For businesses selling across borders

International SEO services for every market you sell into

We help your business rank in each country and language you sell into. Every market gets its own keyword research, the right site structure and hreflang that search engines trust, with results reported country by country.

Get a free international SEO audit See how it works
  • Keyword research in each market
  • Hreflang set up and validated
  • ccTLD, subdomain or subfolder plan
  • Reporting country by country

Why it is different

Why translated pages rarely rank abroad

Search behaviour changes from one market to the next. The words people type, the competitors they see and the details they trust are all local. A translated copy of your home site answers questions nobody in the new market is asking.

One product: a rental car

  • United Kingdom

    car hire

    English

  • United States

    car rental

    English

  • Germany

    Mietwagen

    German

  • Spain

    alquiler de coches

    Spanish

  • Mexico

    renta de autos

    Spanish

  • Same language, different search
Spain and Mexico share a language but not a search term. That is why we research every market on its own instead of translating one keyword list.

Language and phrasing

Even markets that share a language search differently. Spelling, product names and everyday terms all change the keyword list.

Search engines and results

Google leads in most countries, but not all. Even on Google, each market shows different competitors, local sites and result formats.

Buying signals

Local currency, delivery terms, phone numbers, reviews and payment methods decide whether a visitor from another country trusts you enough to enquire.

Site structure

ccTLD, subdomain or subfolder: choosing the right structure

How you split your markets decides how authority flows, how clearly each country is signalled and how much work every new market adds. There is no single right answer, only the right answer for your budget and your markets.

Country domains (ccTLD)

example.de

Best for markets big enough to run as their own business, with local content, links and a team behind them.

  • Country signalStrong
  • Shares main site authorityLow
  • Ease of runningLow

Subdomains

de.example.com

Best when a market needs its own hosting or platform but should stay under your main brand.

  • Country signalMedium
  • Shares main site authorityMedium
  • Ease of runningMedium

Subfolders

example.com/de/

Best for most businesses entering new markets, because every version builds on the authority your main domain already has.

  • Country signalMedium
  • Shares main site authorityHigh
  • Ease of runningHigh

Our usual starting point

Most businesses start with subfolders on the main domain, then move a market to its own country domain once it earns enough to justify separate content, links and upkeep. We confirm the choice after reviewing your markets and your current site.

The ratings above are a general guide. Your platform, markets and budget can change the answer.

Hreflang

Hreflang, set up so search engines trust it

Hreflang tells search engines which language and country each version of a page is for, so a German buyer sees your German page and a British buyer sees your UK page. It only works when the whole set is complete and consistent, which is where most sites go wrong.

  • Every version lists every other version, and itself.
  • Links go both ways. If one page points to another, that page points back.
  • Language codes follow ISO 639-1 and regions follow ISO 3166-1, so the UK is en-gb, never en-uk.
  • An x-default version catches visitors who match no market.
  • Each version has a canonical tag that points to itself, never to another language.
  • Tags only point to live, indexable pages, never to redirects or noindex pages.
Every version points to every other version, and to itself.
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-gb"
      href="https://example.com/uk/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us"
      href="https://example.com/us/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de-de"
      href="https://example.com/de/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default"
      href="https://example.com/" />

Process

How an international SEO campaign runs

The same six stages run for every new market, so each country goes live on a solid foundation and can be measured on its own.

  1. Pick the markets

    We weigh search demand, competition and your margins in each country to decide where to start and in what order.

  2. Research each market

    Keyword and competitor research done separately for every market, in its own language, never translated from one list.

  3. Plan the structure

    Domains or folders, URL patterns and the full hreflang map, agreed before a single new page is built.

  4. Localise the pages

    Pages adapted for language, currency, units, examples and trust signals, not just translated word for word.

  5. Build local authority

    Links and mentions from sites that matter in each market, so every version earns its own trust.

  6. Report by market

    Visibility, traffic and enquiries reported country by country, so you can see which markets pay.

Common problems

International SEO mistakes we fix most often

These problems come up again and again on international sites. Each one quietly sends the wrong page to the wrong market, or keeps a version out of search entirely.

  • Redirecting visitors by IP addressForced redirects can stop search engines and visitors from ever reaching your other versions.
  • Canonicals pointing at the English pageEvery other language then drops out of search, however good the translation is.
  • Hreflang without return linksOne sided tags are ignored, so the wrong version keeps showing in each market.
  • Tags pointing at redirects or noindex pagesThose entries are ignored, and the market they were meant for gets the wrong page.
  • Unreviewed machine translationPages read as clumsy to local buyers and often miss the words they actually search for.
  • One keyword list for every languageDirect translations rarely match how people in each country phrase their searches.
  • Home market details left in placePrices, currencies, phone numbers and addresses from your home country quietly tell visitors the site is not for them.
  • Mixed language pagesMenus in one language and content in another confuse visitors and search engines about who the page is for.
Example layout of a monthly market report

Reporting

Reporting you can read market by market

One blended traffic number hides what is happening in each country. Your monthly report splits everything by market, so you can see which countries are growing and where to invest next.

  • Search visibility and rankings in each market
  • Traffic and enquiries broken down by country
  • Hreflang, indexing and technical health for every version
  • The pages winning in each market, and the ones slipping
  • What we did this month and what comes next

International SEO is included in our Authority plan, from $2,999 per month. Compare plans

Questions

Common questions about international SEO

Do I need a separate website for each country?

No. Most businesses do well with one domain and a folder for each market, such as /de/ or /fr/. A separate country domain makes sense when a market is big enough to justify its own content, links and upkeep.

Should I use a ccTLD, subdomain or subfolder?

It depends on your budget and how independent each market is. Country domains send the clearest local signal, but each one has to build authority from scratch. Subfolders share the authority of your main domain and are the easiest to run. Subdomains sit in between. We recommend a structure after reviewing your markets, your platform and your current site.

Can I just translate my existing pages?

Translation is a starting point, not a strategy. Buyers in each market use their own words, compare different competitors and look for local proof such as prices in their currency. We research each market first, then adapt the pages to match how people there search and buy.

What is hreflang and do I need it?

Hreflang is a tag that tells search engines which language and country each version of a page is for, so the right version appears in the right market. If you have the same content in more than one language or for more than one region, you need it, and it has to be complete and reciprocal to work.

Should I redirect visitors based on their location?

Not automatically. Forced redirects by IP address can stop search engines and visitors from reaching your other versions. A clear banner or language switcher that suggests the right version and lets people choose works better for both.

Which search engines do you optimise for?

Google in most markets. In some countries a local search engine matters too, such as Baidu in China or Naver in South Korea. We tell you at the start whether that applies to your markets and plan the work around it.

How long does international SEO take?

Technical fixes such as hreflang can show within weeks. New market pages usually take two to four months to settle, and longer on a brand new country domain that starts without any authority.

Is international SEO included in one of your plans?

Yes. It is part of our Authority plan, from $2,999 per month. If you are adding a single market, send us your website and we will tell you which setup makes sense.

Ready to rank in a new market?

Tell us which countries you want to reach. We will review your site, check how it is set up for each market and show you where the quickest gains are, at no cost.

Get a free international SEO audit

No obligation, no sales script, and no lock in if you decide to work with us.

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