SEO in the USA: Things You Should Know to Bring in American Traffic

Can you believe that in 2024, a stunning 273.49  million people were engaged in online shopping across the United States alone?

Hold on to your socks because the forecast for 2026 is even more impressive. Statistics estimate that in two years, a staggering 301.87 million people living in the USA will be ready to look for things to buy online every single day! According to Census.gov(1) data, online retail sales in Q2 2025 reached $304.2 billion, marking a 5.3% year-over-year increase.

Source: Oberlo

This chart isn’t just a collection of data – it’s a testament to the colossal scale of the US market and the immense opportunities it holds.

So, if you’re considering entering the American market with your brand, you can simply partner with an agency that offers SEO services in the United States. Alternatively, you might want to do it on your own. For that, you need to know how to do SEO in the USA, right? Let’s find out right this moment!

Doing SEO in the USA depends to a great extent on American user behavior and preferences. Although they can vary from one state to another, generally, you can expect your target audience living in the States to appreciate:

• user-friendly interfaces,
• quick and efficient online experiences,
• mobile responsiveness, and
• content that is concise and visually engaging.

Additionally, Americans often value personalized and relevant content, as well as transparent and secure online transactions. Social signals are also vital. According to the Digital 2025 Report, customer reviews (38.9%) and social likes and comments (16.7%) are the 4th and 9th most common driving factors for online shoppers, proving how necessary it is to build an engaged and happy community around your products.

Besides these pretty universal principles that – let’s be honest – apply to optimizing websites for any country, doing SEO in the USA also requires you to consider the following:

Domain Choices: .us vs. .com

Choosing the right country-specific domain is like finding the perfect storefront for your online business. Among dozens of domains that you have at your disposal, there are two preferred options – .us and .com – that clearly stand out.

➡️Despite the .us domain extension appearing U.S.-centric, Google favors the international .com domain. Also, going for .com will most likely boost your global recognition and connect you with users in English-speaking countries faster.

TIP: If targeting the American market, set your domain in the International Targeting tab on Google Search Console for optimal impact.

Tackling Time Zones

Another issue that is often neglected by many online businesses is that the USA spans multiple time zones, with variations extending by several hours – did you know there’s a 5-hour difference between laid-back Hawaii and bustling New York?

source: giphy

➡️To keep things running smoothly, make sure your website displays the correct time and delivery details for each state. It’s the little things like this that make your website feel right at home, no matter where your visitors are in the country.

USA Is an Incredibly Dynamic Market

The USA isn’t just a market – the USA is a trendsetter. New solutions often debut there first, that’s why catching up with all the novelties requires adaptability. Oftentimes, being agile and constantly checking what is happening in your niche could be your only solution to keep your head above water.

Unlike some other markets where we can predict changes based on experiences elsewhere, the USA operates on its own tempo. Stay flexible, be open to change, and understand the fact that what works on American soil might soon be the next big thing in Europe. It’s highly unlikely to work the other way around.

Teaming Up with American Businesses

Now, let’s talk about partnerships, American style. If you’re offering services and looking to team up with U.S. businesses, you need to be prepared that Americans often go for short-term projects and partnerships. It’s a bit different from what you might see in Europe.

In the USA, the B2B relationship is often a bit more casual. Unlike the strong, long-lasting bonds you might find across other countries, American businesses are more ready to switch things up if something doesn’t quite click.

So, if you’re a service provider, be ready to hustle for those short-term wins. It’s not about forever; it’s about making each project a success. Keep things sharp, stay flexible, and show them what you’ve got. In the fast-paced world of American business, adapting quickly can be the key to building those successful partnerships.

Data Collection: USA vs. EU

In the USA, collecting data on internet users tends to be more straightforward compared to the EU. The difference lies in data protection laws, with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) placing more stringent controls on data collection.

Here’s a quick summary of how the data protection laws affect website owners:

• USA: Website owners may find it simpler to gather user data. Compliance focuses on sector-specific regulations, distinct for each state.
• EU (Under GDPR): Website owners need explicit user consent, and they must adhere to strict guidelines for data collection. Non-compliance can result in significant fines.

If you would like to learn more about the differences between data privacy laws in EU and US, give a read to this article.

We’ve looked into the market as a whole, so now let’s focus on the human sight of it. What do you need to know about US consumers before you get down to building your SEO strategy? Here are 3 key insights taken from the Digital US 2025 Report.

What Do Users in the US Search for?

Source: Digital 2025 US Report

As you can see, finding information (75%), researching how to do things (66.9%) and keeping up to date with news and events (59.1%) and researching products and brands (58.9%) are among the top purposes for using the internet in the US. In practice, this means that you have to focus on content that matches these trends, namely:

• informational and evergreen content,
• user-generated content and brand mentions, along with digital PR,
• news content from your industry.

Source: Digital 2025 US Report

Digital 2025: online shopping still popping

To add to that, almost 60% of the population (aged 16+) shops online every week. When combined with the large US population, this gives us the largest share in the global market.

Social Media in the US

Social media are a great sales driver in the US, since they are frequently used for the same reasons as the internet as a whole. Let’s take a quick glance at the stats.⬇️

Source: Digital 2025 US Report

29.4% of users use social media for finding content, while 25.3% search in them for inspirations for things to do and buy. If you don’t build a strong presence in social media, you’ll be missing out on a major chunk of the market. If you don’t build a strong presence on social media, you’ll lose a significant part of the market. That’s why it’s worth investing in Content Marketing Consulting Services to craft a consistent strategy, diversify your channels, and effectively boost your brand’s reach and engagement. But there are a plethora of social media platforms – which ones should you focus on?

