International SEO Keyword Research: The 7-Point Ultimate Guide to Dominate Global Markets

We live in a digital world where going global means thinking local, especially in SEO.

And if you have a global brand, the key to unlocking new markets and opportunities lies in mastering international SEO keyword research. Without it, you risk missing out on connecting with potential customers and the chance to stand out in diverse markets.

This article is your practical guide to avoid those issues.

You’ll learn exactly what international SEO keyword research is, why it’s a game-changer for your brand, and how to do it right.

We’ll discuss:

• Specific steps
• The right tools
• Insider tips straight from our agency’s playbook

Let’s dive in.

‍What Is International SEO Keyword Research and Why Is It Important?

International SEO keyword research is not simply translating search terms.

This SEO process entails aligning with various regions’ linguistic nuances and cultural contexts.

Keyword research for international SEO is about understanding how a person in Mexico might search for “lentes” while someone in Spain types “gafas” for the same product you know as “eyeglasses.”

This difference in search terms may seem minor, but it’s key to connecting with your target audience on a more personal level.

When you pinpoint and use region-specific keywords, you can significantly boost your online visibility and search rankings.

This approach of considering local linguistic preferences entails respecting cultural nuances.

This enhances user experience, paving the way for a more substantial and engaged customer base globally.

International vs. Domestic Keyword Research

International keyword research has some significant differences compared to your domestic keyword strategy.

Here are three things to consider:

1. Different Audiences

Each audience has its unique slang, values, and search behaviors.

For instance, what’s trendy and catchy in the U.S. might not resonate in Japan.

Language variations may arise even in countries with the same official language.

For example, British English uses “chips” for “French fries,” “gherkin” for “pickle,” and “nappy” for “diaper.”

Your keyword strategy needs to reflect these cultural nuances.

Insider tip from our agency’s playbook: When targeting a new country, engage with local online forums and social media platforms. See what words or phrases are buzzing.

This grassroots approach gives you a real feel for the local language – something even the best translation tools can miss.

Also, hiring a native-speaking SEO specialist is a game-changer.

They bring cultural insights along with their language proficiency.

A native speaker understands the subtle differences in dialects, regional expressions, and what matters to local people.

This depth of understanding transforms your keyword strategy from generic to genuinely engaging.

2. Different Search Engines

While Google may be a giant international search engine, holding a 91.62% global search market share, the landscape shifts dramatically when you enter specific countries.

Take China, where popular search engine Baidu reigns supreme with 66.52% market control, or Russia, where Yandex commands a 69.79% share.

A universal approach just won’t cut it.

Your keyword research needs to adapt to the preferences of each target market’s leading search engines.

But here’s something even more intriguing: search habits are evolving.

In 2018, almost half of the product searches in the U.S. started not on Google but on Amazon.

This pattern indicates that your SEO and advertising strategies must extend beyond traditional search engines.

Think about it: If your customers are browsing on Amazon or scrolling through social media, that’s where you need to be.

Your approach to SEO and paid advertising on these platforms will need a unique strategy tailored to the habits and preferences of users on each platform.

3. Different Keyword Difficulty

International search engine optimization reveals a surprising trend: non-English keywords can have similar search volumes to their English counterparts but with far less competition.

What’s more, they often come with lower cost-per-click (CPC) rates.

For you as an SEO professional, this is a strategic advantage.

It means you can achieve high search visibility at a lower cost, addressing your international audience with messaging that resonates and converts.

Insider tip: Don’t just look at the general search volume of non-English keywords.

Dive deeper.

Analyze the specific types of queries these keywords are involved in.

Are they part of informational searches or linked to buying decisions?

This nuanced approach can uncover hidden gems – keywords with high search volumes that align closely with your product or service, giving you a competitive edge in foreign markets.

The 7-Step Guide to International Keyword Research

Targeted SEO campaigns rely on high-quality content.

And to produce that, you need solid keyword research for different global markets.

Here’s our 7-step process right from our agency’s playbook.

1. Pick Your Keyword Research Tool

The right SEO tool depends on what you’re using it for.

And there are many such free and paid keyword research tools out there.

