Publishers struggle with international SEO strategies

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

Global news publishers often struggle with ineffective search engine optimization strategies when attempting to target international audiences, according to industry experts.

Many common international SEO tactics, such as relying on a single generic top-level domain or using hreflang tags for same-language markets, frequently fail to deliver desired results for news organizations.

A generic top-level domain, such as .com, is typically effective for international audiences only if a publisher possesses strong brand equity, high direct traffic, significant brand searches, and publishes content in a single language, Search Engine Journal reported.

Publishing content in multiple languages on a single domain can be an effective strategy when a publisher aims to reach a multilingual audience within a specific country, such as targeting English and Spanish speakers in the United States, according to SEO consultant Barry Adams.

Google considers content translated into a different language as unique, meaning that hreflang tags are not necessary to distinguish between these translated versions, Adams explained.

However, using hreflang tags to target multiple countries with the same language, for example, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia with English content, is often ineffective for news publishers.

This ineffectiveness stems from Google‘s slow reindexing process for news content, which can hinder the timely recognition of hreflang directives, Adams told Search Engine Journal.

Google treats hreflang tags as hints rather than strict directives, and their implementation is frequently complex, leading to invalid or incomplete setups that further diminish their utility for news organizations, Adams noted.

The Guardian, for instance, has demonstrated success in international markets through strong brand recognition, which allows its generic TLD to perform globally despite publishing primarily in English.

Experts advise news publishers to carefully evaluate their audience, content strategy, and technical SEO capabilities before deploying international SEO tactics that may not align with the fast-paced nature of news content.

Source: Search Engine Journal