International SEO: From Strategy Creation to Global Best Practices

International SEO helps businesses reach customers in other countries and languages through search.

At Ninja Promo, we’ve helped numerous companies implement successful global search frameworks that drive qualified traffic and conversions. 

This guide walks you through creating and executing effective international SEO, from building a strategy to technical implementation.

What Is International SEO?

International SEO is the process of optimizing your website to attract search traffic from multiple countries and in different languages.

It helps you reach global audiences in different regions and rank well in local search results.

Key elements of SEO for international markets include:

• Domain structure setup (ccTLD, subdomain, or subdirectory) for targeting different countries
• Implementation of hreflang tags for language and regional targeting
• International keyword research that accounts for regional search behavior
• Region-specific content creation with proper cultural adaptation
• Technical configuration for international targeting, including hreflang and canonical tags
• Building local backlinks from relevant websites and directories
• Analytics setup to track international SEO performance by country and language

✅Pro tip: Wondering if SEO is the right strategy for you? Learn more about the importance of SEO and how it drives long-term growth.

When a Business Needs International SEO

Your business needs international SEO when you’re actively serving customers in multiple markets or plan to expand globally soon. 

Not every company requires a global strategy, but ignoring international considerations can limit your growth potential.

Here’s when it comes essential:

• You offer services that aren’t limited by geographical boundaries
• You operate physical locations or ship products to multiple nations
• Your website content consistently attracts international visitors
• You’re planning international expansion into new markets

“As a rule, a business is ready to invest in international SEO when it has stable organic traffic from abroad and has analyzed the potential of the target market. It is important to make sure the website is technically prepared for multilingual support and localization, as well as to allocate budget and resources for promotion overseas.”

Vadzim Z, Head of SEO at Ninja Promo

How Search Engines Handle International Targeting

Google, Bing, and other search engines look for specific technical signals on your website to decide which content version to show in which country. 

For example, they need these signals to avoid showing French pages to German users or US pricing to Canadian customers.

Here’s how it works:

Signal	What it means
Domain structure	Whether you use country domains (example.de) or folders (example.com/de/).
Hreflang tags	Code snippets that label which page targets which language/region.
Server location	Physical location of your website hosting.
Content language	The language your web page text is written in.
Local signals	Addresses, phone formats, and currencies in your content.
Manual settings	Configurations in Google Search Console and Webmaster Tools.

These elements help search engines connect searchers with the right version of your content in each market.

How to Build an Effective International SEO Strategy

Having worked on localization SEO for dozens of brands expanding into global markets, we’ve learned one thing: always start with a strategy.

Building a strong foundation from the start makes everything easier down the road.

Let’s walk through the exact process we follow when planning global search strategies.

1. Define Your Global Goals and Priority Markets

Start by listing the countries you want to target and defining what you hope to achieve in each international market.

Your business goals directly impact which markets to focus on first, what technical approach to take, and how much localization each region requires.

Here’s how to connect your business objectives to specific SEO targets:

• Align SEO priorities with markets where you have fulfillment capabilities and plan to distribute your products.
• Prioritize regions where you have existing business relationships or language capabilities that give you competitive advantages.
• Consider regulatory landscapes, competitive analysis data, and market size when deciding where to focus your resources.

The key is: treat each region as its own mini business case, where SEO decisions follow real operational readiness, not just search demand.

✅Pro tip: Explore our guide to key SEO statistics to learn what else works in 2025 and going forward.

2. Conduct International Keyword and Competitor Research

Next, find search terms your target audience uses in each location you want to enter. 

Different regions have unique search volume numbers, phrasing preferences, and search intent signals even for seemingly identical products or services.

“Keyword patterns vary significantly in cultural style and format. For example, in Asia, users often search for more localized content using culturally specific terms. In English-speaking markets, queries tend to be more precise and have clearer informational or commercial intent.

At Ninja Promo, we analyze local search habits and synonyms. We consider linguistic and cultural nuances and research local search engines. We also create content tailored to the local context and user intent, rather than just translating it.”

