SEO For International Websites – A Comprehensive Guide

SEO For International Websites

You may wonder why you should invest your time and money in international SEO. But let’s face the reality: 68% of the global population, or about 5.5 billion people, use the Internet.

From this, you can imagine how much you can grow your business. Also, these people can become your customers. But for that, you need to reach them. How? Through international SEO of your business website. 

Traditional SEO can’t bring these results for you in 2025, and you must make your website relevant to each language, culture, and local search behaviour, which needs a targeted strategy. 

In this blog, we have gathered all our expertise while doing SEO for international websites at BrandclickX. It will also show you how to build a strategy, avoid common pitfalls, and check all the boxes for global success. 

So, ready to expand your reach? Let’s dive in!

What is International SEO?

International SEO involves optimizing your website’s performance in search engines across various countries and languages. Unlike regular SEO, which targets one region or language, international SEO broadens the focus to multiple regions and languages. It makes your site for diverse audiences, considering cultural preferences, local search behaviour, and regional keywords.

However, the core goal of international SEO is simple: make your website accessible and relevant to a global audience. To achieve this, you must meet the technical requirements of search engines like Google, Baidu, or Yandex.

But the question is, why does this matter? Businesses aiming to scale can’t rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. With 59% of the world’s population actively online (Statista, 2023), an effective international SEO strategy ensures your content connects with users wherever they are, driving more traffic and conversions globally.

Why is SEO for international websites Crucial?

According to statistics, cross-border e-commerce sales are expected to hit $2.1 trillion by 2025. So, ignoring international SEO could mean losing access to this booming market. Without it, businesses risk losing traffic, falling behind competitors, and becoming irrelevant to global audiences.

On the flip side, investing in international SEO offers immense benefits. It creates a tailored experience for users in different regions, improving engagement and trust. Expanding your reach to global audiences unlocks new revenue streams and enhances your brand’s presence in competitive markets.

So, to connect to a global audience, you must do international SEO for your business. 

How to Build an International SEO Strategy?

Creating a successful international SEO strategy is key to reaching global audiences. Here’s how you can go about it:

Do Market Research

Before expanding internationally, know your target regions. Understand which countries have the highest potential for your products and services. 

You can use tools like SEMrush, Answerthepublic, and Google Analytics to know by researching user demographics, language preferences, and search trends of any region. However, for Demographics, you can use Google Analytics:

To find other metrics, such as CPC and monthly search volume for a keyword in a specific region, use SEMrush (See the picture below) or any other tool you can afford. But make sure you are using the right keywords. By right keywords, we mean targeting and picking keywords that have a decent amount of traffic and less competition in that specific region.

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You can tailor your SEO Strategy to specific markets and regions through this. It will also ensure that your content is well-targeted and relevant. 

Localized Keyword Research

Simply translating your existing keywords won’t make your website rank higher. Instead, you should strategically target local keywords. You can use SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to dive into region-specific keywords.

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As shown in the image, these tools help you understand what people in different countries search for and their search volume. This information can optimize your content to match their search intent, making it more relevant.

Localise Your Content

Translation is more than just swapping words; it’s about making your content culturally relevant. Transcreation ensures your content fits local customs and idioms. This approach keeps the content meaningful and strengthens the connection with your audience in each region.

For Example, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign is a perfect example of transcreation. Instead of translating the campaign slogan, they adapted it to fit local cultures by using popular names or phrases specific to each region.

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For example:

  • In China, they used terms like “close friend” and “classmate” to resonate with cultural values of friendship and community.
  • In Australia, common first names like “Matt” and “Emily” were printed to add a personal touch.
  • In Israel, the campaign included Hebrew nicknames that locals found familiar and endearing.

This transcreation made their campaign successful globally and locally, creating a strong connection with the local audience. You should do the same for your brand. 

Competitor Analysis

Analyzing the performance of your international competitors can provide valuable insights. By analyzing their content, keywords, and strategies, you can identify gaps or areas where you can outperform them. 

