A recent post on the r/TechSEO subreddit questioned increasing European Union (EU) localized traffic to an EU domain resident in the United States (US). Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, replied. One user who was
managing a .com and a parallel subdomain of.eu looked for ways to drive more traffic into the latter without completely losing visibility on international search engines like Google.
Mueller provided valuable insights for effective optimization, presenting five key suggestions:
Mueller pointed out the importance of implementing hreflang tags. These tags are important in steering users from Europe into the EU subdomain. This makes the site and its contents more accessible to and relevant to a European audience.
Server Location’s Limited Impact
Mueller questioned the prevailing wisdom that server location has a major impact on performance. However, he countered this view that server location is less important than most people think.
This insight gives SEO pros and website owners the freedom to choose a server hosting location without worrying they’ll hamper search-engine visibility.
Mueller explained one of the problems with re-using content but in a different imaginary world, particularly where it is not possible to use an entirely new language for each domain: canonical tags.
Such tags serve as an important indicator of the preferred version and help marketers and SEO experts manage content properly. (Source)
Optimize for Local Search Intent
Taking Mueller’s ideas further, how about optimizing content for local search intent? Tailoring content in line with various regional specifics, cultural subtleties, and language differences within the EU is necessary. This method makes the site more relevant to audiences from across Europe.
Leverage Local Backlinks
In order to promote the availability of the EU subdomain further, take special care with local backlinks from high-quality sources within European countries.
In addition to contributing toward higher search rankings, it also creates credibility for the site within a particular geographic area.
The appropriate combination of Mueller’s proposals with other methods designed to optimize local SEO will help website owners increase the EU subdomain’s sense of naturalness within European markets.
These insights give you a complete roadmap for international search engine optimization and, at the same time, satisfy local user tastes.
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