Technical SEO
Core Web Vitals, crawlability, XML sitemaps and mobile-first indexing explained.
Read guideWhat Is International SEO?#
International SEO is the practice of optimising your website so that search engines can easily identify which countries you want to target and which language you use for each version of your site. It ensures that users in different countries and language markets see the version of your content most relevant to them — the right language, the right currency, the right cultural context — and that each version ranks in the appropriate local search results.
Without proper international SEO, you risk: serving English content to French speakers in France, having multiple language versions cannibalise each other in search results, search engines being unable to determine which version to rank for which region, and splitting your domain authority across multiple properties unnecessarily. Done correctly, international SEO multiplies your organic reach by capturing audiences in multiple markets simultaneously.
Choosing Your International URL Structure#
The first and most consequential international SEO decision is how to structure your URLs across different country or language targets. There are three main options, each with different SEO implications:
| Structure | Example | SEO Pros | SEO Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| ccTLD | example.fr, example.de | Strongest geo-signal; clear country targeting; builds local trust | Separate domains mean separate authority; expensive to maintain; each starts with zero domain rating |
| Subdomain | fr.example.com, de.example.com | Clear separation; can host on different servers per region | Treated as separate sites by Google; splits domain authority; complex to manage |
| Subfolder | example.com/fr/, example.com/de/ | All authority consolidated on one domain; easiest to implement; Google's generally recommended approach | Less clear geo-signal than ccTLD; shared hosting means shared server location |
For most businesses expanding internationally, subfolders (example.com/fr/) are the recommended approach because they preserve domain authority on a single root domain while still allowing clear targeting. ccTLDs are worth the investment for businesses making a major long-term commitment to a specific country market where local trust signals are commercially critical. Subdomains offer a middle ground but without the clear advantages of either alternative.
Hreflang Tags: The Foundation of International SEO#
Hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells Google which language and optional geographic region a page is intended for, and signals the relationship between alternate language or regional versions of the same content. It is the most important technical implementation in international SEO — without it, Google cannot reliably distinguish between your language versions and may show the wrong version to users in different markets.
The hreflang attribute is placed in the <head> section of each page (or in your XML sitemap, which scales better for large sites). Each page in a set of international variants must reference all other variants, including itself:
📌 Hreflang Code Example
A UK English page (example.com/en-gb/guide/) would include:
rel="alternate" hreflang="en-gb" href="https://example.com/en-gb/guide/"
rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us" href="https://example.com/en-us/guide/"
rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://example.com/fr/guide/"
rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/guide/"
The x-default tag points to the fallback page served when no other language or region matches.
Hreflang implementation errors are extremely common and can completely negate the intended benefit. The most frequent mistakes: missing the reciprocal links (every page in a set must link to all others), using incorrect language codes (use ISO 639-1 for language, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 for country), pointing hreflang to non-canonical URLs, and including noindexed pages in hreflang sets. Use hreflang validation tools like Ahrefs' Site Audit or Screaming Frog's hreflang analysis mode to verify your implementation before launch.
International Keyword Research#
A critical mistake in international SEO is simply translating your existing keywords into another language. Keyword research must be conducted independently for each target market, because search behaviour — the phrases people use, the questions they ask, the intent behind queries — varies significantly across languages and cultures even for the same underlying topic.
Use keyword research tools in the target language and geo-filtered to the target country (Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Keyword Planner all support country-level filtering). Engage native speakers or local SEO consultants to review keyword lists — they will identify idioms, local terminology, and culturally specific phrasing that automated translation would miss. Also audit your competitors in each target country independently, as the competitive landscape will be different from your home market.
Geotargeting in Google Search Console#
For subdirectory international structures (example.com/fr/), you can set an explicit country target in Google Search Console. Navigate to your GSC property, then Legacy Tools and Reports → International Targeting, and set the target country for each subdirectory. This provides an additional geo-signal to Google beyond your content language. Note: country targeting in GSC is not available for ccTLDs (which already carry an inherent country signal) or for subdomains hosted on the root domain.
Content Localisation vs Translation#
True international SEO requires genuine content localisation, not just translation. Localisation means adapting content to the cultural context, local examples, local regulations, local pricing, and local search behaviour of the target market — not just converting the words from one language to another. Machine translation (even excellent tools like DeepL) produces text that native speakers recognise as foreign-generated and that often misses idiomatic phrasing that searchers use. For content targeting any market where organic rankings are commercially significant, invest in native-speaker content creation or at minimum native-speaker editorial review of translated content. See our Content SEO guide for how to build authority-building content strategies that translate across markets.
Subfolder Structure
example.com/fr/ consolidates all authority on one domain. Recommended for most businesses expanding internationally.
Hreflang Implementation
Essential for multi-language sites. Every variant page must reference every other variant, including itself, with correct ISO language and country codes.
Market-Specific Keyword Research
Never translate existing keywords. Conduct independent research in each target language and country to discover how local searchers actually phrase queries.
Native Content Creation
Native speakers create content that resonates culturally and uses natural phrasing patterns that search engines recognise as authentic language use.