If you’ve been involved in search engine marketing (SEM) for any amount of time then you know you can target your campaigns to whatever geographical region of the world you want.
The default settings in your AdWords account, for example, point to your country and your native language. So if you want to target an audience located somewhere else there is a handful of things to take care of.
Starting with Hosting
If you want to reach out to audiences in another part of the world it’s best to start with a web host that’s based in that specific region.
You can search for hosting in various countries individually, or you can sign up for IX Web Hosting or Site5 and choose your hosting location (you can get servers in places like: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, The Netherlands, Singapore, and Brazil).
Sign up for IX Web Hosting here.
Join the Most Popular Ad Network
AdWords is the most popular ad network globally. But this doesn’t mean that it’s the most popular one in every country. Whenever you join a new market check what networks are on top, and do business with those that can bring you the most traffic.
Keyword Research by Location
Keywords are the core of every SEM campaign no matter if you’re using AdWords or any other platform. And one of the best keyword research tools is Google Keyword Tool.
There are a couple of reasons why it’s so great. First of all, it’s released by Google (if you’re running your SEM campaign in AdWords there’s probably no better source of keyword data than Google themselves). Secondly, it can provide local results and keyword data.
Start by inputting the local version of your desired keyword and selecting the proper localization and language. The tool will tell you what the search numbers and estimated traffic are.
Tune Your PPC Ad Copy
This is significantly important if you’re crafting your copy in a foreign language. Just because you can find a translator or order some custom copy doesn’t mean that it’s written properly.
There are always some terms that don’t make much sense in everyday use yet they seem perfectly correct to a translator. Whenever you have the possibility contact a native speaker and adapt your PPC copy.
Tune Your Site’s Content
Your content needs to speak the language of your readers. And we don’t only mean the actual language used in the area you’re targeting. This goes a lot deeper.
Some communities or niches abroad are not accustomed to certain styles of written content. For example, you shouldn’t attempt to sound smart if the common approach for a niche is to sound casual, and so on.
Get Experience and Learn How to Convert Different Demographics
Every audience is different to some extent, especially if we’re talking international audiences. Your conversion numbers will be different in the US than in any other location (sometimes better, sometimes not so much). We just want you to be aware of this.
Over time you will learn how to tune your SEM campaigns to speak to your prospective customers the best.
Finally, if you want more SEO and SEM advice feel free to check out SEOmoz, and also let us know what your experiences with global SEM campaigns are.