Scale a global SEO strategy with limited resources (and buy-in!)

My Brighton SEO talk from Friday 15th September 2023:

How to implement a global SEO strategy across an organisation where budgets, resources, and buy-in may be low. I will cover best practices and my experience in implementing them in these circumstances to hit KPIs.

Feel free to get in contact:
https://idoseo.co.uk/lets-talk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhsingh84/
https://twitter.com/SukhSingh84

Transcript

1. Scale a global SEO
   strategy with limited
   resources and buy-in!
   Sukhjinder Singh
   IDoSEO.co.uk
   Speakerdeck.com/sukhsingh/
   @SukhSingh84
   

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2. Country 1 (HQ)
   Country 2 Country 3
   You’re going global, great!
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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3. Country 1 (HQ)
   Country 2 Country 3
   But, there's limited expertise
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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4. Country 1 (HQ)
   Country 2 Country 3
   Different levels of resources
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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5. Country 1 (HQ)
   Country 2 Country 3
   And, potentially low buy-in
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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6. Country 1
   Country 2 Country 3
   ??
   How can we navigate this?
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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7. Research & Planning
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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8. Macro KPIs:
   • +20% traffic Q4
   •+15% revenue / conv. Q4
   Micro KPIs:
   •+20% keyword visibility Q4
   •+5% domain authority Q4
   •+10% blog engagement Q4
   Define global KPIs, e.g.:
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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9. Performance: your traffic
   @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
   .co.uk
   

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10. Performance: your visibility
    Competitor
    Competitor
    Competitor
    Competitor
    Competitor
    Competitor
    You
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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11. Performance: domain authority
    Competitor
    Competitor
    Competitor
    Competitor
    You
    = Prioritise on-page + technical SEO
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    Domain
    authority
    Domain
    authority
    = Prioritise link building / earning
    

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12. Market research: global populations
    Source: worldpopulationreview.com, statista.com
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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13. Market research: search vs region
    Source: alphametic.com, statista.com
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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14. Market research: languages vs region
    Source: languageknowledge.eu
    E.g., Spain:
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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15. Source: GA4, ‘demographic details’ report
    Market research: languages vs region
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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16. China
    India
    US
    UK
    Market research: social media use
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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17. China
    India
    US
    UK
    Market research: how users enquire
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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18. Market research: chat to local teams!
    Sales
    Cust.
    Service
    Tell me about
    clients in your
    regions?
    My clients are formal
    and reserved, prefer
    closing big sales in
    person.
    My clients prefer
    native speakers /
    trans-created content.
    You
    Tech
    team
    I’ve got so many
    content ideas
    (E.E.A.T.!)
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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19. Opportunities vs resources
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    US
    China
    Ireland
    Spain
    Quick wins
    Quick wins~
    Quick wins
    Quick wins
    

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20. Opportunities vs resources
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    US
    China
    Ireland
    Spain
    Quick wins
    Quick wins~
    Quick wins
    Quick wins
    

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21. Opportunities: prioritise!
    US
    China
    Ireland
    Spain
    #2
    #3
    #1
    #4
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    Quick wins
    Quick wins~
    Quick wins
    Quick wins
    

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22. E.g. of things we can afford/do
    Prioritise tasks by ranking factors
    Match search
    intent
    E.E.A.T.
    Build topical
    authority
    Local SEO
    Mobile
    usability
    Intrusive
    interstitials
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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23. E.g. of things we can afford/do
    Match search
    intent
    E.g. of things we can’t afford/do
    E.E.A.T.
    Build topical
    authority
    Keyword-rich
    domain
    Local SEO
    Mobile
    usability
    Intrusive
    interstitials
    Remove
    unnatural
    links
    Link building
    Core web
    vitals
    Prioritise tasks by ranking factors
    Content
    marketing
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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24. What can you do well?
    Technical SEO
    changes
    Vs. a specialist
    E.E.A.T.
    Keyword
    research
    Write engaging,
    localised
    content
    Local SEO
    Mobile
    usability
    Content
    ideation
    Link sourcing
    / building
    Core web
    vitals
    But, what can you do well?
    Content
    marketing
    In-house:
    strategic consultant
    External:
    technical specialist
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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25. Delivery!
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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26. Technical
    SEO
    Our tasks
    domain.fr or .com/fr-fr
    Set-up
    Keyword
    research
    Localise
    content
    Local
    SEO
    Link
    building
    

