Expert International SEO Agency
International SEO
International SEO is for brands who need to be found around the world. We research every market in its own language, build the structure search engines need and make sure the right version shows up where your buyers are.
Good international SEO starts way before you press translate.
Loads of brands try it. Run the site through a plugin, add a little flag dropdown to the header and wait for the international orders to roll in. They rarely do. A translation tool gives you words, but not the words your buyers actually search. If it were as easy as that, we'd all be doing it. In Germany, people search for a 'Handy', not a 'Mobiltelefon'. Even English isn't one market. Your trainers are their sneakers and your trousers are their pants. Get the language right, but the search wrong, and an entire market can't find you.
And that's before Google gets involved. Search engines won't guess which version of your site belongs where. Without the right structure and hreflang in place, your UK pages turn up in Germany and your German pages fight your Austrian ones. Nobody lands where they should and it all turns into a bit of a mess. We see it all the time, and it's all fixable.
Our international SEO campaigns are run properly. Every market gets its own keyword research, in its own language, from real search data. What sells in Manchester doesn't always sell in Munich. We map those terms to the right pages, write the metadata and content around them, and make sure the right version reaches the right buyer. Done well, your site speaks every market's language. Literally.
Structure first. Translation second.
Every market searches differently.
Get found in every language.
Ecommerce, Manufacturing, B2B, Distribution & Retail Already selling abroad? Fancy expanding into new territories? International SEO is the one for you. If your buyers don't all search in English, your website shouldn't either.
What Is International SEO?
The direct answer
International SEO is the process of optimising your website so search engines show the right version of it to people in each country and language you target. It covers market-specific keyword research, site structure, hreflang, and localised metadata and content. Done properly, a buyer in Paris sees your French pages and a buyer in Berlin sees your German ones.
The demonstration
One Store, Every Market
One hiking jacket, four markets, four different searches. Here's how the same product finds the right buyer in every search:
How Search Engines Serve The Right Version
01
Which market is this for?
Country targeting comes first. Your URL structure and signals need to tell Google exactly which country each version serves.
02
Which language is this in?
Language isn't country. Spanish in Madrid isn't Spanish in Mexico City, and your pages need to say which they're for.
03
Which version should rank?
Hreflang ties every version together, so the right page ranks in the right market instead of them all fighting each other.
Searches
- en: waterproof hiking jacket, yoursite.co.uk/
- de: wasserdichte Wanderjacke, yoursite.co.uk/de/
- fr: veste de randonnée imperméable, yoursite.co.uk/fr/
- es: chaqueta de senderismo impermeable, yoursite.co.uk/es/
yoursite.co.uk, every version, hreflang
Our International SEO Services
Going international takes more than a translation budget. Here's what we cover:
Market & Keyword Research
Keyword research for every market, in its own language, using real search data. We find what your buyers actually type, not what a translation tool thinks they type.
What you get
A keyword map for each market, in its own language.
Hreflang Implementation
Hreflang tags tell search engines which version of a page belongs to which language and country. Get one wrong and the wrong page ranks. We set them up and keep them tidy.
What you get
Validated hreflang across every market version of your site.
URL & Domain Structure
Subfolders, subdomains or country domains. Each has its pros and cons, and the right call depends on your business, not on whatever was quickest to set up.
What you get
A clear structure recommendation, with a plan to implement it.
Localised Metadata & Content
Title tags, meta descriptions and page content written for each market from its own keyword research. Localised, not just translated.
What you get
Market-ready metadata for every page, in every language.
International Technical Setup
Language and country signals, sitemaps per market, canonicals that don't cancel out your hreflang, and redirects that don't trap visitors in the wrong country.
What you get
Every market version crawlable, indexable and correctly signalled.
Per-Market Reporting
Traffic, rankings and enquiries split by market, so you can see which countries are growing and which need more attention.
What you get
Monthly reporting broken down country by country.
The process
How We Work
Going into a new market is a big call, so the research gets done before the money gets spent. Here's how a typical project runs:
01
Market Audit
We review your current international setup, which countries already find you and where the gaps are, using your Search Console and analytics data.