Vadzim Z, Head of SEO at Ninja Promo

You can start by using Sermush’s Domain Overview tool. 

Choose the location you want to focus on (e.g., Canada) and check your current authority in this market.

Next, scroll down to see your main competitors in this specific region and click “View details.”

Here, you can see how you stack against your rivals in this particular region.

Then open the Keyword Gap tool, enter your domain and main competitors, and select the same target location.

From here, you can check the keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t, and where they outperform you in the region.

This is a great starting point for building a keyword plan to strengthen your position in the region.

You can also use tools like Keyword Magic to explore topic ideas and check search volumes in each target location.

Start by entering a broad topic idea and check the exact keywords the tool suggests based on search volume and ranking difficulty.

✅Pro tip: Localization is a legitimate SEO strategy that’s encouraged by search engines because it improves user experience. Learn more about white hat and black hat SEO.

3. Choose the Right Site Structure (ccTLD, Subdomain, or Subdirectory)

From here, pick the best domain setup for your international website based on your budget and goals. 

This decision affects how Google sees your site and what you’ll need to maintain it.

Different structures send different signals to international search engines and impact your ranking potential:

Structure type	What it means	Pros	Cons	Best for
ccTLD (country-code top-level domain)	Using country-specific domains (example.fr, example.de)	Strongest geo-targeting signal Builds local trust Clear market separation	Most expensive Requires separate SEO for each domain Hardest to manage Slowest to build authority	Big companies with country-specific teams and big budgets
Subdomain	Using prefixed domains (fr.example.com)	Good separation between markets Flexible hosting options Maintains some brand consistency	Weaker link equity sharing Treated as separate sites by Google Divided SEO authority	Companies with different products or content by region
Subdirectory	Using folders on the main domain (example.com/fr/)	Strongest domain authority sharing Rasiest to manage Most cost-effective Fastest SEO results	Weakest geo-targeting signal Harder to separate hosting by region Requires careful implementation	Businesses expanding to multiple markets simultaneously, and those with limited resources

“In most cases, a subdirectory is the better choice because it inherits the authority of the main domain, unlike a subdomain. For one of our clients, switching from a subdomain structure to subdirectories for multiple regions resulted in a 2.5x traffic increase in just 3.5 months.”

Vadzim Z, Head of SEO at Ninja Promo

4. Localize Content for Each Market

Next, adapt your website content to fit local search behavior, cultural references, and consumer expectations in each target market.

You can do it by working with freelance translators, hiring an international marketing agency like Ninja Promo, or using tools like Lokalise.The reason is: proper SEO content localization increases engagement and builds trust with international visitors.

“Let’s look at an example from our work at Ninja Promo. On our blog, we publish agency rankings for different countries. For each market, we tailor examples to the local context, feature agencies active in that region, and use locally relevant keywords. This helps each page perform better and attract more qualified traffic.”

Olivia G, SEO Specialist at Ninja Promo

Here’s what to optimize when creating international content: 

• Website copy, including your homepage, product descriptions, etc.
• Layout direction adjusted for languages with different reading directions (e.g., Arabic)
• Cultural references, idioms, and examples that resonate with the local international audience
• Units of measurement, date formats, and number conventions (comma vs. decimal point)
• Images and visuals containing text and/or cultural references
• Testimonials and case studies featuring local clients when possible
• CTAs, form fields, and conversion paths aligned with local context 
• Payment options displaying regionally preferred methods (mobile wallets, bank transfers)

5. Ensure Technical SEO Alignment Across Regions

Finally, implement consistent technical SEO elements like hreflangs, canonical tags, and server locations.

This step helps you improve international SEO performance and prevents issues like duplicate content and indexability problems.

