Meet the Author

SEO is changing… again.

But this time, it’s not just a tweak to the algorithm or a new best practice. It’s a fundamental shift in the way people find information in the first place.

For the past 25 years, search has followed the same basic playbook. You typed something into Google or Bing, scanned a list of links, snippets, videos, and “people also ask boxes”, and clicked your way to an answer. Brands optimized to rank. Consumers skimmed. The interface evolved, but the underlying model stayed the same.

In today's search landscape, a global approach is paramount. Building an SEO strategy can be complicated, and it’s tempting to take shortcuts and ignore international search and the challenges that come with it. This shortcut can be incredibly costly, however, and can cause your business to lose valuable traffic.

It’s not uncommon for multiple versions of websites to be created to accommodate users of various languages and, unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for this to be done without appropriate planning. It may be easy to rely on a cookie-cutter approach, but it’s not sustainable. And moreover, it can have potentially damaging impacts on your brand.

There may not be a one-size-fits-all approach to international SEO. In fact, we know there isn't. International SEO is complicated. It is its own complex beast. And there are a number of big considerations to think about when setting your strategy. Your reasons for creating an international strategy may be entirely different from someone else’s, and as such, the things you include and the way you execute on them will likely be different too.

Let’s walk through some of the most important considerations so you’re well equipped to develop a tailored approach to your international SEO plan.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have two passions in my life: family and SEO. If I’m not posting cute baby pics on Instagram, then I’m reading and learning more about SEO, testing new ideas and pushing the limits of how we define it. I love that SEO requires a mix of technical expertise and creative thinking so I never get bored with my work. I love the tight-knit community of SEOs that results in many of us being on a first-name basis, even if we’ve never met in person. And because I have the “forever a student” mindset, I love that SEO requires a skill set that is always evolving and pushing me to keep learning.

Arguably, we’re in the midst of the mobile age. Google says we’re moving into an AI-first world, beyond the mobile-first one. Mobile surpassed desktop back in 2015, and today, more than half of all Google searches are done on a mobile device. Over 60 percent of all searches came from mobile devices in 2016.

Searching for an app in app stores is a bit like searching on the web used to be. It’s basically a black box – you never know what you’re going to get. In fact, your search can be exceptionally specific and still not find what you’re looking for. For example, see what happens when I search for Adobe Analytics on the iTunes App Store.