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27. Site structure / geo-targeting
    cctld-domain.fr
    CCTLD.domains
    Pros:
    • Stronger geo signal (search
    engines and users)
    Cons:
    • New domain = zero authority
    • Additional management / cost
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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28. Site structure / geo-targeting
    cctld-domain.fr domain.com/fr-fr
    CCTLD.domains Sub/folders
    Pros:
    • Stronger geo signal (search
    engines and users)
    Cons:
    • New domain = zero authority
    • Additional management / cost
    Pros:
    • Use existing domain authority
    • Easy set-up
    • No cost
    Cons:
    • Not as strong geo signal as CCTLD
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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29. Site structure / geo-targeting
    fr.domain.com
    Sub.domains
    Pros:
    • Naming is customisable
    • Easy set up
    • No cost
    Cons:
    • Seen as a separate domain, initially
    • Additional management
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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30. A big migration will cost
    If you’re drastically changing URLs or content,
    consider a content value audit and migration
    project.
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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31. Check out my migration talk
    Visit: Speakerdeck.com/sukhsingh/
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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32. 1. Hreflang tags (use ChatGPT or free plugins like ‘POLYLANG ’)
    2. Core web vitals (optimise images yourself, use plugins)
    3. Duplicate content (add canonical tags, re-write content)
    4. Indexation issues (fix 404s, fix thin content)
    5. SERP optimisation (optimise title, H1, meta tags, use images)
    Technical SEO: prioritise!
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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33. Keywords and localisation
    65% of non-native English
    speakers prefer content in
    their native tongue.
    Source: csa-research.com, 2020
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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34. Keywords: re-research core topics
    Ello!
    Hola!
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    Page Target URL Priority KEYWORD VOLUME
    Dog Jumpers /en-gb/dog-jumpers 1 dog jumpers 22200
    2 puppy jumpers 1300
    3 small dog jumpers 880
    4 jumpers for big dogs 70
    Dog Fancy Dress /en-gb/dog-fancy-dress 1 halloween dog jumper 720
    Page Target URL Priority KEYWORD - ES-ES VOLUME
    Jersey para perros /es-es/jersey-para-perros 1 jersey para perros 1000
    Disfraz de perro /es-es/disfraz-de-perro 1 jerseys navideños 100
    EN-GB
    English UK
    ES-ES
    Spanish Spain
    

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35. Content: trans-create it
    EN-GB
    ES-ES
    EN-US ES-MX
    English US Spanish Spain Spanish Mexico
    English UK
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    Ello!
    Howdy! Hola! Qué
    onda?
    

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36. Local SEO: NAP optimisation
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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37. Local SEO: citations and links
    Bright local: 25 links/citations x1 location = $90
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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38. Link building: quick wins
    • Broken link building (competitors)
    • Link reclamation (you)
    • Unlinked brand mentions
    • Unlinked original images
    • Links from partners, associations,
    sponsorships
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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39. Delivering on a budget!
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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40. Use agencies
    Pros:
    • Consistent quality and service
    • Resources and expertise
    • Scalability
    Cons:
    • Cost
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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41. Cons:
    • Inconsistent quality and service
    • Lack of scalability / resources
    • You’ll have to manage a workflow
    Use freelancers (multiple)
    Pros:
    • Cost effective
    • Expertise
    • Flexibility
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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42. Prioritise resources
    Agency
    Agency
    In-house
    Freelancer
    US
    China
    Ireland
    Spain
    #2
    #3
    #1
    #4
    Quick wins
    Quick wins~
    Quick wins
    Quick wins
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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43. US
    China
    Ireland
    Spain
    Freelancer
    In-house
    Agency + In-house SEO
    Global strategy
    Agency
    +
    In-house
    Freelancer
    +
    In-house
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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44. Use internal staff
    Validate produced work
    SEO training (workshops)
    In-house SEO
    And/or
    Agency
    US
    Ireland
    Spain
    Keyword
    research
    On-page
    SEO
    Local SEO
    Identify link
    targets
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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45. Use AI: small tasks and validation
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    Keyword
    validation
    Title tag
    writing
    Meta
    description
    writing
    Content
    validation
    Keyword
    ideation
    Generate
    hreflang
    tags
    Chat GPT Bard Bing Chat
    

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46. What about low buy-in?
    • No time?
    • SEO isn’t in their job descriptions?
    • Departments have own targets?
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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47. What about low buy-in?
    • Global KPIs: link to dept. targets
    • Incentivise with dept. heads
    • Process and support the work
    • Promote career development
    • Build relationships!
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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48. In summary
    • Define global KPIs and get buy-in!
    • Research and prioritise regions vs tasks
    • Use internal resources and support them
    @SukhSingh84 #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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49. THANK YOU!
    Sukhjinder Singh
    Email: Sukh@idoSEO.co.uk
    Follow: @SukhSingh84
    Slides: Speakerdeck.com/sukhsingh/
    #BrightonSEO
    .co.uk
    

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