International SEO For Shopify Stores
If your business operates in, or plans to expand into, different territories, you need to make sure you’re optimised for SEO internationally. Find out how Eastside Co can help.
Should Your Online Business Go International?
Perhaps you’ve launched your Shopify store, and you’re building a customer base in your home country. As people start to notice your brand, your message gets spread across a wider audience and you’re getting more visitor enquiries from international prospects. And if you’re about to hit that elusive sweet spot in your market, you’ll want to maximise the opportunity of going global while you can - and part of that is making sure you get right in front of your target audience.
What Is International SEO?
‘International SEO’ refers to the process of optimising websites to allow search engines to understand which countries you want to target, and the languages that will be used. It helps search engines understand information on your Shopify site that is meant for international visitors, increasing your visibility and providing a better user experience for your new audience.
Key SEO Factors To Consider
Some international SEO factors that are key considerations include:
- the structure and architecture of your site
- which countries you’re going to target
- which language you’ll need to use (choosing the appropriate language tags, as well as content in your target users’ languages)
- making sure you’re able to rank on local search engines (for example Yandex in Russia and Baidu in China)
- utilising local keywords and phrases for on-page optimisation
- international link-building & outreach campaigns
These are all areas that we help our clients manage to ensure maximum impact online in their new territory as quickly as possible.
Implementing Hreflang
Another example of essential international SEO activity is implementing Hreflang. It’s an HTML attribute that indicates to search engines when there are alternate versions of a page intended for a different region/language audience. It’s one of the more complicated elements of international SEO, so we’ve written a complete guide to Hreflang explaining what it is, why it’s important and how it can be implemented effectively. It’s another important area we manage for our clients when they’re expanding into new territories.
Eastside Co’s Approach To International SEO for Shopify
If your Shopify business is in a position to expand from domestic to international trading, you’ll need to make sure you tick all the boxes from a technical, structural and content point of view to make sure your expansion is a success. It’s important to start this process as early as possible.
Using international SEO best practices, Eastside Co’s team of experienced SEO professionals make sure the search engine giants understand which countries you’d like to target and which languages you use, boosting your search performance in those regions.
Contact our SEO team for a discussion about your expansion strategy and we’ll be able to advise on next steps and how we can help you make it a success.