Growing your online presence across more than one region involves more than just translating content. Each region you look at to expand carries its own unique opportunities and challenges particularly when it comes to developing a tailored SEO strategy that targets specific local audiences and encompasses both technical and on-page SEO techniques.

So how can you refine your SEO approach to target different regions more effectively?

Conduct regional market research

Start by understanding local search intent, industry trends and competitor strategies in each region.

• Identify local competitors: Analyse top-performing regional competitors, and look at their keywords, site structure and content.
• Understand regional search intent: Users from different regions may use the same search terms with different intentions, for example, a UK user might search “Solicitor Near Me”, and a US user might search “Attorney Near Me” as a variation.
• Regional keyword research: Gather keyword data in each market to identify popular search phrases, emerging trends and locally relevant keywords that drive search traffic.

Localise content to improve relevance

Create locally relevant content that considers everything from language and tone to specific cultural references that reflect regional preferences such as using the word “optimise” instead of “optimize”. Effective content localisation helps users you want to target feel seen and understood, increasing engagement and conversions and signal relevance to Google to aid ranking potential.

Consider the following:

• Language nuances: Use regional dialects, slang, and culturally appropriate terms to create a ‘natural’ experience for both users and search engines.
• Cultural sensitivity: Consider local customs and values. Certain messaging and visual content that works well in one region, may not translate into another seamlessly.
• Localised calls-to-action (CTAs): Ensure CTAs match each audience’s unique preferences to deliver optimal conversion rates

Localisation focuses more on connecting with your audiences in a familiar and relevant way, more than just technical set-up.

Optimise for local search engines

While Google still accounts for 90% of searches globally, it is not always the chosen search engine in every region. If you are looking to expand into wider markets such as China, Russia, and South Korea they all have their own local search engines (Baidu, Yandex and Naver) that prioritise rankings differently from Google. By optimising for other search engines, you can unlock new growth opportunities to drive better performance regionally.

Monitor performance and optimise based on regional data

Regional SEO, like any SEO strategy, requires ongoing adaptation. By regularly analysing regional performance data such as engagement rate, conversion rate and average time on sire you can gain insight into the effectiveness of your SEO strategy in your chosen region.

Use this data to:

• Identify content gaps: To see where users engage and where they exit to find content that resonates.
• Refine keyword targeting: Monitor keyword performance in each region to refine and adjust based on user’s habits and trends.
• CTAs & User Experience optimisation: Test different CTAs and design elements to display content uniquely to see what engages those audiences the most.

In summary

Effective regional SEO is a balance between brand consistency and local relevance. By conducting in-depth market research and implementing strategic localisation techniques and considering search engine criteria (that is not only Google), but you can also successfully engage audiences in new markets and increase your online visibility accordingly.

County Broadband a long-standing PLMR client are a perfect example of where regional/local SEO has been effective to help improve their existing online presence. As a rural ISP (internet Service provider) targeting local audiences is pivotal to their growth. To help them stand out, PLMR developed a localised SEO strategy focused on targeting audiences on a ‘hyperlocal’ level.

PLMR tracked and optimised the website for geo-specific long-tail keywords and phrases such as “broadband in Essex”, “broadband in rural areas”, and “do I need full-fibre broadband”. By optimising on-page content and securing links from relevant, high-authority sites through ongoing content marketing and outreach, PLMR raised their digital presence significantly over 12 months.

Total website visitors increased by 45%, with a 47% rise in new visitors. Traffic by organic search increased by 16%, with search visibility on Google up by 30% and sales up by 10%.

Looking to expand your website’s online presence? Contact our team for expert digital advice today.