International Search Engine Marketing Blog

Agilis Marketing conducted a research study that polled over 300 United States SEO companies and discovered that an increasing number of international firms are turning to U.S. internet advertisers for assistance when promoting a website and its products or services. The study tabulated data from companies across the country and in part included the following questions:

1) How many international prospects are received on a monthly basis?

2) One, three, and five years ago how many international prospects did your company receive?

3) How many of these prospects turned into sales?

4) As a percentage of all prospects, is there in a larger number of international firms seeking SEO assistance compared to one, three, and five years ago?

5) As a percentage of all your clients, is there in an increase in foreign corporations as compared to one, three, and five years ago?

The results of the study showed a 23 percent rise in the number of companies overseas turning to United States’ businesses for assistance. However, the number of international companies that decided to perform business with a U.S. SEO firm increased only 9 percent.

* Margin of error for the extrapolated data based upon the sample size is approximately +/- 3 percent.

Conglomerates and other large overseas companies are turning to Unites States based SEM firms in hoards. This is one reason international search engine marketing discussions will continue to draw an ever growing audience.

When looking to advertise to an American demographic it helps to have U.S. based companies assist with the marketing initiatives. The same holds true of a Unites States firm looking to advertise to India, UK, or another international market. Each country has its own culture and a wise marketer does not overlook that fact.

These cultural dissimilarities also apply to the way people look for products and services on the internet. Different search engines are popular in different nations. To add further complication, the algorithms and methods employed by international search engines often differ. It is crucial to realize this and adjust promotional campaigns accordingly.

Unfortunately, to their own peril, many companies try to use in-house domestic teams to market to an international audience, rather than outsourcing the work. The results are oftentimes disastrous. Misunderstandings can result in wasted advertising dollars with no results or worse a damaged brand reputation and associated negative press. The key takeaway is to realize when outside help is required. A larger number of companies that promote websites abroad are reaching this realization.

This trend is unlikely to change. As businesses learn more from their mistakes and those of others, an increasing number are turning to companies that are located in their customers’ geographical demographic. While this article, site, and blog relate more specifically to the international marketing via websites, a company should consider the same principles regardless of the marketing medium.