How to Create Links for International SEO

Every site wants to get that top spot in search engine results. But it isn’t an easy task, especially when it comes to international SEO. It has many components to it – from technical optimization to quality content. Still, one of the most important aspects of better rankings is links. Building them requires patience, time, knowledge, and budget. And when you are aiming for the global market, it becomes an x10 of a challenge.

But despite the many potential issues, international link building is one of the best ways to get your business noticed worldwide. To make it effective, though, you have to understand all the basics and complexities of this process. How do you get started? That’s exactly what we will cover in this post. Besides, we’ll walk you through the whole process step by step to help you get the results you want.

What Exactly Is International Search Engine Optimization?

International SEO is anything you do to make it easy for search engines in other countries to see your website. In the US, it’s Google; in China – Baidu and Sogou, and in Russia – Yandex. In some ways, worldwide optimization involves similar strategies you would use for your local SEO, except this time, you are scaling it up for a global audience. And that’s when it starts to look a little different.

Since the world is a pretty big place, your customers will not all speak the same language or understand the same jokes. Do you see where this is going? At some point, you might have to:

• Adjust your content to each region,
• Write in the language(s) common in each country,
• Get country-specific backlinks to your website and so on.

Naturally, SEO efforts at this scale will be more expensive and even more competitive than at the local level.

How Does International Link Building Help Your Business?

International link building should be high on your list if you are interested in using SEO to create a global business. Keep in mind – now, you are playing on a larger stage with the big brands, and there are only so many lead players that can be on this stage at the same time. That’s why getting quality backlinks from the specific regions you are targeting can make a world of difference. How so?

Well, think of it this way – until new countries know about your brand, you are basically a stranger. Relevant backlinks from local business sites serve as “virtual referrals.” They show both users and search engines that they can trust you and that you are the real deal. Plus, it is also the perfect way to reach more people, making your business more popular in a different region. Just like that, you should conquer each market one by one. How else are you going to dominate the search rankings worldwide?

While using ads to become more visible online can work, it isn’t the most sustainable approach. Besides, most people ignore all the ads as some kind of white notice, regardless of the geography. That’s why your best bet is search engine optimization. Yet, even the best SEO strategy can be quite a hassle when done on a global scale. That’s why, unless you have virtually unlimited budgets, you will go for outsourcing sooner or later.

In theory, you can delegate every single part of link building, from outreach and link insertions to PR and guest posting. No matter what you do, make sure to get an overview of the service each guest post provider covers before signing any contract (more on that later).

Should You Consider SEO Tactics for Other Countries?

International SEO is important to position your business well and give it a competitive edge in several countries. Yet, you want to ensure you are taking this move at the right time. For this, ensure you can see the following tendencies:

• Enough customers in those specific regions you are targeting.
• Your website is getting some meaningful traffic from those countries.
• Your products and services are a good fit for the global markets, especially the places you are aiming for.

How do you find this out? By using Google Analytics or any other SEO tool that can analyze traffic. If you want to go deeper, you can use the built-in filter settings to break down not only the audience geo-location but also their demographics and other vital metrics.

What if you do all this research and you don’t see good traffic volume from anywhere outside your local area? Then, going ahead might be an expensive mistake, so make sure you do your calculations before moving forward.

On the other hand, you might see good indicators showing that people in some other countries are invested in what you have to offer. In that case, focus on those specific regions where the most traffic comes from. This is a scenario when adding international link building to your SEO plans might be exactly what you need.

International Link Building: 6 Best Strategies to Gain Backlinks for Global SEO

Global link building is complex. But it gets easier once you know time-proven strategies to get high-quality backlinks in any location. That’s why we’ve listed them for you:

#1 Choose Web Pages That Are Worth the Hassle of International SEO

When creating a link-building strategy, you have to ask yourself the following questions:

• What pages do you need for your worldwide SEO?
• Can you reuse some pages that are working for other locations?
• How many new, region-specific pages do you need to create?
• Which ones are a priority for you?

By understanding these details, you can set a clear focus for your future global link building. The thing is that you can’t link to every single page equally, and honestly, you don’t need to do that. What should you do, then? Prioritize properly. When you do that, every backlink you get will make more sense.

Besides, make sure that every content piece you publish targeted at your new location is relevant to that specific area. And if you are already getting some traffic from your country/region of interest, check what pages are the top choice. Probably, they get that traffic for a reason, so promoting them even more is a good way to go.

