When it comes to marketing online, some cities are better than others. Different countries, cultures, and online marketing landscapes can impact the way websites perform, but international SEO trends can help businesses of all sizes and in all locations to achieve similar results.
The way users discover content and the services businesses offer is changing. Local SEO is becoming more important, and the ways in which customers find what they are looking for is evolving.
Here, we’ll explore the top SEO trends for international marketers looking to expand their business into Germany, the country’s most popular tourism and business travel destination.
Make Your Website Compelling
The first step to SEO success is creating a website that is compelling. A 2016 HubSpot study found that 87% of executives are likely to purchase a product or service from a company that they’ve discovered on the web.
You want potential customers to come back for more, to tell their friends about what you offer, and to come back and back again. In the same study, 84% of respondents said that SEO plays a significant role in the decision-making process when purchasing a product or service online. Creating a website that is user-friendly, provides multiple options for customers, and uses effective calls-to-action is essential for SEO success.
Make Your Website Mobile-friendly
Thanks to the widespread use of mobile phones and tablets, consumers are now searching the web on the go. According to HubSpot, 59% of consumers seek information on the go. In the same study, mobile users are 7.2x more likely to visit websites and 4x more likely to make a purchase than users on a desktop.
If you are a business owner or marketer who travels to Germany often for work, you know how important it is to have a mobile-friendly business website. When creating a business site, always consider how customers are going to access it on the move and make sure that the experience is slick and seamless. Design for mobile first, test on mobile, and then implement on desktop. Doing any of these things poorly can result in lost business and an empty wallet.
Local SEO Is Key
In today’s world, users can explore the web from any location, so businesses must ensure that their websites are found when customers search for local businesses near them. When doing business in Germany, you have to follow Germany’s SEO guidelines which can be found here.
In the past, businesses could get by with just having a generic website and hoping that customers would find them. Today, you must also incorporate Google My Business, which will allow you to create a local map and include all the important information about your business including photos, location, opening hours, and more. When people find your business online, they will be able to see your opening hours, find out what services you offer, and more.
Include Keywords In Your Copy
In addition to creating a website that is compelling and mobile-friendly, you must also ensure that the content is search-engine optimal. When writing content for your website, take the time to think of relevant keywords and incorporate them into the text. You should also do the same with photographs when possible as they can greatly improve your SEO score.
If someone is looking for a restaurant in Munich, they will likely enter keyword phrases into the search bar. While it is not always possible to add keywords to photographs, you can use software such as Canva’s free SEO tool to make your content easy to manage and optimize.
Make Sure Your Website Is Up-to-date
Keeping your website up-to-date and relevant is critical to its success. This is especially important for businesses in a competitive market. If your website is out of date and poorly maintained, search engines may decide that you are trying to cheat them and flag your site as inappropriate.
Make sure to check for updates and keep your website relevant by adding new content and updating old content as necessary. If you are passionate about your business, product, or service, you will naturally want to update your website with new information as it becomes available. While this may be an important decision for you, consider how others will experience your website if it is not updated frequently enough. Doing so can greatly increase your customer’s engagement with your brand and make them advocates for your business.
Link Building Is Still Important
Building a reputation as a go-to source for information on your niche takes time, so do not expect overnight success. In the meantime, you must continue to accumulate links to your website. There are several ways to do this, including purchasing backlinks or using free tools like Google’s Free Article Spinner to create high-quality content to submit to reputable websites.
When getting started, it is best to choose websites that are related to your niche. For example, if you sell catering services, your links may appear in food blogs or websites about lifestyle, fashion, or beauty. When possible, choose websites that are authoritative in your category or niche rather than relying on sponsored posts or accepting guest contributions.
Attracting, Engaging, and Keeping the Attention of Customers
Once you have a customer, you must continue to keep their attention and grow their engagement with your brand. The key to doing so is simple; provide more value than your competitors and offer more choices. In the 2016 HubSpot study mentioned above, 66% of consumers said that product/service variety is extremely important when choosing a business. In the same study, respondents cited price as a less-important consideration.
When an online marketer creates an advertorial or sponsored post to promote a business, they typically do so for free. However, as a business owner or marketer, you should always have a monetary value in mind when deciding whether or not to accept a guest post or advertise with a company. While it is not always possible to put a price on brand integrity and trust, you can use metrics like cost-per-click or cost-per-acquisition to determine the value of a sponsored post or advertorial.
What Next?
Now that you have a business website that you own and manage, you must prepare to market it. First, you must decide whether or not to make it a paid traffic generator. If you decide that this is the best option, you will need to integrate Google Adverts, which will keep your visitors flowing in and out. Once you have enough traffic, you can consider taking on affiliates or purchasing more premium ads to further increase your earnings.