Here’s what we use:

• Ahrefs: It’s a powerhouse for keyword exploration, offering extensive data on keyword difficulty and search volume across different countries. Its strength lies in its massive backlink database and the ability to uncover what’s working in your target markets. Our agency leans towards Ahrefs for its robust features and reliable data. Plus, you can select the country and search engine.
• SEMrush: This tool is fantastic for its comprehensive keyword analytics and competitive analysis features. It’s particularly useful to understand how competitors perform in different international markets.
• Google Keyword Planner: While more basic, it’s invaluable for getting insights directly from Google’s data. Especially useful for understanding search trends and local search volume, it’s a solid starting point for any international SEO campaign.

Insider tip: Our custom approach entails combining Ahrefs’ keyword data with our market analysis.

This involves overlaying Ahrefs’ search volume and competition data with market-specific economic and demographic data.

That’s how we gain a unique edge in understanding the true potential of keywords in each target market.

Related: Ahrefs vs. SEMrush vs. Ubersuggest: The ULTIMATE 7-Point Comparison Guide

2. Audience Analysis to Understand Your Search Intent

The next crucial step in your international SEO strategy is audience analysis to gauge search intent.

This is where you tune into the subtle yet significant dialect and regional differences in search queries.

For example, in the US and Canada, “auto insurance” is the go-to term, while in the UK and Australia, people search for “car insurance.”

This variation might seem small, but it’s essential for connecting with the audience in your target country.

To conduct a thorough target audience analysis:

• Segment your audience based on geographical location.
• Use tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to understand search intent and foreign language nuances.

Here’s what you can expect

• SEMrush and Ahrefs: These tools offer ‘Matching Terms,’ ‘Related Terms,’ ‘Search Suggestions,’ and ’Questions’ features. These functionalities are invaluable for digging into the specifics of how people in different regions search for products or services. For example, ’Matching Terms’ and ’Related Terms’ help you discover alternative keywords that your target audience might use. ‘Search Suggestions’ and ‘Questions’ are perfect for uncovering the long-tail keywords and specific queries your audience is asking, providing deeper insights into their needs and how they express them.
• Google: Google’s Autosuggest and ‘People Also Ask’ features are goldmines for audience analysis. Autosuggest reveals what other terms people are searching for alongside your primary keyword. This can give you a real-time glimpse into trending searches. ‘People Also Ask’ offers insight into the common questions and concerns related to your keywords, writing relevant content to answer these queries directly.

A good example comes from one of our SEO campaigns for a mobile phone company that wanted to expand to Mexico.

Researching the equivalent term “telefono movil,” we found these stats:

However, the Ahrefs Related Terms report showed us a better term used in Mexico for cell phones: “celulares.”

And as you can see, this keyword’s difficulty is 14, though its volume is 91,000.

By contrast, “telefono movil” has a keyword difficulty of 38 and just 500 monthly search queries.

Now remember: Mexico uses acute and grave accents on certain vowels.

So, simply repeating the same search for “telefono movil” using these accents reveals a slightly lower keyword difficulty but considerably higher search volume:

Insider tip: When we conduct audience analysis, we combine data from these features with real-world interactions.

For instance, we analyze customer reviews and Q&A sections on e-commerce sites in the target region.

This helps us understand customers’ target language and pain points, allowing us to further fine-tune our keyword strategy.

3. Website Analysis

The third step in your international keyword research is analyzing your own website.

This is essential to understand where your organic traffic is coming from, particularly from different parts of the world.

Knowing which regions already engage with your site can help shape your international SEO strategy.

• Using Ahrefs: This tool is effective for gaining insights into where your current organic traffic originates. Ahrefs allows you to break down your traffic data by country, showing which regions are most interested in your content or products. This helps you identify potential markets where your website already has a foothold.
• Google Search Console: Google Search Console is another indispensable tool for website analysis. It provides detailed information on user demographics, including geographic location. 

Insider tip: Combine the data from both Ahrefs and Google.

Look for patterns or discrepancies between the two sets of data.

For example, if a particular region shows high engagement in Google Search Console but not in Ahrefs, it might indicate untapped potential in your keyword strategy for that area.

Using this combined approach, you can fine-tune your focus on regions with the greatest growth potential.

