Will all the general strategies for SEO work if you are planning to do Finnish SEO? To put it shortly, yes and no. Understanding the basics of search engine optimization and link building Finland as well is important and that is why we will go through the basics in this article. However, just understanding SEO is not enough when the goal is to conquer a specific market.
This is why to master Finnish SEO one must use specific strategies for Finland. In this article we will walk you through all the things you need to know when starting with Finnish SEO. Finland is one of the best countries for business these days and thus has great potential for SEO.
The basics of search engine optimization
Search engine optimization, also known as SEO means optimizing your website in the best way possible to rank better on search engines. Simply put, SEO covers all those actions a website takes in order to rank as high as possible on the search results page. By now it goes without saying that showing up high on the search results is crucial for the success and growth of one’s business.
Search engines such as Google are often the first place where people search answers to a specific problem. Whether you are looking for the best restaurant in town or are considering buying a new car, the first step to the process is usually a quick search on Google about the subject.
You will want to be there to offer your solution to the customers problem and this is why SEO is so important. Without it you will lose the potential customers to other websites and businesses. We could write a whole book about search engine optimization and all the different forms of it but will keep it short this time. Know that if SEO in general is not familiar to you yet, it might be smart to first get the basics down before tackling SEO in Finland.
Finnish SEO – What you need to know
Like we mentioned before, just knowing the basics of search engine optimization is not going to cut it when it comes to a specific market. Some strategies work just the same no matter the market or the language and yes, the basics are the same. However, the language and the people of a certain market will bring out some things to look for in your strategies.
Finland is third-most advanced digital economy in Europe and has a particularly high usage of mobile devices. It makes sense that Finnish people these days can be found online and this is why SEO in Finland is so important.
How will the Finnish language matter
The language and the content is just as important as the technical side when it comes to optimizing a page. Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Finnish is only spoken in Finland so the specific language will naturally bring out some changes to your SEO strategies.
Depending on your geological location and your target audience’s location, it is important to know which language to use in order to best reach the users in that specific location. It goes without saying that knowing the language is crucial in order to succeed.
Finnish is one of the hardest languages in the world. Translations from tools like Google translate are often stiff and unnatural. You can not fool a native Finn with poor translations. If possible, have your content written or proofread by a native Finnish speaker to ensure a natural result that will appeal to the Finnish target audience.
Native speakers are going to be able to pass through little nuances that translation tools can not. This will make a huge difference with the quality of your content. And as we know, the technical means will not carry you if the content itself is not high quality.
Know your audience
Another important thing with Finnish SEO is knowing the audience. This means doing the research on how people in Finland use search engines. What they look for in search engines and what kind of search terms they use.
Finnish people are not known for their small talk and this can be seen in the search terms as well. Finns are specific on their needs and on their search terms. It is crucial to optimise your content to the right search terms. If your content does not provide an answer to the specific problem the user has, you will not succeed.
Best Finnish SEO strategies
The best strategies for Finnish SEO are quite similar to the general SEO strategies. The important thing to remember with these strategies is to target them specifically to the Finnish market.
Link building in Finnish SEO
Link building is a very popular and highly effective strategy when it comes to Finnish SEO. It means that a website will have other websites link back to their site or the site itself has links to other content on the site or other websites.
When it comes to Finland, natural links are the best performing. Natural links are links that the site has not paid for. Meaning that another website links to your site independently. In order for them to want to do this, your site must be user-friendly and content must be high quality.
Keyword optimization
Another highly effective strategy is keyword optimization. It is one of the best ways to increase the traffic and visibility of your site. Find out which are the best keywords related to your site and add them into your content. Do not over do this because search engines will pick up if you are trying to stuff your content with keywords and tag your site. Always remember to keep the quality of the content as your number one priority.
The best way to find out which keywords to optimize your content for is with keyword research. Keyword research is also crucial because it will allow you to make sure that you are targeting the right keywords. Imagine optimizing for a keyword “car rentals” when your business sells cars rather than rents them. It goes without saying that someone searching “car rental” is most likely not going to find what they are looking for on your site. This is why it is important to do keyword research and optimize your site for the correct keywords.