#2 Check Your Competitors’ Backlink Profiles for Insights and Inspiration

What do you do when you are walking down an unfamiliar street without your phone, and there are no street signs? You ask someone for directions. That’s exactly the same thing you do when building international backlinks in a new place. This time, though, you are really on a hunt for ideas. And a great option to get them is through your competitors’ backlink profiles. Where do you start?

Look for websites in that specific country that offer the same or similar products/services as you do. Finding them can be a simple matter of typing your target keywords into Google and including your target location. Alternatively, you could use a VPN to change your location and then choose the “near me” tab.

Source: Google

The next step is to take the domains you find and put them into a backlink checker. You should see the details like the domain score of each site, the number of backlinks they have, and the actual websites linking to them like this:

It’s no secret that if you want to get to the first page on Google in any location, you need quality backlinks. So, analyze your competitors and try to find some link-building opportunities for yourself.

#3 Work With Platforms & Directories for Each Area You Target

The whole idea of this international link building tactic is to get an introduction from a “local authority.” Try to build a strong relationship with people the locals trust. This can be anyone from influencers to local media. In other words, you, as a stranger, have to gain trust from someone who is already well-known and trusted in that area.

As a bonus, you also get your international backlinks. There are many off-page SEO tools that can help you find relevant platforms. Just make sure you choose suitable programs for your needs. You can also use Google search to look for influencers in specific locations. Simply enter your “keyword + influencers + [city/region/country].”

Source: Google

If it’s websites you want to find, then replace influencers with websites, directories, guest posting, etc. Besides, you can do the same for podcasts, YouTube channels, and media.

Source: Google

If you already have local networks, then it might be best to ask them to give you recommendations for influencers and trendsetters. If you are simply looking for some backlinks, then go for guest posting and link insertions, as they are the least demanding ones.

#4 Support Local Causes

By now, you know that gaining trust is a big deal that affects your niche-specific link building ability. But it is a long process, as loyalty can’t be built in a day. So, try to approach this question from different angles.

If you have the budget for it, consider sponsoring or making a donation to a local cause. Apart from being a good thing for your brand image, you can get some backlinks from this. Who knows? Some local news sites might pick up the story. If the media share this story, you will be able to gain even bigger brand exposure.

Here is an example of how Lululemon, an apparel brand, supports different initiatives globally. This case is their collaboration with the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee:

Source: olympic.ca

And here is the same brand supporting China’s “left-behind” children:

Source: Dao Insights

#5 Create Worthy Content in Local Languages

Great quality content will always be a winner, no matter what the languages and regions are. It’s even better if you focus on pieces that people like to share. Think of infographics, case studies, and other visual-focused assets. Take the time to do deep research on trending issues. Then, create relevant SEO-optimized content with newly emerged data or your personal niche insights.

If you pull this off, getting links will get easier. In fact, you won’t even need to ask for them. You might have a different challenge altogether, like getting so many backlinks that some of them end up being from spammy sources. If so, make sure you know how to disavow such backlinks.

Naturally, the best way to start is with keyword research. Check what’s trending on social media in your target regions. This way, you can create content that aligns with what your global audience wants to see.

Yet, don’t make the mistake of thinking you can simply translate the content you already have in your primary language. Yes, you can do it whenever this makes sense. Still, it’s far better to first check what is actually useful for your new region.

Of course, you can simply use automatic translation for your website, but translation software won’t always catch the nuances, and your message might be lost. So, if you are being serious about the whole global market thing, pay special attention to your content, its translation, and its regional relevancy.

#6 Send Links From Your Main Website to the New Sites

Building high-quality backlinks is vital for international search engine optimization, but it is also quite expensive. Luckily, there’s always another way if you don’t have a massive budget to handle it the traditional way. If you already have a well-established website in any location, consider sending some juice from it to your new sites.

You can do it by replacing your links. Yet, make sure you only do this with backlinks that add value to your new market. Say you already have a number of mentions leading to your old page. Then, try to reach out to the webmasters and ask them to update the links with the new international version of your website. Of course, not all of them will agree (most won’t), but if some do, you can save a bit of your budget.

Here is an example of a backlink profile of the South African Apple website. Check how most of their links come from South Africa. Why? Because it adds contextual value to the location and it makes more sense for search engines.

Source: Ahref

Conclusion

International link building can be confusing at first, especially if you are just starting out. Throw in the fact that each target region might have a different search engine (not the usual Google), and things can get even more complicated. But trust us, it gets easier over time. The more you work on your global SEO, the better your results will get