Search Engine Marketing In a Whole New Country

Katherine Bennett - January 24, 2011

Companies are always looking for ways to expand their business and reach new customers. One way to reach new customers via search engine marketing is to expand your search engine marketing campaigns to other countries. However, it is imperative to do your homework in order to be successful.

The first step is to find out which countries are currently benefitting your company. Google analytics is a helpful tool that can show which countries to potentially geo-target. Although your current campaign may only be geo-targeted nationally, Google analytics will show your company where good organic leads and orders are coming from internationally. Once it has been determined which countries make sense, you should add them to your campaigns.

It’s not enough to add a new country to your geo-target settings and forget it. It’s wise to know several basic items about that country.  First, know the seasons of that country. Although it may be winter in your home country it may be summer time elsewhere. It’s imperative that your ad copy, keywords and website portray the correct message. Either keep them neutral or make the necessary adjustments to target them correctly.

Next, know the language. Make sure to change your language settings to include the main language of that country. With today’s technology, many people can use a tool to translate your company’s website into their own language. Therefore, it’s important to include their language in the language setting of your search engine marketing campaign. 

 Next, understand payment methods. It is good to use a third party payment site like Google Checkout if your company isn’t setup to handle currency conversions.  Your company can have a real mess on its hands if you aren’t equipped to handle currency conversions, not to mention this could present a potential negative image with the new customers you are trying to establish a relationship with.

A company who is looking to grow their business and reach out to new customers should look into adding more countries into their geo-target settings. However, please remember it’s not as simple as clicking a button. Research should always be done to determine the best strategy for reaching new customers in new countries.