Work on these areas:

Element	Purpose	Implementation
Hreflang tags	Tell search engines which language/region each page targets	Add these to the HTML head or XML sitemap using the correct language-country codes (e.g., en-us, fr-ca)
Canonical tags	Prevent duplicate content issues between similar language versions	Each language version should have its own canonical tag pointing to itself, not to another language version
Server location	Improve loading speed for users in target regions	Use CDNs or regional hosting when possible, especially for markets with slower connectivity
Mobile optimization	Ensure compatibility with region-dominant devices	Test your site on popular devices for each market (e.g., different Android models by region)
Structured data	Help search engines understand context	Include language attributes in schema markup for each version
Sitemaps	Help search engines find and index all versions	Create separate or sectioned sitemaps with hreflang annotations
Google Search Console configuration	Key to analyzing the correct data for each region	Configure country targeting in Google Search Console

6 Best International SEO Best Practices

Below, we’ll share international SEO best practices to help you avoid common mistakes when expanding to new markets, based on our own experience.

Use hreflang Tags Properly to Avoid Duplicate Issues

Hreflang tags tell search engines which language version of a page to show users from different countries and languages. 

These tags appear in your page’s HTML head section, sitemap, or HTTP headers and help prevent duplicate content issues.

For example, this line tells search engines that the English (US) version of this page is at https://example.com/us/:

<link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”en-us” href=”https://example.com/us/” />

Here’s how to implement hreflang tags correctly:

• Use the right language and country codes (e.g., en-us, de-de, fr-fr)
• Include a self-referencing hreflang tag on each page
• Make sure each version of your page links back to all others with hreflang tags (so the annotations are fully reciprocal)
• Add an x-default tag for users who don’t match your targeted languages
• Consistently implement tags across your entire site

“When our team audited an electronics marketplace operating across the US and Europe, we found hreflang issues on every language version of the site. Many pages pointed to themselves in hreflang tags instead of linking to the correct language versions, and some used incorrect country codes (for example, “en-EU” instead of “en-GB” or “fr-FR”). As a result, search engines ignored the intended regional targeting, causing duplicate content issues and misdirected traffic. We fixed this by correcting the hreflang annotations to use the proper language-country codes and making sure each page linked to all of its correct counterparts.”

Olivia G., SEO Specialist at Ninja Promo

Maintain Consistent URL Structures Across Languages

A consistent URL structure helps search engines understand and connect your site’s different language versions.

It also reduces the risk of indexing errors and keeps your international website’s performance steady.

Here are the best practices for international SEO on how to create international-friendly URLs:

• Use the same structure for every market — for example, /fr/product/ should mirror /en/product/, not /product-fr/.
• Stick to one approach — if you use subdirectories, keep them across all regions to support clean international targeting.
• Include proper language codes in your URLs (/es/, /de/, /fr/) — they’re easier for users and international search engines to recognize.
• Make sure your internal links always lead to the right localized content versions.

For example, here’s what Zara’s homepage URL looks like when you shop in Spain but view the website in English:

And here’s the same setup for the French market:

Optimize Metadata and Schema for Each Region

Your metadata and structured data should also reflect each region’s language, culture, and search behavior.

Why?

Because title tags, meta descriptions, and schema markup tell search engines what your page is about and who it’s for.

Align these elements with local context and user expectations:

• Localize titles and descriptions: Use region-specific keywords, spelling, and phrasing (e.g., “color” vs. “colour”).
• Add language and region codes to schema: Include attributes like inLanguage or availableLanguage in your markup to guide international search engines.
• Highlight local details in metadata: Reference pricing, currency, delivery regions, or service areas relevant to each market.
• Use structured data consistently: Apply schema types (Organization, Product, FAQ) in every language version to help Google display rich results globally.

For example, here’s the title tag and meta description of Zara’s homepage adapted for the Spanish market:

And here’s how it looks for France:

Build High-Quality Local Backlinks

Local backlinks are links from websites in your target countries that signal to international search engines that your business is relevant and trusted in that region.

To build high-quality backlinks, focus on collaborating with real businesses, media outlets, and organizations in your target market.

