The $50,000 Mistake: Why ‘Going Global’ Often Fails
I recently sat down with a business owner in Brendale who manufactures high-end camping gear. He’s got a great product—tough, well-designed, and perfect for the rugged Australian outback. Naturally, he figured if it works in Queensland, it’ll work in Texas or the South of France.
He spent nearly $50,000 on a fancy new website and a ‘global marketing strategy’ from a big agency. Six months later? Not a single overseas sale. His phone wasn't ringing, and his inbox was empty.
When I looked at his setup, the problem was obvious. He was trying to talk to the whole world using the same language, currency, and logic he used for customers in Brisbane. To Google, and to his potential customers in the US, he looked like a local shop that had accidentally wandered into the wrong neighbourhood.
If you’re an Australian exporter, you don't need to be a tech genius to win overseas. You just need to stop making the common mistakes that bury your business on page ten of the search results.
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through the traps I’ve seen dozens of Brisbane businesses fall into, and how you can avoid them to actually get more enquiries from international buyers.
Mistake 1: Assuming Everyone Speaks 'Australian'
You might think because we speak English and Americans speak English, we’re on the same page. We aren't.
I worked with a company in Rocklea that exports industrial safety equipment. They were trying to sell 'safety boots' to the US. The problem? Americans don't search for 'safety boots' nearly as much as they search for 'steel-toe work boots'. By using the wrong words, they were invisible to 90% of their market.
This isn't just about spelling (though 'colour' vs 'color' does matter). It’s about how people think. If you want to get more customers, you have to use the words they use when they are ready to open their wallets.
The Fix: Before you spend a cent on ads or website changes, look at what people in your target country actually call your product. Don't guess. Look at their local competitors. If you're selling to the UK, it’s a 'torch', not a 'flashlight'. If you get this wrong, Google thinks your site isn't relevant to those people, and you'll never show up in their searches.
Mistake 2: The 'One Site Fits All' Approach
Many exporters think that because their website works on phones in Australia, it’s ready for the world. This is a massive trap.
Google likes to show people local results. If someone in London searches for a supplier, Google wants to show them a UK business, or at least a business that looks like it’s ready to do business in the UK.
If your website address ends in .com.au, you are telling Google: "I am a local Australian business." Google will rarely show a .com.au site to someone in New York or Tokyo.
The Fix: You have two real choices here:
1. The 'Global' Address: Buy a .com domain. It’s the gold standard for international business.
2. The 'Local' Address: If you are serious about the UK, buy a .co.uk. If you’re serious about New Zealand, get a .co.nz.
Setting this up correctly is the foundation of improving your visibility overseas. Without the right web address structure, you’re basically shouting into a void.
Mistake 3: Forgetting About the 'Trust Factor'
Imagine you’re looking for a new supplier for your business. You find a site that looks okay, but all the prices are in Euros, the phone number has a weird country code, and the testimonials are all from people in a city you’ve never heard of. Would you send them $10,000 for an order?
Probably not.
This is exactly how international customers feel when they land on a standard Aussie website. To get more enquiries, you have to remove the friction.
The Fix: Currency: Show prices in their local currency. If I’m in Canada, I want to see CAD, not AUD. Shipping: Be crystal clear about how long it takes to get to them. "Fast shipping" means nothing. "5-day air freight to Los Angeles" means a sale. Local Proof: If you’ve sold to someone in their country, shout it from the rooftops. A testimonial from a guy in Sydney doesn't help you sell to a woman in Seattle.
Mistake 4: Speed Kills (Your Sales)
If your website server is sitting in a basement in Brisbane, it has to send data halfway across the world to reach a customer in London. This takes time. In the world of the internet, a three-second delay is an eternity.
If your site is slow, people leave. If people leave, Google notices and stops sending you traffic. It’s a vicious cycle that costs you money.
The Fix: You need what’s called a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Don't worry about the name—all it does is keep a copy of your website on servers all over the world. When someone in London clicks your link, the site loads from a server in London, not Brisbane. It makes your site load fast, and Google likes this because it provides a better experience for the user.
Mistake 5: Ignoring Google Business Profiles
Most Aussie business owners know about Google Maps for their local area. But did you know you can't just 'rank' on the map in London if you don't have a physical presence there?
I see exporters wasting thousands of dollars trying to show up in local map results overseas when they don't even have an office in that country. It’s a total waste of money.
The Fix: Focus on the 'organic' results (the main list of websites) rather than the map. However, you should still use your Australian reviews to build trust. Showing that you have hundreds of 5-star reviews from happy Aussies still carries weight globally. It proves you’re a legitimate business that won't run off with their money.
How Much Will This Cost?
Let’s talk turkey. International marketing isn't cheap, but it shouldn't be a black hole for your cash either.
Small Scale: If you're just testing the waters in New Zealand, you might spend $1,000 - $2,000 getting your website adjusted and some basic content written. Serious Export: If you’re targeting the US or UK markets, expect to invest $3,000+ per month for at least 6 months. Why? Because you’re competing with the whole world now, not just the bloke down the road in Geebung.
How Long Until the Phone Rings?
International SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Months 1-2: You’re fixing the foundation (the web address, the speed, the keywords). Months 3-4: Google starts to recognise that you are relevant to international searchers. You’ll start to see your site moving up the rankings. Months 6+: This is usually when the high-quality enquiries start to land in your inbox.
If an agency tells you they can get you to the top of Google in America in 30 days, they are lying to you. Walk away.
What Should You Do First?
If you want to start exporting or grow your current international sales, do these three things this week:
1. Check your 'Analytics': See if anyone from overseas is already visiting your site. If you're getting hits from the US but no sales, your 'trust factor' is likely the problem. 2. Audit your language: Look at your top 5 products. Do people in your target country call them something else? 3. Test your speed: Use a free tool to see how fast your site loads in your target country. If it’s over 3 seconds, you’re losing money.
The Bottom Line
Exporting is one of the best ways to grow a Brisbane business, but the internet has made the competition fierce. You can't just 'set and forget' your website and hope for the best.
Stop wasting money on 'tricks' and focus on the basics: speak the customer's language, make your site fast, and prove that you are a trustworthy business.
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses stop guessing and start growing. We don't care about 'impressions' or 'algorithms'—we care about how many times your phone rings and how many invoices you send.
Ready to take your business to the world? Let's have a straight-talk chat about what’s actually possible.
Contact us today at https://lmgroup.au/contact