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As shown in the image, you can find keys that you can use to outrank locally ranking websites. Also, it helps you learn what works globally and regionally and refine your strategy to stand out.

Leverage Tools

SEO tools are your best friends when managing international campaigns. Use them to streamline the process of localisation, content optimization, and on-page SEO. 

However, Tools like DeepL for translation, SurferSEO for content optimization, and Hreflang Generators to implement region-specific tags help ensure your content is optimized properly across all markets.

With these SEO strategies, you’ll be equipped to reach and engage with a global audience, boosting your international visibility. 

Domain Structure for International Websites

When building a website that targets international audiences, you must structure your domain accordingly. However, you can choose from the following options: 

Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs)

A ccTLD (e.g., .de for Germany or .fr for France) indicates your target country or region. This approach shows search engines that the website targets users in that country or region, helping boost your website’s relevance in local search results.

  • Pros: Strong geolocation signal, improved local rankings.
  • Cons: It requires managing multiple domains and has a higher maintenance cost.

Subdomains

This approach uses a subdomain for each country or language (e.g., de.example.com for Germany). It’s a good option for targeting different regions while keeping everything under one main domain.

  • Pros: Easy to manage content specific to countries or languages, keeps domain authority centralised.
  • Cons: Geo-targeting is somewhat less powerful than ccTLDs, and it can cause search engines to treat it as a separate website.

Subdirectories

A subdirectory structure (e.g., example.com/de/ for Germany) keeps all international versions within the main domain. It’s simple and easy to manage, making it popular for many businesses.

  • Pros: Easier to maintain and link authority across regions, less costly than ccTLDs.
  • Cons: It might not give as strong a local signal to search engines as ccTLDs or subdomains.

Parameters

URL parameters (e.g., example.com/?lang=de) allow targeting different regions or languages with a single page. This is often the least preferred option for international SEO.

  • Pros: Simple to implement, fewer domains to manage.
  • Cons: Weak geolocation signal makes it harder to rank in local searches.

Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Structure

Use the following tips and suggestions if you want to select the best domain for doing SEO for international websites:

  • If you’re targeting a specific country, ccTLDs might be the best option, as they provide strong regional signals.
  • FSubdomains or subdirectories work well for a multi-region, multi-language website, depending on your preference for authority management rather than specific local signals.
  • Parameters should only be used when testing or for sites with minimal international traffic due to their weak impact on SEO.

Technical SEO Considerations for International Sites

Not only are the things mentioned above necessary when making an international SEO strategy for a website, but you should also consider the following factors:

  • Setting up hreflang tags for multilingual content.
  • Managing duplicate content across regions.
  • Importance of fast-loading pages (especially for mobile users in global markets).
  • Optimizing for regional search engines like Baidu, Yandex, and Naver.

Content Optimization for International Audiences

As you might have heard, “Content is King” is about ranking. So, to rank in any region, you must optimize your content to that region’s specifics.

However, you can optimize your content for doing international SEO through the following ways:

  • Adapt your content to local culture using region-specific references, like McDonald’s offering the McAloo Tikki burger in India.
  • Avoid relying on machine translation tools like Google Translate. Instead, hire native-speaking translators to preserve context.
  • Research local keywords such as “trainers” in the U.K. instead of assuming “sneakers” works globally.
  • Tailor search terms for each country, like using “car hire” for Australia and “car rental” for the U.S.
  • Replace idioms with local phrases, e.g., say “heavy monsoon rain” in India instead of “raining cats and dogs.”
  • Adjust dialects for regions, like using “carro” for “car” in Mexico instead of Spain’s “coche.”
  • Use local examples, such as Netflix promoting the Hindi series Sacred Games to Indian audiences.
  • Avoid keyword stuffing by writing “affordable running shoes” instead of “cheap sneakers trainers shoes.”
  • Test content with locals, like Coca-Cola testing ad slogans with Brazilian focus groups.
  • Highlight local traditions, such as Spotify curating Diwali playlists for Indian users.
  • Respect cultural symbols, such as Airbnb listing traditional Japanese ryokans for travellers.
  • Connect with youth trends, like Nike, using K-pop stars in South Korean ads.
  • Simplify language for clarity, e.g., “Buy winter jackets” instead of “Purchase cold-weather outerwear.”
  • Update content regularly to reflect local holidays, such as Black Friday in the U.S. and vandSingles’ Day in China.

