Positioning abroad - a guide to getting started

Whether your business is already operating abroad or you are just planning to enter the international market. positioning Foreign is a subject worth becoming friends with. As we know very well, borders practically do not exist on the Internet. This means, among other things, that the products you offer can easily be ordered by a customer from the other end of Europe or even the world. However, another challenge arises, namely how to reach potential customers from outside Poland. This is precisely what foreign positioning does. Read on to find out what activities it consists of and what you need to bear in mind if you decide to include it in your strategy.

3 benefits of foreign positioning

Positioning foreign is essential if you want to reach as many markets as possible with your website. This type of optimisation is primarily to enable the search engine to recognise the language and country targeted by your content. 

Each of you is familiar with the proverb "Every country is different". It can be said that the same principle applies to the indexation of websites in the browser. Therefore, SEO abroad will differ from that on home soil. This is not only directly due to differences related to web traffic, but also to those cultural or regarding the habits of Internet users.

You may now be wondering whether it's worth it at all to opt for positioning abroad. After all, it means extra work and further costs. So let's take a look at the benefits it offers.

Increase site and business visibility

If a company opts for foreign positioning, it will start to be available to network users from other countries. In doing so, you will increase the visibility of your business and, when the measures are implemented correctly, you will become known to audiences outside your home market.

More website traffic and increased conversions

Optimisation The aim of a website for foreign audiences is, among other things, to gain the best possible search engine positions for the relevant language. A higher ranking means more visitors to the website - and thus - a greater chance of conversion (if only for shops). Another profit for business!

Discovering which website content works and which does not 

Positioning for foreign markets requires a detailed analysis of the website. This is an opportunity to look at its content. This will help you find out which content works and which does not.

Positioning abroad - stages

In order for overseas positioning to bring the benefits mentioned above, it is important to prepare an action plan and not to forget any of the steps listed below. 

Market and user behaviour analysis

Before you undertake foreign positioning, it is essential that you 'research the terrain'. Find out, above all:

• What is the share of the various search engines in a given market. Is Google, Yahoo, Bing or a local search engine predominant? Countries where Google's competitors score highly are, for example, the Czech Republic, China and Japan
• what are the online shopping habits of web users (e.g. which form of payment do they prefer)
• what language (or dialect) competing parties are using
• how much traffic is achieved by sites similar to yours
• whether Internet users in a country trust foreign companies

By answering these questions, you will be able to make the final decision on entering a foreign market. It may turn out that such a decision will not make business sense. If this is the case, a similar analysis will protect you from 'burning through' your budget on ineffective measures.

Keyword selection, website audit and competition analysis

One of the first steps when positioning abroad (just as when positioning in Poland) is the selection of key phrases. Research enables you to find out what phrases potential customers use to find what you offer. Cultural differences should be taken into account and the most converting keywords for a given market should be selected. 

The next necessary step is a comprehensive SEO auditwhich will be carried out most effectively and accurately by a specialist agency (SEOSki is recommended!). What does the audit take into account? First and foremost, parameters influencing the position of a page in search results in a given country and determines the optimisation needs of a given website. The audit is crucial, as the entire strategy will be based on its results. 

Importantly, the audit will also enable identifying competing sites to your service in a particular country. In addition, on the basis of historical increases in competitors, the potential time for the first effects of positioning can be determined.

Proper positioning abroad

The next steps in positioning abroad are analogous to the activities of SEO in Poland. They consist of implementing the changes suggested in the audit. Parallel to on-page activities, off-page activities are carried out.. The purpose of the latter is to strengthen the authority of the site through the acquisition of external links. 

If you decide on foreign positioning, special attention should be paid to the type of domain used. From the point of view of the Google search engine, the best option is to TLD, or Top Level Domain - domain top-level, which is assigned to a particular country (for example, .de). Also, users look more favourably on companies with country-matched domains. There is one downside - buying a TLD domain comes at a cost. Another, cheaper option is to create a subdomain to an existing website. However, you need to bear in mind that this type of web address will be treated by Google as a separate website/domain and will not display for the keyword phrases that the main domain is displaying for so far. However, over time, it is possible to work out and achieve the same good positions in the search results as on the main domain.

Successful SEO for foreign markets - this is worth knowing!

Many people wonder whether an SEO agency located in Poland can carry out foreign positioning. Absolutely! What is more, from the customers' point of view, it is much a more convenient and practical solution than an agency from the country in which they want to position themselves. Why? First of all, a communication problem will be avoided. The company's marketing person does not need to know the language of the target market, and this reduces the risk of misunderstandings. Also, the costs of running SEO activities may be lower if you choose a Polish agency. You will not lose out on currency conversion either. 

What else should you keep in mind when building your online visibility in a foreign market? High-quality texts and translations are essential! Whether you are commissioning texts for the website or articles for publication on external portals, use the services of professional copywriters. What is more, it is a good idea to consult the results of their work with a native speaker of the country in question, who will be able to pick up on the linguistic "awkwardness" that is unnoticeable to a native speaker of another language.

Foreign SEO and website optimisation - don't sail into foreign waters unprepared!

If you want to win the hearts of foreign web users, who are also your potential customers, you need to be aware that there is often more than just language. That is why you need to prepare yourself, analyse your market and your audience's behaviour when you start positioning yourself abroad. Only by taking a holistic view of the process will you be able to enjoy success. Don't forget to commission a proven agency and copywriters who can tailor your message for a foreign audience.

And this is where SEOSki and its team come in again! We work with native speakers and deliver top quality Content and external linking.