Looking for information on a legitimate way to expand in the serps for an international market and perhaps the use of doorways: if there is an acceptable use of them.

If a searcher uses widgets and local in there query is it appropriate to create local-widget doorway pages?

Has Matt every commented on this?

It is not I am sure advisable to add every international city and country name on a homepage. So how can this be handled 'white hat'?

I think your question is an oxymoron (http://www.answers.com/oxymoron&r=67)

Avoid "doorway" pages created just for search engines, or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content. http://www.google.com/intl/en/webmasters/guidelines.html

There isn't an 'easy' way to do this within your specified criteria without uinique content ... what about Adwords?

Well what if it isn't just for the search engines?

Obviously google would list them but it is for the customer as our product is sent anywhere any time and so while the customer might be looking local we would fall into an acceptable viewer experience especially as the specific product is unique within a category.

I dont want to just mechanically add random content to trick the engines but simple have introductory content with local changes included - this would seem the right thing to do and not hiding or adding any devious data.

Adwords is an option but in this field natural serps perform way better than paid links on the google engine.

Also I am wary that the google algorithm wont approve of my purchasing links from another website and penalise me - I'm sure the day is soon that google search will penalise google sales :)

Think of doorway pages as a "doorway" for search engines.. I would personally go down that route..

All you need is some good local information.. For example say your sellling insurance and an area floods every year you can write topic advice on how to help protect your home in that area with maps digrams and other resources e.g. .gov site about the area .. Then offer the fact that you can insure your house again these floods in that specific area..

IMHO

Good content = visitors..

Hope that helps..