Chris Kelly, ex-Asana growth lead, joins Ross Hudgens to break down how Asana scaled to 20M+ international SEO visits—and how to do it again in 2025.

They dive into localization strategy, market prioritization, TMS tools, team structures, and how to tie international SEO directly to business outcomes.

Chris also unpacks real-world mistakes, market-specific tactics, and where AI fits into future-proofing global content.

Show Notes

0:08 – How Chris led Asana’s international SEO from 0 to 20M+ visits

2:12 – Aligning SEO with real business outcomes

4:27 – How to prioritize markets and go deep, not wide

6:06 – Why "strategy before scale" matters more than ever

9:09 – Centralized vs. distributed SEO models

10:13 – The localization decision waterfall: MT, native copy, or hybrid?

13:11 – Tiered frameworks for scaling efficiently across regions

16:43 – Localization teams and SEO: why they must integrate

18:05 – Market nuances: Japan vs. Germany

20:18 – The role of user research in international SEO success

22:02 – When to implement a Translation Management System (TMS)

25:33 – Real talk: the true cost of international SEO

28:18 – Mistakes to avoid: budget, ops, and lack of data

33:10 – Building the right international SEO team

35:06 – Communication tips for global collaboration

38:34 – How AI will transform international strategy and QA

42:26 – Will AI erase top-funnel SEO internationally?

Show Links

Chris Kelly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherakelly/Subscribe today for weekly tips: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f Listen on

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-and-conversation-seo-tips-from-siege-media/id1289467174

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM

Listen on Google:

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9jT3NjUkdLeA

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Twitter: http://twitter.com/rosshudgens Directed by Cara Brown:

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