Global SEO is important for many reasons, but the two most obvious benefits are increased traffic and sales.

The first goal of Global SEO is to increase website traffic. This is achieved by ranking your site higher on Google for relevant keywords. For example, if you run a company selling men’s sunglasses, ranking for the query “blue titanium men’s sunglasses” could drive significant traffic to your site. There’s a saying: no traffic, no business. Global SEO solves this problem.

The second benefit of Global SEO is sales. Of course, driving people to your site is great, but what’s the point if the traffic doesn’t convert? By focusing on Global SEO, you can target keywords with user purchase intent, increasing the likelihood that your traffic converts into sales. SEO agencies also help optimize your site’s speed, enhancing user experience and boosting conversion potential. The content team will also craft copy that educates and builds trust with your visitors, guiding them closer to making a purchase.

While there are many similarities between local and global SEO, it’s important to understand the key differences. Local SEO focuses exclusively on a location that’s crucial for the business – typically local businesses such as neighborhood technicians, restaurants, bars, and retail stores. These businesses usually won’t benefit as much from global SEO since their customer base is smaller and geographically limited. Beyond targeting the location, local SEO shares many similarities with global SEO, such as on-page and off-page SEO strategies.

In contrast, the goal of Global SEO is widespread international growth. A solid global SEO strategy focuses on scaling traffic growth, targeting relevant keywords in multiple territories and countries worldwide (often in multiple languages). Global SEO is for businesses that want to expand into new markets or whose products and services have no physical borders – think software companies, e-commerce brands, global agencies, and more. Global SEO focuses on expanding traffic, leads, and sales worldwide and is a driving force behind many successful enterprise businesses.

The first step in starting international SEO is deciding whether to handle it internally or hire third parties (like an international SEO agency or specialist). If you choose to manage international SEO internally, you’ll need to hire an entire team – including digital strategists, technical specialists, outreach experts, and SEO copywriters. From there, the team will create an international SEO strategy and focus on execution. Given the many factors involved in international SEO, many companies that manage SEO internally still outsource certain tasks to agencies (like technical implementation or link building).

If you decide to work with an international SEO agency, the first step is choosing one. Make sure to find an agency with excellent Google reviews and, if possible, multiple case studies of successful SEO campaigns in your niche or industry. Once hired, the agency prepares the strategy and usually begins executing the campaign immediately. While they may require your input occasionally, the agency handles most of the work and communicates results directly through your account manager.

Ah, the age-old question business owners have been asking since the dawn of SEO. The truth is that companies have successfully executed international SEO campaigns both internally and by hiring agencies. Managing SEO in-house has its benefits – mainly, giving you more control and oversight of the entire process, which many companies prefer.

However, while managing international SEO internally may seem ideal, it’s highly resource-intensive. International SEO is significantly larger and more time-consuming than local SEO and requires a full team to strategize and execute campaigns. You’ll need a technical specialist, a digital strategist, content creators, and an outreach expert at minimum. Hiring for these roles can be extremely costly and time-consuming.

On the other hand, an international SEO agency is far more cost-effective and can start working for you quickly. It’s hard to beat that kind of speed, especially in today’s hyper-competitive environment.