4. Competitive Analysis

A solid keyword gap analysis can skyrocket your international SEO strategy.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to conducting a keyword gap analysis in Ahrefs:

• Input your competitors’ domains in Ahrefs Site Explorer: You can also compare multiple competitors by adding their domains. This is particularly useful for international SEO, as you might have different market competitors.
• Navigate to the ’Content Gap’ section: This tool is specifically designed for keyword gap analysis. Enter your domain in the ’But the following target doesn’t rank for’ field. This setting allows Ahrefs to identify the relevant keywords your competitors are ranking for, but your site is not.
• Analyze the results: Once you click "Show keywords," Ahrefs will provide a list of target keywords your competitors rank for, which you don’t. Pay attention to keyword volume, difficulty, and ranking pages. These metrics will help you assess which keywords are worth targeting.
• Filter for specific countries: Since you’re focusing on international SEO, use Ahrefs’ filters to narrow the results by specific countries. This will give you a clearer picture of your target market’s competitive landscape.
• Identify opportunities: Look for high-volume, low-difficulty keywords that your competitors are ranking for but you are not. These represent opportunities to capture additional traffic.

Alternatively, you can input just one competitor at a time and analyze their organic keywords and organic pages.

Let’s say we’re not afraid of paperwork and have enough funds to launch a bank in Mexico.

One of our top competitors is the Mexican bank Banorte.

After adding its URL in Ahrefs Site Explorer, we click on Organic Keywords and exclude the brand name “Banorte” from the results.

You can immediately see some good ideas that will help you rank faster:

You can also notice some important differences in writing particular keywords, as in “clave intervancaria” vs. “clabe interbancaria.”

Spanish speakers understand that a common mistake is using ’v’ instead of ’b’ in specific words, but the user intent is the same.

You can leverage this particularity because many people in the region will make the same grammatical error in their search queries.

Insider tip: When conducting a keyword gap analysis, look for niche terms that might be more relevant to your products or services.

These can offer quick wins and less competitive avenues for increasing your international presence.

5. Find Your Keywords

Your international SEO efforts depend on finding the right keywords.

Consider the following metrics in Ahrefs:

• Competitors’ Domain Rating (DR): This metric indicates the strength of a website’s backlink profile. A high DR competitor can be challenging to outrank but don’t be deterred. Sometimes, these domains rank for keywords they aren’t specifically targeting, leaving room for you to step in.
• Keyword Volume: This shows how many times a keyword is searched per month. While high volume is attractive, low-volume keywords can also be valuable. They typically have lower competition and can be highly specific to your niche, offering a targeted approach to your content marketing strategy.
• Keyword Difficulty (KD): KD estimates how hard it would be to rank for a keyword. A high KD suggests a lot of competition, but remember, if your site already has a strong backlink profile, you might be able to handle these more challenging keywords.
• Traffic Potential: This metric goes beyond just search volume. It gives an idea of the actual traffic you might gain if you rank for the keyword. Sometimes, a keyword with a lower search volume can drive more traffic due to higher relevance or engagement.
• Linking domains and number of backlinks: A keyword with many linking domains and backlinks may seem difficult to rank for. However, the quality of these links matters. If most linking domains have low DR, this competition might be easier to match or surpass.

Insider tip: Don’t overlook the power of long-tail keywords.

Our agency found that combining several low-volume, low-competition long-tail keywords can sometimes drive more total traffic than one high-volume keyword.

This strategy can be particularly effective for international sites because nuanced local terms might not have high search volumes but are highly relevant to the audience.

And don’t forget to match the search intent.

For example, “tarjeta interbancaria” is an easy term to rank for:

But you also have to match the search intent. Ahrefs shows you the top-ranking websites for this head term:

Notice how these websites discuss a slew of topics.

Also, their top keyword seems to be “clabe interbancaria” not “tarjeta interbancaria.”

These distinctions will help you write relevant content that ranks higher on local search engines.

6. Localize Keywords

Tl;dr: The goal of localizing keywords is to resonate.

You want your keywords to feel natural and relevant to the local audience, capturing their unique way of expressing their search queries.

When researching keywords for international SEO, the main temptation is using an automatic translation tool.

These machine translation tools can quickly handle large volumes of keywords, but they can miss the nuances of native languages and cultural contexts.

Remember: Manual translation performed by a human translator is invaluable.

