SEO mistakes be it of any type can harm the ranking of your page on google. Doing SEO is very common but can be a major reason to hinder your good rankings. The best part is that the mistakes are avoidable and can also be fixed. In this article, we will know about the international seo mistakes and how to avoid them. But first, let us understand what International SEO means.
International SEO: A Short Introduction
International SEO includes the process that helps in optimising and improving your website’s visibility in the worldwide countries you sell to. This increases the traffic and engagement of the visitors to your website search engine. International SEO is also known as “the geolocation of SEO”, where the improvisation of your website is done for the different countries rather than to attract traffic to your website.
There are various International SEO mistakes that might have some impact on your website ranking. Let’s know about those common mistakes.
Common International SEO mistakes
The common mistakes that might happen in international SEO are as follows:
- Not using unique URLs for each international website can hinder the access to the users of other countries and languages.
- Use of the incorrect keywords is another issue addressed. It can act as a language barrier as some common phrases have different meanings in different countries that can be misinterpreted.
- Not focusing on localising the contents for other countries can hinder the visitors’ understanding and interpretation of the contents on the websites due to language differences.
- Neglecting the work on website UX can lead to the only focus on the speed and not on the designing.
- Direct translation of the content with the help of translation tools can act as a problem due to varied meanings of common words in other countries.
- Using single CCTLD for all targeted countries.
These international SEO mistakes are avoidable and can be corrected. Read further to know how you can avoid these mistakes and improve your website ranking for other countries.
How to avoid SEO mistakes ?
Not using unique URLs for each international website:
Using individual URLs for every international website or different language page will allow Google to optimise, analyze and rank your page accurately. It also helps the audience of the targeted countries to access the page easily in their language, increasing traffic and engagement.
Use of the incorrect keywords:
As keywords are one of the important aspects for easy research, using the wrong keywords that might be misinterpreted in other countries can be an issue. So first understand your target audience, their local language, and some phrases that might be common while searching. It will be best to hire a translator for your websites keywords and also by analysing your keywords with tools.
Not focusing on localising the contents for other countries:
Avoid the reuse of content over other websites of the same language. Try to localise the contents on the website considering the targeted audience, their preference, and behaviour in the market. Making small changes in the designs and languages and highlighting the small details in the content can make a great positive impact in your website reach.
Neglecting the work on website UX:
Creating a balance between the UX and over optimisation can help in solving this issue. There are various updated UX practices that are naturally well-analysed and optimised. To make your website impactful, you need to make your platform more accessible to the users or audiences. With the improvisation in designs, an increase in speed and optimising your content according to the users of a specific country, can get great success.
Direct translation of the content:
Directly translating the contents of your website using translation tools for other versions can cause a language barrier. The contents should be in the language suitable for the local audience, and consider some important points. Before translating any content, analyse the text, whether they are relevant or not. Consider hiring language specialists who are proficient in English and other languages to resolve this issue.
Using single ccTLD for all targeted countries:
It is necessary to get different websites for each country rather than using various language versions. Use different ccLTDs for different websites, like.uk for the United Kingdom region, .fr for the France audience,, and so on. Using different ccTLD will help the local language users to get easy access to your websites, and it will also gain a good ranking on Google.
Conclusion
In this article, we got to know about the common mistakes that can happen while setting up a website for an international brand. These mistakes can be corrected with proper optimization and solutions. Implementing the proper measures to make your international website accessible to the local users of the targeted countries can help you get high rankings on Google. You do not need to worry about the issues in international SEO optimization, just focus on the possible solutions and secure the success of your website all over the world.
Sandeep Goel is the founder and CEO of Obelisk Infotech, with over a decade of experience in digital marketing. He started his career as an SEO Analyst, refining his skills with US clients, which deepened his understanding of digital culture. Sandeep is passionate about writing and regularly shares insights through blog posts. He plays a key role in company growth by implementing processes and technologies to streamline operations.
Founder (Obelisk Infotech)