“Our approach starts with building a database of relevant local websites in the target market. We analyze their metrics to verify quality and relevance, then reach out to the most suitable ones to discuss potential placements. Our specialists from other departments also use content outreach and collaborations with local influencers to create natural link opportunities.”

Olivia G, SEO Specialist at Ninja Promo

For example, you can partner with local news websites or niche blogs for guest features and interviews — like this Canadian publication covering finance and business leadership:

You can also get listed in reputable country-specific business directories. Just like this one Canadian directory of Sage Intacct partners:

Alternatively, consider sponsoring local events or charities that will link back to your website.

For example, this event could be a great opportunity for companies targeting accounting professionals in Canada:

Finally, collaborate with local influencers and use digital PR to earn mentions in relevant media outlets and grow your overall brand awareness.

For example, we used Favikon to quickly find Canada-based influencers with expertise in Sage implementation, accounting, and related topics:

Adapt Content to Local Culture and Search Intent

Remember that simply translating your content isn’t enough. 

To become visible in every new market, you need to adapt what you say — and how you say it — to local culture and search behavior.

For this, analyze how people search, what type of search results tend to dominate, and how competitors structure their content.

Here’s what you can do:

• Study local SERPs for each target keyword: Note which content formats (guides, product pages, reviews) perform best.
• Check language patterns: Identify local search terms or modifiers that reflect cultural nuance.
• Spot content gaps: Look for questions or topics local competitors aren’t covering yet.
• Adapt your content: Use those insights to shape internationalized content that fits how people in each market search and decide.

For example, the SERP for the “best accounting software” keyword looks somewhat different when you search it in the UK…

…compared to Australia:

Track Performance Separately by Country and Language

Finally, tracking your SEO success by country and language helps you understand where your strategy works — and where you need to adjust.

Monitor impressions, clicks, and CTRs for each location to spot opportunities, find underperforming pages, and measure how localization impacts visibility.

To get started, go to Google Search Console and use filters and reporting options depending on your website setup:

• If you use subdirectories (like example.com/fr/, example.com/de/): track all data under one property, and use the Page or Country filters in Performance → Search Results to view metrics by region or language path.
• If you use subdomains (like fr.example.com, de.example.com): add and verify each subdomain as a separate property. You’ll get individual performance reports for each version.
• If you use ccTLDs (like example.fr, example.de): add each domain as its own property to see country-specific visibility and clicks.

In all cases, you can use the Countries tab to compare performance by location, and the Page filter to isolate language-specific URLs (like /en/, /fr/).

Then, export or connect your data to Looker Studio to monitor how each market performs over time.

You can also use specialized tools like Semrush’s Position Tracking to track your rankings and see how they change in each region.

“When structuring analytics and reporting for international SEO, we break down performance by country, language, and region to get a clear view of each market. Beyond overall traffic, we closely track local keyword rankings and search visibility. We also monitor engagement metrics and backlinks from local sites to fully understand how each market responds to SEO efforts and where adjustments are needed.”

Olivia G, SEO Specialist at Ninja Promo

Boost Your Global Reach with Expert International SEO Services

Each new market you enter has its own search habits, cultural nuances, and market dynamics that shape new growth opportunities.

At Ninja Promo, we help businesses build genuine global brand visibility and connect with local audiences. 

“Ninja Promo’s approach to international SEO is unique because we don’t simply translate content for different countries; we adapt the strategy to local search habits and cultural nuances. We use proven SEO tools to analyze keywords and the competitive landscape in each market, and we have our own protocols for checking hreflang accuracy, URL structure, and technical optimization for multilingual websites.”

Vadzim Z, Head of SEO at Ninja Promo

Here’s what our international SEO services include:

• Deep analysis of local search data to find market-specific opportunities
• Technical implementation to ensure proper regional indexing and visibility
• Custom regional SEO campaigns tailored to each market’s search patterns
• Strategic localization that preserves your brand voice while resonating locally
• Effective SEO for lead generation strategies that convert international traffic

Curious about expanding your reach? Let’s talk about your specific markets and goals.