Introduction to Allison Wong
Today we have Allison Wong, a multilingual digital marketing expert with over 9 years in the health and wellness industry. She’s an expert in SEO, paid media and web content creation. With her multilingual skills she offers unique and actionable SEO strategies, specifically for international SEO.
Allison is the marketing director for Unicity International. She’s been at the helm of transforming Unicity’s marketing strategies, growing their market presence and customer engagement through campaigns and product launches. Under her leadership Unicity has seen huge growth, particularly in brand recognition and the successful launch of new wellness products that resonate with today’s health aware consumers.
Allison has been making headlines with her thoughts on the digitalisation of the health industry. She’s been published in industry leading publications. With a background of managing a multi million dollar marketing budget and delivering ROI across global markets, Allison has managed large marketing teams that have supported over 80 countries in 17 languages.
Beyond her professional achievements she supports small business owners, offering her expertise to help them get more online visibility and market reach. Today we’re lucky to have Allison join us to share her personal story and talk international SEO.
Table of Contents
- Who is Allison Wong?
- Current Projects that Excite Allison
- Tactical and Strategic International SEO Advice from Allison
- Hreflang Tags
- Canonical Tags
- Schema Markup
- Where Does Allison See the Future Going in International SEO?
- How to Get in Contact with Allison
- Advice to Her Younger Self
- Book Recommendation
- Conclusion
Download Our Free SEO Guide Here!
Who is Allison Wong?
Growing Up in Hong Kong
Allison was born and raised in Hong Kong, a crazy competitive place where academic achievement is super important. She says:
“As a kid I know I’m not the smartest kid in the class, no matter what. Like I never get any academic awards for my efforts. And honestly growing up in Hong Kong, I mean it’s really competitive. Like trying to get into a better school. The education system is very advanced, you know, but also very competitive knowing you have to earn your spot basically everywhere.”
Moving to the United States
Allison’s journey to the United States started when her mom thought she would do better in a different educational environment:
“The reason why I was brought over here out of nowhere in Utah is because my mom thought, ‘Well, you’re not the smartest kid in Hong Kong. Maybe you will do better in the U.S.’”
Education and Career
After arriving in Utah, Allison pursued her college education, she tried out different majors before settling on journalism and digital media. She says:
“I changed my major a few times. I don’t even remember from what… But I feel like I am very interested in marketing. So I ended up graduating with a degree in journalism and digital media. Before digital marketing was a thing, right? Or even had its own college degree.”
Her entry into digital marketing was through an internship at 97th Floor, a big agency in Utah. She worked with multiple clients and learned a lot about the industry.
Cultural Background and Self Promotion
Allison’s Asian cultural background has shaped her approach to work and self promotion. She says:
“Well, as you know I’m not really good at, like, showing off myself. That’s like part of, like, along with my Asian culture background.”
This humility along with her strong work ethic and wanting to prove herself has been a big part of her career.
Current Projects that Excite Allison
Helping Small Businesses with Digital Marketing
One of Allison’s current passions is helping small businesses navigate the complex world of digital marketing. She explains:
“I help a few different smaller businesses on the side to understand what their needs are. They’re usually pretty small and don’t even know where all the free resources are. They’re not as tech-savvy or they are just very used to the traditional retail selling and don’t know a lot about digital marketing. So I’ve been helping them and consulting to let them know some of the best practices without breaking their banks.”
This work allows Allison to share her expertise and make a significant impact on businesses that might otherwise struggle to establish an online presence.
Website Redesigns and Rebranding Projects
Allison is also actively involved in website redesign projects, which she describes as one of the biggest challenges in digital marketing:
“There are website redesigns. Those are usually the biggest challenges when it comes to being a digital marketer. Trying to make sure everything carried over, all the link juices, you know, without breaking the traffic and also still maintaining a good position on SERPs.”
She has been working on projects that involve not only redesigning websites but also rebranding companies, which adds an extra layer of complexity to the SEO process.
Tactical and Strategic International SEO Advice from Allison
Understanding Cultural Context in International SEO
Allison emphasizes the importance of cultural context when approaching international SEO:
“For international SEO, I would say the biggest difference will be the culture context and also the technical side of things, right? Because you need to technically optimize for a different search engine in a different country.”
She points out that simply translating content word-for-word is often insufficient and can lead to misunderstandings or ineffective SEO strategies.
Technical Aspects of International SEO
Hreflang Tags
Allison explains the importance of hreflang tags in international SEO:
“Hreflang tells Google or any search engines which country that page or that website is targeted for and also which language. So when you go on different websites that serve multiple different languages, you will see usually they will use like, uh, EN to represent English and then dash, let’s say CA representing Canada.”
These tags help search engines understand which version of a page to display based on the user’s location and language preferences.
