- Don’t Just Build Links; Build Relationships
Yes, links are still important. And because links are based on the idea of recommendations, I don’t ever think they will leave the ranking factors.
Even though Google’s position is that you should not build links, there are still tactical ways to approach this ongoing gain of authority.
Focus on quality over quantity.
A relevant link from a site with a domain rating of 50 and few outgoing links will earn you better rankings than ten irrelevant links from sites with less than 10 ratings for domain authority.
But don’t be tempted by unsolicited LinkedIn connections asking you to buy their links. Instead, build relationships with marketers or people from the industry you work in.
Remember too that for international SEO, links have different values depending on the origin of the backlink.
If your site gets a lot of backlinks from URLs ending with “.it” it gives Google the impression that your site is relevant to audiences in Italy and it can therefore rank accordingly on those local SERPs. Local links will have the highest impact on search results.
It’s not about trying every single tactic. It’s about finding what works for you in each country and using that on a larger scale.
- Keep an Eye on International & Local Search Trends
2020 brought us dramatic shifts in search volume and behavior due to the pandemic.
In general, however, our preferences are constantly changing and trends can vary widely from country to country.
Check out “working remotely,” for example, which increased from 22,200 to 40,500 in monthly searches in the U.S. – an 82% increase, from October 2019 to 2020. In the UK, the search volume for the same term over the same period increased 175% from 4,400 to 12,100 in monthly searches.
Search volume for working remotely in the UK, part of an international SEO comparison.
Clearly, there is a larger market in the U.S.
If you were a company like Zoom and had to choose where to allocate budget, the U.S. market has greater potential.
You can use a tool like SEOmonitor for trends and volume search, as I have done above. Or, use Google Trends for finding upcoming trends in every market.
Google has also released its Year in Search, which can give you key insights into the market you work in.
- Create a Plan & Execute
In the world of SEO, you’ll have a lot of analysis but in the end, it’s all about execution.
Based on what we just went through, you should now be in a better position to create a plan – a roadmap – and start executing.
Divide your punch list into technical SEO, content, and link building. From there, create your own optimization calendar.
I recommend using this marketing calendar to get started.
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