With so many competitors in the world of search these days, it comes as no surprise that more and more brands have been in pursuit of new ways in which to overcome the competition. Search engine optimization has long been one way in which brands and businesses attempt to optimize their sites’ performance in various search engine results. International SEO has become increasingly common – particularly in the world of the e-commerce – due to the fact that duplicate content can often be detrimental when used across multiple sites that provide the same service but do so in different languages or countries. Today, we’ll talk about which myths regarding international SEO you should disavow and how best to get the most out of such efforts.

Different Domains Are Necessary

There is a running belief that in order to perform well in multiple international markets, that a separate domain is needed for each market or country. This is completely false! When pinging for SEO in international markets, the most important element for success is that you are sending signals to search engines that are relevant to one or more international audiences. Sub-directories, sub-domains and various forms of top level domains can all be used to achieve better performance in a variety of international markets. Whichever one of these you decide to go with will be fine; just remember to adequately ping search engines with relevant signals and indicators that signify the pages’ relevance in those markets.

Commercial Domains Are Best

Many people have insisted for years that the use of .com domains are absolutely necessary in order to excel at international search engine optimization. Unfortunately for these people, such advice is incorrect. In order to perform well in search, the use of any prominent top level domain can be used. This means that not only will .com work, but domains such as .org and .net will also perform well. Many other TLDs will not function well in international SEO, so when in doubt, err on the side of caution and utilize one of the main three that are guaranteed to do do well. At the end of the day, however, quality content and the right signals will make a larger difference than any domain choice.

Cookie-Cutter Strategies Work

There is a belief that because search engines are common throughout the world and that many countries use the same search engines, that the same strategies for international SEO can be deployed anywhere. Unfortunately for those who believe this, such an approach can truly falter. Different parts of the globe utilize different types of inquiries in order to find what they need, meaning that a cookie-cutter approach to pinging for SEO will not function as intended. In some parts of the globe, the formatting for keywords will be different. In other parts of the world, the strategies for marketing will resonate differently. Without an adequate understanding of the native languages and cultures spoken in all of the areas that are being targeted, obtaining a SEO strategy that truly works will be merely a process of trial and error.