Local SEO for International Companies
Local SEO is all about ranking highly in local search results, intending to pull in local interest and local customers.
But whereas many people believe that local search engine optimisation isn’t useful for international companies, this actually couldn’t be further from the truth.
Why Does Local SEO Matter?
A large proportion of businesses are now operating within a global marketplace. However their customers are not. Consumers, when searching for products and services online, will be more likely to find relevance in search results which provide information about services in their immediate vicinity, rather than from anywhere in the world. They are able to do so by targeting their search to include specific locations.
What this means is that, in order for international companies to successfully compete on a local level, they need to be able to meet their customers where they are. Not only will this allow multi-national businesses to offer products and services to consumers in specific locations, but it will help them to connect with their customers on a more personal level, through location-specific engagement.
Traditional SEO and Local Results
If your international company offers a service which isn’t included in Google’s local search results, you may find that you have to stick to more traditional types of SEO. Keywords, in this case, are essential when optimising for local search. The use of long tail keywords is also advised, particularly when one considers the potential for confusion which may arise when searching for restaurants in Falmouth, or any other such place name which refers to more than one location.
There are also other traditional SEO tactics which can be employed to further define the relevance of local search query results, including:
• Using IP addresses to determine results location.
• Listing physical addresses and phone numbers.
• Using locally relevant prices and product measurements.
• Cleaning up your SEO strategy.
Why the last point? Well, it’s because any website which implements and maintains a good SEO strategy, including a squeaky-clean backlink profile, is likely to rank better than one which does not – both locally and globally. And what’s most interesting about all the above points, including that of the importance of keywords, is that these things are just as relevant to international SEO as they are to local SEO, and can be easily incorporated into your comprehensive SEO strategy.