Some companies only offer products and services in one targeted location but often time’s expansion comes into play. For businesses seeking to provide internationally, it is crucial to cater to multiple regions of the world so that potential customers can find your products. First and foremost, always take into consideration that Google’s main objective is to provide users with relevant information in a short amount of time.
IP Address
Although a minor ranking signal, moving your IP address is a good way to get found in different areas around the globe. If you began your company in the United States and you’re hosted in an American server in subfolders, the geography may be growing which moves to its own ccTLD. When this occurs, consider hosting with a different IP address.
Hreflang Tag
This specific tag allows Google to gain a better understanding of which URLs should be indexed and displayed for searchers. Use the hreflang tag in instances where your site changes its template for different languages or has similar content re-written in multiple languages.
Google Webmaster Tools
You can define a specific geographic region by using Google Webmaster Tools. If you are using the subfolder, submit in Webmaster tools. Keep in mind, when you move to the ccTLD you will need to submit as new sites.
There are a number of technical steps you can take to make sure the search engines are aware of your international strategy. Take advantage of directories to build links, free ebooks, interviews and offline events.