Although it might be easy to forget sometimes, most of the world speaks a language other than English. In this global online marketplace, companies that want an international appeal may want to consider search engine optimization (SEO) for readers outside of the U.S.
In a column for Search Engine Watch, Ron Jones, president and CEO of Symetri Internet Marketing says that some companies may want to consider an international approach to search engine optimization (SEO), but points out that there are certain steps that make this different than a traditional SEO approach.
One of the things Jones recommends is making sure the domain extension is applicable for the country you’re trying to optimize in.
Clearly it’s also a good idea to write content in the native language of the country you’re trying to target. Jones points out that just because two countries’ citizens speak one language doesn’t mean all the words are the same.
"If you have similar languages (e.g., American English and British English), you might want to consider spelling certain words accordingly, such as "soccer" or "football," he writes. "These little changes can make a lot of difference."
Companies that are embracing global search engine optimization (SEO) may also want to consider optimizing for search engines other than Google, especially in countries where other sites dominate. According to recent figures from comScore, although Google and Yahoo still dominate search in most countries, sites like Baidu.com in China and Yandex in Russia have made great strides.