A human can adjust the search query to match the local search intent more accurately.

For example, consider the different dialects in the English language.

In the United States, people might search for “grocery stores” to buy food and household goods.

However, in the UK, the same place is typically referred to as a “supermarket.”

Insider tip: Local SEO experts and native speakers help us with language targeting by reviewing our translated keywords.

They help us catch cultural subtleties that automatic translations miss.

For instance, in one campaign, we found that a literal translation for a product term was technically correct but not the term actually used by locals in casual conversation.

Adjusting to the colloquial term significantly improved our campaign’s effectiveness.

7. Check Localized Keywords

The final step in your international keyword research process is to re-evaluate and adapt your list of keywords using an SEO tool.

Basically, you want to ensure you can rank in the foreign markets you target.

Analyze:

• The keyword search volume in the local market: Ensure your potential keywords have a significant monthly search volume in the target region. You want to confirm that your intended audience is actively searching for these terms.
• Keyword difficulty: Check the competitiveness of these localized terms to assess the difficulty of ranking for these keywords in the local market. You might find that some localized terms are less competitive, offering a valuable opportunity.
• Content relevance: Verify that these keywords align well with your content or the products/services you offer. They should seamlessly integrate into your website and marketing materials, making sense both linguistically and contextually.
• SERP features: Look at the search engine results pages (SERPs) for these keywords. Are there local features like maps or reviews that you need to consider? Understanding the layout of the SERPs can help you tailor your content strategy accordingly.

Insider tip: When checking localized keywords, try to forecast future trends or seasonal variations that might affect these keywords.

For instance, we often analyze the past year’s data to predict upcoming trends or seasonal spikes in certain terms. This forward-thinking approach helps us stay ahead in the game and capitalize on opportunities before they become obvious to everyone.

International SEO Keyword Research: 5 Mistakes to Avoid

Now, you’re ready to implement your SEO keyword research strategy for international markets.

To hone that even more, avoid the mistakes below:

1. Direct Translation

Relying solely on direct translation of keywords leads to missed opportunities and misinterpretations.

Words and phrases can have different meanings and connotations or might not be used at all in your target market.

Understanding the cultural context is as important as the language itself.

2. Lack of Nuance

Keywords need to reflect the nuances of language and local usage.

For example, in real estate, what’s known as a “flat” in the UK is typically referred to as an “apartment” in the U.S.

Similarly, in Spanish, a car can be called “carro” in some countries, “coche” in others, and “auto” in different regions.

Failing to recognize these subtleties can lead to ineffective keyword targeting and reduced relevance to the local audience.

3. Disregarding Local Search Engines

While Google dominates globally, local search engines have significant market shares in certain regions.

For instance, Baidu in China and Yandex in Russia are crucial for effective SEO in these countries.

Ignoring these platforms can result in missing a large target audience segment.

4. Ignoring Regional Trends and Events

Local trends, cultural events, and regional news influence search behavior significantly.

Relevant content aligned with these local happenings can significantly boost relevance and engagement.

Conversely, neglecting these factors can lead to a disconnect with the local audience and missed SEO opportunities.

5. Not Hiring an Expert SEO

International SEO is complex and requires expertise in search engine optimization, cultural nuances, and language targeting.

Without the guidance of an expert, especially one familiar with your target region, it’s easy to make costly mistakes.

An expert can provide invaluable insights into local search habits, cultural nuances, and effective keyword strategies.

Wrapping Up

You now have a clearer picture of the immense value international SEO brings.

You’ve learned the intricacies of adapting your keyword strategy to resonate across different cultures and languages, the importance of tailoring your approach to local search engines, and the crucial need for expert analysis in understanding regional trends.

The key takeaway?

Successful international SEO is about transformation – adapting to each unique market with sensitivity and precision.

The right mindset for international SEO is one of openness and adaptability.

It’s about embracing the diversity of global markets and understanding that what works in one region may not in another.

If you’re ready to take your brand global or if you’re an SEO agency looking for comprehensive white-label services in international SEO, our agency can help.

We specialize in crafting bespoke international SEO strategies, and we can turn the insights and techniques discussed here into tangible results.

Book a free strategy call to discuss the specifics of expanding your reach and connecting with audiences worldwide.