Source: Digital 2025 US Report

Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform, though we need to remember that it can also be used for non-commercial purposes, like staying in touch with family and friends. Instagram (57.8%), TikTok (45.1%) and Pinterest (35.8%) deserve a special mention – all of them focus on highly visual and engaging content, so they are the channels that you should utilize in your marketing campaigns. What’s more, the US is the country with the most TikTok users worldwide, and their number is expected to grow in the upcoming years.

Source: Statista

TikTok also has one of the most user-friendly sales paths – the user doesn’t have to leave the app at all. What’s more, it gives you the potential to go viral, which is difficult but not impossible, so you ought to utilize it in your campaigns. Do it both directly, from your company account, and indirectly, by partnering with relevant influencers – it’ll increase your chances of building a recognizable brand image.

Search Engines Used in the US

Finally, let’s look at the most popular search engines. Here, unsurprisingly, Google takes a definite lead.

Source: Digital 2025 US Report

This means that in your US SEO strategy, you should focus mainly on Google… or should you? While in terms of traditional browses it’s an undeniable leader, we have to account for a new source of information: artificial intelligence. As for now, it’s estimated that 15 million US consumers use AI as their primary tool for online search. The number is expected to grow significantly, reaching 36 million in 2028.

Source: Statista

AI Search

More and more American users are turning to tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity to find products or services (2). Unlike Google, AI systems present only a few recommendations — if your brand doesn’t appear among them, you’re effectively losing potential customers.

AISO, or AI-oriented SEO, is a new approach to SEO strategy in the USA. Companies that start implementing it now will gain a lasting competitive advantage. How to prepare?

• create content that directly answers user questions (FAQs, comparisons, guides),

• ensure a clear structure and reliable sources — AI tends to quote trusted brands,

• optimize your content for E-E-A-T and structured data.

You can read more about this approach here: AISO.

To attract American customers, you absolutely must adapt your web content and marketing messages so that they resonate with your future prospects. And it’s not even a matter of making sure the content you publish is written in American English, instead of British or Australian. To win their hearts, you should relate to American pop culture, trends and culture. It’s basically what localization is about.

Instead of focusing on translating keywords and texts, you need to consider the culture to create an effect similar to the original text.

Moreover, you need to realize that there are different ways of searching behavior you’re dealing with.

Besides, if you want to optimize your website for the USA market, you need to know the exact words your target audience uses to find the services or products you offer.

Why? It’s all nicely explained in The International SEO Keyword Research Guide. The main idea is that what works for the British or Australian market, may not work for the American market. Example? Car shop, barbie, flat, gas or a lift are just 5 keywords that bear different meanings in those English-speaking countries.

While talking about keywords, don’t forget to take advantage of emerging keyword trends. In short, when you manage to find new search terms that are gaining in plurality in the USA before your rivals do, you will attract tons of free American traffic to your website and improve the ranks. How to stay on top? Read the How to Find Trending Keywords to get the step-by-step manual.

When it comes to on-page SEO for websites targeting the USA, the strategy you’re going to design should largely align with those created for other countries. Technical SEO and optimizing for mobiles remain pretty the same. Also, make sure to publish high-quality content that resonates with your target American audience.

While bringing up the matter of content, there’s a particular thing that you should take into consideration while designing your website. With a multitude of people in the USA speaking languages other than English as their first language, investing in a multi-language website could significantly improve accessibility and engagement of your future clients living in America.

source: Share America

Now, let’s talk about making your website popular, which is what off-page SEO is basically all about. Building backlinks from reputable domains is crucial for enhancing your website’s authority.

Also, keep in mind, in the world of off-page SEO for the American audience, quality is more important than quantity.

If you haven’t started doing off-page SEO for the USA yet, a good first step is to list your business on Google Business Profile. Also, you can improve your backlink profile by adding your business here:

• Yelp
• Merchant Circle
• Sale Spider
• Cityfos
• Get Free Listing

You should also work on your local SEO efforts. According to Backlinko, 8/10 US consumers search for a local business at least once every week. Therefore, if you have a physical location (or multiple ones), you should focus your efforts locally. It’s the best way to target customers who may truly convert, especially since the US is a large country – general efforts might not be enough to provide you with a steady stream of organic traffic. At the same time, customers are fed up with the “noise” on the internet – they tend to make more searches locally.

Here are main takeaways for you:

1️⃣ Speak your American audience’s language. Customize your content to connect with the diverse American audience. Think about how different regions talk and what they like to see.

2️⃣ Stay flexible in how you work with American businesses. Unlike some places in Europe, be ready for quick projects and partnerships.

3️⃣ Make sure your business is on Google Business Profile for local searches. Keep your profile updated for trust; optimize for local search queries and voice search as they can be a major source of organic traffic to your website.

4️⃣ Mind the privacy laws. Understand that rules about collecting data are different in the USA compared to Europe. It might be a bit easier to gather data on internet users in the States.

5️⃣ Roll with the trends. Pay attention to what’s hot in the USA and adapt your marketing messaging and web content accordingly. Using the latest search terms can bring more people to your website without costing you a buck.

Whenever you’re unsure if your SEO strategy for the US is paying off, or you just need a helping hand with attracting more American visitors to your website, feel free to get in touch. Our proven experience in doing SEO in the USA can really help you get your online business where you want it to be. Although doing SEO in the USA is time-consuming, a proper strategy and consistency will certainly deliver the desired results in the long run!

Sources:

1. https://internetretailing.net/q4-peaks-soften-as-retailers-extend-promotions/

2. https://www.martechcube.com/research-us-consumers-trust-gen-ai-info-as-much-as-search-engine-results/