Your international visibility baseline
02
Market Keyword Research
Keyword research for each target market in its own language, with search volumes and the terms local competitors rank for.
A keyword map per market
03
Structure & Hreflang
We recommend the right URL structure, then set up hreflang, sitemaps and country signals so every version reaches the right audience.
Hreflang and structure live, validated
04
Localised Optimisation
Metadata and key page content written for each market from its own research, and reviewed before it goes live.
Localised metadata and content, market by market
05
Per-Market Monitoring
We track rankings, traffic and enquiries for every market separately, and adjust each one based on what its own data tells us.
Monthly reporting, split by market
Case study
The Silver Crane Company
A leader in 30 countries needs a website that communicates in each market's language.
The problem
Multiple European sites with no localised SEO and no hreflang in place
What we did
- Localised keyword research for the target international markets
- Optimised content and metadata for the needs of each audience
- Worked with technical teams to set up clean hreflang
+252%
New audience growth from search
+533%
Growth in blog traffic
+243%
Contact form enquiries
“The results speak for themselves, and they genuinely feel like an extension of our team.”
// found in translation
“International SEO. We love it. Structure your content right and you're onto a winner. There's nothing like watching a brand get found in a market it couldn't reach before. See you there.”
Free SEO assessment
Get Your Free SEO Review
Understand your current SEO performance. Send us your website and we'll show you what's working and what isn't.
Summary
Where your site stands in search today.
What's working
What's pulling its weight, so you keep doing it.
What isn't working
The top few issues holding you back.
Your Questions, Answered
International SEO FAQs
What is international SEO?
International SEO is optimising your website to rank in more than one country or language. That means researching each market in its own language, choosing a site structure that suits how you're expanding, telling search engines which version is for whom with hreflang, and localising your metadata and content. The aim is simple: buyers in each market find the version of your site built for them, in the language they search in. Without it, you're often competing with yourself across borders.
Should we use subdomains, subfolders or country domains?
It depends on your business, and anyone giving the same answer to everyone is guessing. Subfolders (yoursite.com/de/) keep your authority in one place and are usually the simplest to manage. Subdomains (de.yoursite.com) suit businesses running each market a little more separately. Country domains (yoursite.de) send the strongest local signal, but each one builds its authority from scratch. We'll recommend the right fit for your markets, budget and team.
Is translation enough?
No. Translation gets the words across, but not necessarily the words people in that market search for. Search behaviour, terminology and even what a product is called can change from country to country. We research every market separately, so your pages target what buyers there actually type.
How does hreflang work?
Hreflang is a tag that tells search engines which language and country each version of a page is for, and where the other versions live. Every version points to every alternative, including itself, so Google can serve the right one to the right searcher. Set it up wrong and the wrong version ranks, or your versions compete with each other. We set it up, validate it and keep it maintained as your site grows.
Which markets should we target first?
Start with the data you already have. Search Console and analytics usually show which countries are finding you without any effort, and that's a strong signal of demand. We weigh that against search volumes, competition and where you can actually deliver, then prioritise the markets with the clearest return. One market done properly beats five done badly.
How much does international SEO cost?
International SEO usually runs as part of a monthly retainer, from £600 + VAT per day of work, with the time split across the markets you're targeting. Market research and setup can also run as a standalone project, priced on the number of markets and pages after a short discovery call. No contract tie-ins, and no paying for markets you're not ready for.
Related services
Better Together
Fix the foundation Google cares about. Core Web Vitals, structured data, mobile responsiveness and the rest. We fix it. Fast.
We'll sell more of your products from search. Category optimisation, product page strategy and a few tricks we'll save for the call. Wink.
If you can see it on a page, it impacts your on-page SEO. Headings, text, images, the lot. We make it all sing in perfect harmony.
Ready to start?
Stop Guessing. Start Growing.
Let's discuss your SEO goals and create a data-driven strategy that delivers the results your business deserves.
No commitment required. 30-minute strategy call, no hard sell.