Canonical Tags
Discussing the role of canonical tags, Allison states:
“Rel canonical, simply put, is basically you have the content, right? Let’s say you have different markets that you’re targeting, but at the same time you have very similar content on the page. And in order to tell the bots which page has the main authority, which ones was the original, that should be taking credit for all that links juice, as we call it. That is when a rel canonical tag will come in handy.”
This helps prevent issues with duplicate content across different language versions of a website.
Schema Markup
Allison highlights the importance of schema markup in international SEO:
“Schema markup is another tag that you add to your website’s HTML, and it helps the search engine to give all the extra little details like how many reviews, or the product prices, even if there’s like a promotion going on. It will help shows up in the search result and help improve your site’s click-through rates.”
She notes that in Asian markets, there’s often a “more is better” approach to schema markup, as long as it remains relevant and in the correct language.
Link Building Strategies for International Markets
When it comes to link building in international markets, Allison points out some key differences:
“For building up backlinks internationally, there are different tactics and that’s why I keep pressing on the cultural differences. Search behavior is like a key component when it comes to being able to get backlinks effectively, because, of course, you have to look at the local authority site.”
She mentions that in some Asian markets, certain tactics that might be considered “black hat” in Western markets are still prevalent and sometimes necessary to compete effectively.
Navigating Different Search Engines
Allison advises on the importance of understanding and utilizing different search engines for international SEO:
“The local search engine, whether it is Baidu in China, or Naver in Korea, or Yandex, they are all going to give you different results. People who search on Google have a different search behavior than people who search on Yahoo.”
She recommends using tools provided by these search engines, even if they’re in a foreign language, to gain valuable insights into local search behaviors and trends.
Content Strategy for International Markets
Based on her experiences, Allison has observed differences in how users in different markets interact with website content:
“What they see is that they are actually interested in seeing the product story. They go through a different flow when they go on a website. And that is what really changes our content strategy, our internal linking strategy to be able to add in different internal links and send people to the right pages.”
This insight has led to adjustments in content strategy, including incorporating more company information and product stories throughout landing pages to improve conversion rates.
Compliance with International Data Privacy Laws
Allison stresses the importance of understanding and complying with various international data privacy laws:
“There are different data privacy laws that they need to really consider. Like, there is the PDPA and GA, and then there’s the GDPR in Europe. Do simple Google search. There are a lot of different seasoned marketers that talk about it in different forums or even asking different questions in Reddit.”
She recommends researching these laws and learning from the experiences of other marketers who have navigated these challenges.
Where Does Allison See the Future Going in International SEO?
Looking to the future of international SEO, Allison acknowledges the growing impact of AI and the need for continuous adaptation:
“It’s not going away and even with SEO, right. I think it is going to be very difficult. You have to really be on top of it. Also follow any knowledgeable SEO expert to follow for the latest trends and tips on how to get your website up to date with all the different changes.”
She emphasizes the importance of not just knowing what changes are happening but understanding how to implement them effectively:
“Really best digital marketers, they can explain what is going on and think of an action plan. To make your website speak for your businesses into what this needs to change, right? Whether going through older things, tactics that were working that don’t work anymore. Or something that is still going strong, but you need a little bit more add on coding schema, markup, whatever it could be to make it more relevant in today’s world.”
Allison sees a future where SEO professionals need to be increasingly adaptable and knowledgeable about a wide range of technologies and strategies to stay competitive in the global digital landscape.
How to Get in Contact with Allison
For those interested in reaching out to Allison for consulting or questions about international SEO, she offers the following:
“You can look me up through LinkedIn, Allison Wong, and definitely if you need help with any consulting or questions about international SEO or even just to proofread and make sure that what you translated makes sense, feel free to hit me up.”
Advice to Her Younger Self
When asked what advice she would give to her younger self, Allison responded:
“I would tell myself to just start learning AI. You know, just get yourself into digital marketing. There’s nothing that stops you. It doesn’t define you as a person. It doesn’t mean that is less of a person that you are, that you’re not being a doctor or any high professional. As long as you’re happy.”
This advice reflects her belief in the importance of pursuing one’s passion and not being limited by traditional expectations.
Book Recommendation
Allison recommends “The 12 Week Year” as a valuable resource for personal and professional development:
“It tells you exactly a lot of things that you can start doing immediately to change the way you lead, to change the way you work. It’s a really good book, really short audio too, and I really recommend anyone to really just go and listen and read it.”
Conclusion
Allison Wong’s journey from Hong Kong to becoming a respected international SEO expert offers valuable insights for anyone looking to expand their digital presence globally. Her emphasis on understanding cultural contexts, navigating technical SEO challenges across different markets, and staying adaptable in the face of evolving technologies provides a comprehensive view of what it takes to succeed in international SEO.
As the digital landscape continues to change, professionals like Allison demonstrate the importance of combining technical expertise with cultural understanding and a willingness to continuously learn and adapt. Whether you’re a small business owner looking to expand internationally or a seasoned marketer seeking to refine your global strategy, the insights shared by Allison offer a valuable roadmap for navigating the complex world of international SEO.
0 Comments