Finding international SEO clients can seem daunting, but with some strategic planning, relationship building, and effective outreach, it is very achievable. This article provides actionable tips for SEO professionals looking to expand their clientele across borders.
Understand global SEO landscape and opportunities
The first step is researching which international markets offer the most SEO opportunities. Some factors to consider:
- Markets with high internet and ecommerce growth – Countries with growing online consumer spending present huge SEO potential. Research ecommerce statistics by region.
- English fluency rates – SEO has better ROI for English-fluent markets. Identify countries with high English literacy.
- Tech hub regions – Tech-forward countries like Israel, Singapore and Scandinavia tend to be very SEO-savvy.
- Tourism economies – Popular travel destinations depend heavily on SEO to attract inbound traffic so have significant opportunity.
Build an international SEO expertise
Ranking globally often requires specialized optimization tactics like:
- International domain setups, ccTLDs and gTLDs
- Crafting pages for international visitor expectations
- Multi-language and translated content
- Localized linking building strategies
- Geo-targeted pages and multi-regional sites
- International payment methods and currencies
- Culturally-appropriate content and design
Develop working knowledge in these areas to better cater to international clients.
Key skills
- Multi-lingual SEO – Use translation APIs or hire translators to create localized versions of pages and content in the languages of your target markets
- International link-building – Understand which international directories, forums, social media sites and referral opportunities allow dofollow backlink earning for different regions
- Local knowledge and regulations – Brush up on the cultural, regulatory and consumer landscapes of your focus geographies to optimize appropriately
- Global ROI tracking – Implement cross-channel analytics with augmented tracking to report ROI by traffic source, channel and locale
Establish authority as an international SEO
Successfully ranking overseas requires proving expertise to foreign clients. Some brand-building tips:
- Publish internationally-optimized advice on an SEO blog
- Host webinars sharing global SEO case studies
- Sponsor or speak at international marketing conferences
- Volunteer expertise to global nonprofits
- Pursue multilingual SEO certifications
- Get featured in SEO industry press abroad
Building an overseas personal brand establishes trust with foreign prospects.
Network with international SEO peers
Referrals from peers abroad can fast-track foreign client acquisition. Some networking best practices:
- Join SEO communities, forums and groups with international members
- Attend international SEO conferences and events
- Interviewrecognized overseas SEO thought leaders
- Research and connect with prominent multilingual SEOs
- Partner creatively with international SEO agencies
- Help international contacts optimize their US SEO
Cross-pollinating connections cultivates overseas client referrals.
Pursue overseas outsourcing contracts
Offering contracted SEO services to agencies overseas is a proven client acquisition strategy:
- Contact SEO agencies and web firms in your target regions
- Audit their existing international SEO projects for demonstration
- Provide time-zone friendly hours and English fluency
- Outline your specialized global SEO qualifications
- Provide discounted trial optimizations or audits
- Highlight successful international case studies
Position your expertise to overseas companies already serving global clients.
Optimize outbound sales outreach
When contacting international prospects directly:
- Segment prospects by specialty, region and language
- Personalize emails to reflect cultural expectations
- Spotlight client logos from their geography
- Quantify global SEO ROI in local currency
- Boost send times for their time zones
- Translate sales collateral into native languages
- Capture international lead data for retargeting
Customizing outbound efforts can dramatically improve international lead conversion.
Choose regions wisely
When prioritizing global markets to pursue, analyze:
- Top overseas referral traffic sources
- Countries leading your organic traffic
- Locations driving high inorganic traffic
- Markets with the highest on-site engagement
- Regions offering the most malleable rankings
- Countries searching your global keywords
Pursue regions already responding to you organically first before new horizons.
Key Takeaways
- Research growing ecommerce markets abroad with SEO opportunity
- Build expertise in specialized global SEO tactics
- Establish authority by actively publishing internationally
- Network strategically with overseas SEO professionals
- Pursue outsourcing contracts with foreign SEO agencies
- Localize and translate outbound sales materials
- Prioritize countries already engaging your brand
With the right relationships, expertise and effort – overseas SEO clients are a very attainable goal.
Conclusion
By developing global SEO expertise, networking strategically overseas, establishing your international authority, pursuing foreign outsourcing contracts, localizing outbound sales collateral and prioritizing regions already responding – international SEO clients are a realistic, high-value acquisition channel. Remember to optimize engagement for every culture you market towards. With persistence and cultural sensitivity, a world of SEO opportunity awaits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What countries have the biggest SEO opportunity?
Some of the top countries for SEO opportunity include China, India, Mexico, Brazil, UK, Germany, Japan and Indonesia – due to high internet usage and ecommerce growth. - How do I rank globally?
Ranking globally requires using geo-targeted pages, translated content, international linking strategies, local payment options and culturally customized optimization. - How much does international SEO cost?
Costs vary based on project complexity, target regions and necessary translations – but generally range from $750-$1500 monthly for mid-sized companies. - What is the best way to get international clients?
The best ways to get international SEO clients include networking globally, establishing your expertise abroad, pursuing foreign outsourcing contracts and localizing outbound sales materials. - Should I get an international domain?
Using country-specific domain extensions like .CN or .IN can signal locale relevance and help rankings in those regions. - Is it better to have one international site or multiple localized sites?
Generally multiple localized sites in native languages outperform a single site for international buyers. - Can I rank a US site internationally?
U.S. sites can rank internationally by optimizing for global search intents, using targeted pages and implementing hreflang markup for discovery in other regions. - How do you build international links?
You can build international links by getting featured in foreign press, volunteering expertise to NGOs abroad, publishing on localized SEO blogs, sponsoring overseas conferences and networking strategically in target markets. - How do I analyze international SEO competition?
Use tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs and Moz that provide visibility into regional ranking data and search behavior by geography to assess international competition. - Is Google different in every country?
Yes, Google uses different indexes, algorithms and ranking signals by region to deliver the most relevant local results in every country. - Should I translate my pages for each market?
Yes, human-translated pages that speak to the language and cultural nuances of every target geography will perform far better. - Can I target multiple countries on one page?
You can, but dedicated pages customized fully to each locale typically convert and rank much higher per region. - How do I track global SEO traffic?
Use Google Analytics with augmented country tracking to view and segment organic traffic, conversions and ROI by target geography. - What are the challenges of i18n SEO?
Challenges include higher costs of translation, needing more pages & domains to manage, complex analytics, achieving cultural customization per market and having to compete more globally. - Should I translate images and videos too?
Absolutely – localized imagery and video resonates much more in international markets and shows sensitivity. - Can I rank for local terms without a ccTLD?
It is possible but challenging – a country-code top level domain signals relevance which helps considerably for ranking localized keywords. - How can I find international link-building opportunities?
Options include foreign Chambers of Commerce, sponsored blog posts abroad, interviews on international podcasts, contributor posts to localized SEO resources and helping global nonprofits. - What is the best way to find SEO clients globally?
The most effective strategies include networking in localized SEO groups, advertising in international search and social channels, speaking at global marketing conferences, guest posting abroad and offering geo-targeted free audits. - Should I cold email prospects overseas?
Yes, but make sure to customize messages to cultural norms and provide locally resonant case studies. Personalized outreach converts much higher. - What languages should I prioritize for expansion?
Focus first on markets with high English fluency globally, then tackle regions where native languages give your brand the most competitive advantage.