Global Search Engine Optimisation

BDR is a UK based internet advertising agency. We are soon going to be opening a new office in Hong Kong with the aim of helping companies in the Far East enter European markets. The opportunities are huge. There are almost 7 billion people on this planet, how many are you targeting?

If you are only targeting one country, why?

We all know the internet is global and the world is becoming a smaller place. This also applies to search engine optimisation too. Local search has become a bit of a buzz word in the last couple of years and plenty of our clients want to take advantage of dominating local SERPs.

But what about Global search? Google is becoming better and better at translating web pages in different languages and has recently added Armenian, Georgian and Urdu to its Google Translate repertoire. Internet users can translate English webpages into their own languages relatively easily depending on what language they read, but how many UK websites assist users in buying their products easily, not many. This is especially true for countries in the Far East.

If you have a truly global service or product which can be bought and used in any country have you thought about optimizing web pages to different countries in their respective languages?

Some search engine optimisers and even SEO agencies can be overtaken by tunnel vision. They can be so focused on a set of keywords or optimisation of a certain web page that they forget about looking at the larger picture.

Facebook and twitter are two internet entities which are seemingly beating all perceived geographic boundaries. They are used by millions and millions of people all over the world. There are billions of people on this planet all with wants and needs which gives online businesses the opportunity to break into new markets abroad.

A little investment and time could pay dividends later. If you have a particularly innovative product or service which can easily be used online there is no reason why you can’t take it into other countries, providing it is tried and tested and is making money in your native country.

As an SEO agency based in London we are approached by companies from all over the world wishing to break into the UK. Sometimes they want to set up a whole new site in English with UK hosting, registered domain and UK only linkbuilding strategy. In other situations they simply want an English channel on their site which they can drive traffic too.

If you are an SEO agency or a webmaster wishing to make your site more appealing and accessible to people from different countries, make it easier for them buy from you and optimise to their geographical location. In some cases it might even be a good idea to employ an SEO agency or full service internet advertising agency to help you strategise on how to break into a new territory.