Building links for international websites boosts local trust. You should win links from local and government sites to increase your authenticity.  Because 58.1% of SEOs recognise the significant impact of backlinks on search engine rankings.

However, to earn these links, you should focus on country-specific strategies. Partner with local blogs, media outlets, and influencers. For instance, a French blog can drive regional traffic to a French-language page.

Also, you can reach out to people while using culture-specific outreach techniques. For example, formal email etiquette works best in Japan, while a friendly tone is preferred in Spain. Research local norms to make your outreach more effective.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in International SEO

If you want your SEO strategy to work properly, you must avoid the following mistakes while doing international SEO:

Misuse of hreflang tags

Incorrect implementation can confuse search engines, leading to improper page indexing. Ensure hreflang tags are accurately set to direct users to the appropriate language or regional page.

Balancing global Consistency and Local Relevance

While maintaining a consistent brand image is important, neglecting local customs and preferences can alienate regional audiences. Tailor content to also resonate with local cultures without compromising your brand’s core identity

Dealing with server locations and speed issues

Hosting your website far from your target audience can result in slower load times, affecting user experience and SEO rankings. Consider using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) or local hosting solutions to enhance site performance in various regions.

Overcoming cultural and linguistic differences

Basic translations frequently fail to account for cultural differences, leading to misunderstandings or misinterpretations. However, to avoid this, use professional localization services to tailor your content to each market. 

However, Adapting to local dialects, idioms, and cultural references ensures better alignment and improves international SEO while delivering a more engaging experience for global audiences.

International SEO Checklist

The following SEO checklist will help make an effective international SEO strategy for your website:

  1. Set up hreflang tags for multilingual content.
  2. Conduct localized keyword research for each region.
  3. Optimize URL structure for international targeting.
  4. Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor performance by country.
  5. Regularly audit and update local content for relevance.

International SEO Success Stories

The following examples show how they achieved their business goals with international SEO tactics:

1. Gaia’s Success with Localized Content

Gaia has achieved 84% traffic with international SEO tactics. It is a global video streaming platform that wanted to grow its audience worldwide.

However, they did this by crafting an international SEO strategy through which they localized their content and optimised their listings. 

2. Blurb’s Use of Country-Specific Domains

Blurb, a creative publishing platform, sought to enhance its international presence. By transitioning from subdomains to country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), they increased user and search trust, earned greater search visibility, and gained higher rankings. 

This strategic move led to a 174% increase in non-branded organic search traffic year-over-year. 

Many examples like the above have achieved their goals by following international SEO tactics.

Conclusion

SEO for international websites is not a complicated process; rather, it is strategic. Following an SEO strategy, like mentioned above, you can grow and rank your business in any region. 

But remember, do not follow a strategy blindly; try to tailor it to your business goal. But if you don’t know how to do it? Then contact our team so they can do everything for you. From local SEO to international SEO, we handle everything at BrandclickX. 

Does SEO work internationally?

Yes, SEO works internationally! It helps your website rank in different countries and languages by targeting local audiences with the right strategies like hreflang tags, localized keywords, and culturally relevant content.

What is international SEO vs local SEO?

International SEO targets multiple countries and languages, optimizing for a global audience. Meanwhile, local SEO focuses on ranking within a specific geographic area, like a city or region.

how to use SEO for international websites

To use SEO for international websites:

  1. Choose the right domain structure (e.g., ccTLDs, subdirectories).
  2. Implement hreflang tags to target languages and regions.
  3. Conduct localized keyword research for specific countries.
  4. Translate and localize content to fit cultural nuances.

Optimize technical SEO, such as page speed and mobile-friendliness globally.

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