7 Link Building Tips for International SEO
Link building is an integral part of any good SEO strategy. Acquiring backlinks from other websites allows you to build up authority within the industry (which is equally valuable for both highly competitive markets and sensitive niches) and increases your chances of receiving more traffic from organic search.
Key Takeaways
- Link building is an important part of any good SEO strategy.
- Link building for international SEO comes with greater challenges.
- Getting links from local resources is important for ranking higher in foreign search engines.
- US-based links can be beneficial for international SEO efforts as long as the content is relevant.
- Translating your current SEO practices into a target language can sometimes do more harm than good. Localisation is important!
Now, while expanding outside local markets is as exciting as it sounds, it would be a mistake to assume that an international SEO strategy will be reminiscent of your local SEO efforts but just on a larger scale. Acquiring links from foreign markets comes with greater challenges, and simply translating your current SEO practices into a target language can even do more harm than good to your business globally.
The main differences between international and local SEO lie in costs, content, competition, and, of course, customers’ expectations. If you want to make your website link-worthy, you will need to prepare a long-term strategy - and if you don’t have the time or resources, we’ll be glad to help you with that. Here are some of the best tips and practices for building links for international SEO:
1. Target Based on Country or Language
We assume that you’ve already done the most critical things when it comes to developing an SEO strategy for expanding globally, i.e., conducted both competitive and keyword research, as well as determined whether there is an actual demand for your product or service. After you’ve identified your potential countries and languages, you should then decide how to target your international web audience.
While it might be tempting to target as many countries as possible with your website and SEO strategy, it’s important to be realistic about your team’s capabilities. In most cases, it’s best to focus on one or two countries and languages and do these projects well rather than spreading yourself too thin and trying to appeal to everyone.
For this reason, you should decide whether you want to target based on country or language in the first place. If a location isn’t a determining factor for your business objectives, products, and services, you can start with language targeting. This way, you get to increase brand awareness and expand your customer base by targeting several countries speaking the same language (e.g., Spanish) at the same time.
On the other hand, if your products and services are location-dependent but you have enough conversion potential to target a specific country, you can start with country targeting by specifying your target country or region with an international-friendly URL structure.
Keep in mind that from a customer perspective, targeting each country separately is the ideal case scenario; however, it might not always be a favorable or even possible option for business due to technical or resource constraints. When deciding which countries and languages to target, prioritize your business goals and objectives.
2. Create New Content in a Targeted Language
Of course, you can choose the path of localizing your existing content, and, partially, you will have to in order to optimize your most important pages so that you can immediately engage new visitors and encourage them to stay on your website. These include:
- URL paths, where possible,
- metadata (page titles and meta descriptions),
- navigation headers, footers, and all links,
- text in images,
- alt text on images,
- image file names,
- header tags,
- anchor text for links.
After all, according to Common Sense Advisory, 75% of Internet users do not make important purchasing decisions unless the product description is in a language they can speak.
If you want to offer an optimal user experience and improve your chances of ranking better on foreign search engines, also make sure to use hreflang tags on translated pages. These HTML tags tell search engines which language you are using on a specific page, so that they can show that result to users searching in that language.
However, when it comes to delivering content to a new audience, you need to ensure that it’s aligned with their expectations – and this is exactly why your existing content might not be relevant to a new, foreign audience. As such, before you dive into translating all the pages you have, it would be more helpful to assess your prospects’ pain points and address them in their native language.
Likely, it will be more beneficial to create new but relevant content for a target region – which is something both prospects and search engines will appreciate. The best way to do this is to turn to content writing services instead of relying on translation tools. This way, you can be sure that your new website is filled with suitable keywords while considering the cultural differences, which will allow you to avoid misunderstandings.
3. Check Local Competitors' Links
One of the best ways to find link building opportunities is to analyze your competitors’ backlinks. This way, you will get an idea of where your target audience hangs out online and what kind of content they appreciate.
And this is where your comprehensive competitor analysis comes in handy. You can use various tools such as Moz and Ahrefs, which will give you information on your competitors’ traffic, keywords, backlinks, and much more.
