. The most suitable SEO depends on your requirements and capacity. Be it local or international, each market has its challenges and benefits. In either case, don’t overlook the importance of SEO. It plays an important role in promoting your website and your brand.