Link building is an essential part of an SEO strategy for overseas expansion. Internal links, external links and backlinks form the network that Google and other search engines' algorithms navigate. Let's take a look at the latter types of links, because although they are all important, they are the ones that have the greatest impact on search engine positions.
In this article you will learn the answers to a question such as:
- Why should link building be an important part of your SEO strategy?
- How to acquire links naturally?
- What role do backlinks have in the link building process?
- How do you know if backlinks from other sites strengthen the authority of the site?
What does link building consist of?
Link building involves acquiring valuable backlinks (backlinks) from other sites.
Link building increases a site's authority and generates traffic, but it is important that the process is natural and follows search engine guidelines. In addition to external links, internal linking, which connects different pages within a single site, is also important. Internal linking helps search engine robots understand the structure and hierarchy of content on a site, and makes it easier for users to navigate the site.
What is a backlink? Definition of
A backlink (backlink) is a link leading from one website to another. Backlinks are also known as inbound links. They are extremely important for SEO, as search engines such as Google use their number and quality to measure the popularity and relevance of sites.
A backlink consists of several elements:
- Anchor text - is a clickable text (e.g., keyword) that leads to another page.
- Hyperlink - this is a URL, i.e. a place where the user will be taken to when clicking on anchor text.
- Link attribute - dofollow links pass SEO value (known as "link juice") to the landing page. Nofollow indicates to search engines not to pass it to the landing page.
International SEO and link building - what to keep in mind?
Is the process of positioning links to a site abroad similar to local SEO efforts, but on a larger scale?
Overseas expansion comes with greater challenges. The main differences between international and local SEO lie in cost, content, competition and, of course, customer expectations.
Site language optimization
Optimize the most important elements of the site such as:
- URLs
- Metadata (page titles and meta descriptions)
- Navigation headers, footers and all links
- Text on images and alternative text on images
- Image file names
- Header tags
- Anchor text for links.
Existing content may not be relevant to a new foreign audience. Before you start translating all the subpages, start by researching the target audience in your market. It will probably be more beneficial to create new content for the target region - something both potential customers and search engines will appreciate.
Local competitors
By analyzing your competitors' links, you will learn where your target audience is staying online and what type of content they appreciate.
You can use various tools, such as Moz or Ahrefs, which will provide you with information about your competitors' traffic, keywords, links, etc. Once you have identified sites from your niche or industry, try contacting the site owner to inquire about a potential link.
Effective link building abroad: how to acquire links?
Focus on a long-term strategy to build higher positions in the SERPs with links placed on other sites. It's worth taking a comprehensive approach:
- from the aforementioned optimization of the site and creation of new content in the target language,
- By gaining links from local and global sources,
- After representing the brand at local events.
Editorial backlinks
Also known as "natural" links, because all you have to do is make sure you have quality content.
They usually come from sites that link to them because they believe it offers their surfers valuable information. Article content should be well-written, visually appealing and provide real value to readers. It doesn't have to be just blog text, as users like to link to infographics, videos, reports and studies.
Links from guest blog posts
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to exchange links while increasing brand recognition. Publishing content on other sites is part of Digital PR efforts, which involves finding valuable sites and connecting with their owners.
Links to biographies
Putting a link to your site in the main body of an article is not an option? Try using guest blogging to your advantage. Some sites allow you to place links from other sites under the post, in the author's bio section.
Comments
This option is often used by spammers, who tend to leave dozens of identical-looking messages everywhere they can. However, a valuable comment with a link is a completely different situation.
Make sure you leave thoughtful and relevant comments on blogs, forums and other sites that operate in your niche and allow such activity. This type of link building requires patience.
Company profiles
Platforms such as Yelp, Google My Business and LinkedIn are places where you can create a company profile and add links to your site. Creating company profiles is one way to increase your company's online presence, improve website traffic and reach more potential customers.
Links from local resources
If you want to rank higher in foreign search engines, it's important to link your site to local resources.