Once you have this data, analyze their backlinks to see where they’re getting links from. Identify websites that are in your niche or industry and try to get in touch with the website owner to inquire about a potential backlink.
4. Build Links From Local Resources
If you want to rank higher in foreign search engines, it’s important to link your website with local resources. This way, you improve your site’s authority and relevance, which are two of the most important ranking factors.
To acquire quality backlinks from high-authority websites and online directories, start by conducting an audit of your existing backlinks. This will help you identify which existing backlinks are from low-authority websites or directories and, therefore, should be removed. This is important because having toxic backlinks can make it harder for you to rank higher in foreign SERPs.
Once you’ve removed the low-quality links, create a list of potential link building opportunities within your target country or region. You can use various tools for link prospecting and research, like Ahrefs or Semrush. Once you’ve identified potential link sources, reach out to them and secure a backlink.
Remember that in order to successfully acquire a backlink on a local website, you need to offer something valuable in return – most often, this is high-quality content. So, if you want to get quality backlinks from local websites and online directories – once again, be ready to invest in creating new content.
5. Get US-Based Links
When it comes to international link building, one of the most generally asked questions is Where should the links come from?
For instance, if we optimize international SEO for Spanish customers, will it make sense to get US-based links? While it might seem counterintuitive, the answer is yes – as long as the content is relevant.
If, let’s say, a French-speaking forum discussing CBD links to a Polish manufacturer’s website with a .pl or .eu domain, such a link would be considered natural – country and language don’t matter that much in such a case. For the same reason, tons of websites that aren’t located in the United States link to .com domains – because of relevant information.
Additionally, if you think about it, there are plenty of Spanish speakers in the US, so links from this location will come naturally.
Consequently, businesses can get guest posts from US-based websites for their international SEO efforts, as long as they are relevant, well-written, and high-quality.
6. Use Websites That Link to Corporate Websites to Your Advantage
Another way for link building opportunities might be hiding in the links going to the original corporate websites.
Typically, the majority of these original websites receive a lot more links from external sources than recently launched local ones. This is because most publishers link to the corporate websites, as they didn’t have a website for the local market when launched, and don’t bother to update them later on.
By analyzing these links, you can identify which ones come from your target country's websites. The next thing you need to do is contact the publisher with information that a website for their local market has been launched, along with the URL to update the hyperlinks.
Furthermore, it’s not rare for website owners to link to the wrong language version when you have a localized country/language list of sites. Detecting such mistakes can bring you a bunch of hyperlinks for updating.
Besides, making sure all the links lead to the best-matched pages as intended will not only benefit your overall link building profile but will also boost the user experience – website visitors will be able to reach the right website for their location right away.
7. Participate in Local Industry Events
Getting links naturally is the nirvana of link building. But it won’t be possible without establishing yourself as an expert in a foreign market. The best way to do so is through participating in local industry events. These can be trade shows, conferences, or even just local meetups.
Attending events will help you network with other local businesses and build relationships with potential customers and partners. For instance, if you have a booth or presentation at such an event, make sure to use the opportunity and include links to your website to drive traffic and increase your chances of acquiring more links.
But there is much more to that – if you engage with local press or journalists, as well as bloggers, influencers, social media collaborations, or even podcasters, which can lead to new linking opportunities and become a great addition to your overall international SEO strategy.
To find upcoming events in your industry in your target region, you can start by searching for relevant hashtags on social media or using Google to search for “upcoming [industry] events [country].” You can also check out networking and event-based websites like Eventbrite and Meetup.
Final Words
When it comes to building multilingual links, it’s vital to come up with a long-term strategy that will not only help you increase your brand awareness in a target country but also will help you set it apart from the crowd.
Here, you will need a comprehensive approach – from optimizing your website and creating new content in a targeted language to getting links from both local and global sources and representing your brand at local events.
By being mindful of local contexts, customs, and language, you can expect not only to boost your search engine rankings but also improve customer engagement and bring your brand to a whole new, global level.