To acquire quality backlinks from high authority sites and online directories, start by conducting an audit of your existing backlinks. This will help you identify which existing backlinks are from low authority sites or directories and should therefore be removed.
After removing low-quality links, create a list of potential link-building options in your target country or region.
Keep in mind that in order to successfully acquire a backlink to a local website, you need to offer something of value in return - most often it is high-quality content.
Links from the US
When it comes to international link building, one of the most frequently asked questions is: Where should the links come from?
For example, if we optimize international SEO for Spanish clients, do links from the US make sense? While it may seem counterintuitive, the answer is yes - as long as the content is relevant.
If, say, a French-language CBD discussion forum links to a Polish manufacturer's website with a .pl or .eu domain, such a link would be considered natural - country and language don't matter that much in such a case. For the same reason, plenty of sites that are not located in the United States link to .com domains - because of the relevant information.
Besides, there are a lot of Spanish speakers in the U.S., so links from that location will appear naturally.
Industry events
Natural link acquisition is facilitated by an expert position in the foreign market. The best way to build it is to participate in industry events. These can be trade fairs, conferences and even local meetings.
Networking with local press, journalists, bloggers, influencers or podcasters is an opportunity to gain links. Looking for upcoming events will be made easier by following hashtags on social media or using sites such as Eventbrite and Meetup.
Backlinks: how to measure the effectiveness of link building?
Effective link building, that is?
There are several aspects to consider in evaluating whether a foreign SEO link building strategy is effective.
- Authority - the biggest is with popular industry sites and well-known services, for example, for a hair salon, favorable links are those that will appear on the page of the most popular event in the country related to hair trends.
- Anchor text - anchor text gives Google a signal about the content of the page.
- The dofollow/nofollow attribute - the nofollow attribute will not convey the value of the link to search engine algorithms.
- Relevance - refers to the similarity (keywords, subject matter) between the website with the link and yours, e.g. a car parts company can get a valuable backlink on a sub-site of a company offering car service.
Different tools have their own indicators. One of the most popular tools used in the SEO process, is Ahrefs.
In Ahrefs you will check the authority using Domain Rating.
You can also use a free tool.
What DR score is the best? In theory, the higher the better, but similar domains are considered in the evaluation. If most of them have a DR of 20, and the site you want to acquire links from has 55, that's a good score.
Let's take another look at the metric next to it.
UR is a URL score that indicates the strength of a backlink profile. A higher number (0-100) indicates a stronger profile.
Benefits of acquiring valuable external links
Building a valuable link profile takes time and strategy, because quality matters more than the sheer number of links.
- Impact on SEO
High-quality backlinks are one of the main ranking factors for search engines such as Google, so they must not be missing from your international SEO strategy.
- Incoming traffic from other sites
Links published in strategic places, such as on popular websites as sponsored articles or placed in content with similar themes, will generate additional traffic to the site.
- Building a position in the industry
Sites that have quality external links are often seen as more reliable by both users and search engine algorithms.
Imagine that your site is linked by a popular site. Immediately, it would affect the image of your company, but also the authority of the domain. This is why many site owners strive to have their sites mentioned by top sites.
- Building relationships and networks
The process of acquiring backlinks is done by establishing contact with site owners, bloggers, specialized sites, influencers. This is a prelude to further cooperation and development of marketing in a new market.
Summary
Links placed on other sites have an important role in SEO international, because they help a company build search engine position in its target market. It's also a way to reach new audiences with the help of the recognition that popular sites generate.
However, remember that link building is a process. For starters, make sure to optimize your content and analyze your competitors. The next step is to acquire valuable backlinks in various ways. Linking strategy and digital PR must be based on data. These are provided by SEO and analytical tools such as, for example, Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Analytics, Google Search Console.
If you want the support of an SEO agency, write to us. Our team knows how to acquire valuable links abroad and take care of a natural link profile, as exemplified by this case study: Over 400% growth every month thanks to a dedicated outreach campaign for SaaS
